I got behind one today that made me feel at home. Middle aged woman in a VW Polo (I think) who in a poorly planned or defective set of lights, would stop a few car lengths behind the car in front of her, and then slowly creep up while the light was red. I don't get that.
Now I am in France, which seems to be a lot less concerned about rules and logic than Germany - basically, go where you fit.
Saw a van nearly pull in front of a speeding ambulance with lights and sirens blaring - ambulance had to brake. Yeah, France isn't Germany.
Also some local driving quirks - bad manual transmission skills, esp slipping clutches/grinding gears and starting out in too high a gear. Flooring it off the line and also flooring it as one approaches an intersection, as to ensure you make the light, especially if a turn is ahead. Traffic back in lazyland really is in slow motion.
Brad Keselowski saw himself fined for $25,000 and put on probation through December 31 for having a cell phone in the vehicle with him. TV cameras spotted the phone
If the undertaxed overmonied old turds who ran NASCAR had any balls, Gordon would be suspended for a good year, and the fine would be 10x higher or more.
25K fine for that guy is like a $25 fine for you or I.
Saw this in the local rag pg C 2 Wed Nov 14, 2012 SJMN. ..."Brad Keselowski became a social media darling after hopping on Twitter during a lengthy delay in the Daytona 500."...
In Zurich now, been a few years - something here I forgot, which would make the heads of most middle of the road Americans explode - trams share the roads with cars, as in the same lanes, and those lanes also intersect with car lanes. I can't imagine that working well in NA, hell in Seattle, the idiots crash into the light rail all the time, and those trains have their own dedicated areas. Another strike against working public transit in the US - (what passes for) motorists will mess it up.
Good city to park the car and just walk or use those trams, which is what I am doing. The big boat will get to take a break.
Nope, that's Zurich. Although many bicyclists act pretty Italian, with maybe a touch of west coast piousness. The Germans must go nuts when they see that kind of stuff.
I'd wager the typical Seattle area driver would quickly suffer a nervous breakdown driving through urban Zurich. Too many inputs to monitor, driving that requires attention and situational/spatial awareness.
Probably someone of the fairer variety, if you know what I mean. I don't know how to distinguish Swiss rental cars (not that a car is needed in Zurich anyway), in Germany it is easier as the large rental chains have their own plate number combinations (Sixt - MI, Europcar - HH, etc) which are known by obsessives like myself.
Lots of slowpokes on Swiss highways today, but at least they keep right. And then you get on a secondary road, go 10 over, and have an Audi or BMW on your tail - cultural universal.
Saw the aftermath of a fender bender in Austria last night - first crash seen on this trip. 2 small cars (maybe a Renault and a SEAT) tangled at an off ramp/on ramp interchange.
Driving on the autobahns today - lots of old people/Sunday drivers. The speed differentials would kill some people here, especially on the old 4 lane stretches where a car in the left lane might be going 130mph, and the right lane might be going 60 at best. I got my boat up to about 220kmh, which is plenty as the snow tires are rated for 210. But mostly cruised at around 170-180kmh, which feels very comfortable in that car.
Have only seen 3 police cars on the autobahn (German, Swiss, Austrian) in well over 1000 miles of driving. One was tending to a Subaru facing the wrong direction, the other was parked - looked to be taking a meal break, and the third was just driving, and took an exit. Funny how well it works without the overgrown school bullies picking cherries for revenue streams.
I thought this comment in the report was interesting:
Until Sunday's crash, the wrecks on the road that had garnered the most attention involved vehicles colliding with feral hogs and deer in this largely rural area at night.
So this 85 mph limit was set in an area where hogs and deer are likely to cross the road. Smart. Real smart.
Well that is "the 2 birds with one stone " principle. Now you don't need a deer tag necessarily to harvest . If the game wardens don't distribute, all the other critters benefit. :shades: :lemon:
what's the big deal? I am sure that on rural highways in Texas folks are doing 85 anyway. The only real difference is they can focus on their car and the road ahead, and not concentrating on looking for speedtraps!
Don't forget looking for those deer and hogs crossing the road at night.
Actually if all they are looking at is the road ahead, that's dangerous. Need to keep the eyes moving to see the sides and rear too... to see people merging (see news story re Texas fatality), coming up behind them, and of course those deer and hogs running onto the road.
And while keeping the eyes moving, they could catch the speedtraps. Although if someone is going to routinely go 85 on a normal rural highway in Texas (limits ~60-70) they'd better have a radar detector. Or a lot of money.
Now that is a long since DEAD discussion (archived) . Also it is a non issue, as documented in the FARS/NHTSA site.
IF anything, new data and data analysis (old/new data) indicates that testing procedures actually LONG have MASKED the INCREASED dangers of so called "smaller" cars (25% of the passenger car vehicle fleet). You know, the cars all the envirocons advocate we all shoe horn ourselves into. "Through The Looking Glass" so to speak, it can be logically argued that one of the reasons for the historically BEST years of NHTSA fatalities and injurystatistics are smaller cars in the real world are LIMITED to 25% of the passenger vehicle fleet population. Indeed statistics could be even BETTER than already BETTER, if the % of small cars were indeed... smaller STILL.
MOST (75% of the passenger vehicle fleet are "large cars") of which 50 to 60% are PU trucks (combos, etc) and app 12% being SUV's. Defacto, that leaves app 12%-15% "actual "LARGE cars. (cops car F Crown VIC, an example)
I was leaving Canal Rd for the Clara Barton Parkway.
There are cars merging from the left with a big fat YIELD sign there (hello? open your eyes) but someone completely blew by that without even slowing down.
Luckily I was alert and came to a screeching halt about an inch from the passenger door, right tire on grass, even.
Said owner just drove away like nothing happened? Son-of-a-gun!
The other car was right were that green car is, they do a near U-turn. There are actually 2 lanes after the turn, but the car drove completely in to my lane (going to MacArthur Blvd if you zoom out).
Must be the most often ignored Yield sign in this area. :sick:
The other car made that U turn without slowing down and cut me off in my lane, forcing me to the shoulder.
I was in the Miata, but I really think that if I had been in a heavier or less maneuverable car I would have hit him pretty hard. Even in rain I'm certain we would have crashed.
About 1:45 p.m., driver Martha Melinda Harris, 60, was entering the southbound lanes from U.S. 183 when she was struck by a Chevrolet Tahoe headed south on Texas 130, said Mustang Ridge Police Chief Michael Gonzales. The wreck occurred near where the road intersects State Highway 45, another toll road.
Harris was driving on a part of U.S. 183 where the Texas Department of Transportation recently lowered the speed limit from 65 mph to 55 mph, a decision that toll opponents said was designed to force people onto the toll road. Local officials have asked the state to raise the speed limit back to 65 mph, partly out of convenience and partly out of concern that the speed limit disparity could hinder drivers as they enter the much-faster toll road. (emphasis added)
It's hard to see how the 85 mph speed limit had anything to do with it, given that the posted limit on the stretch of road where the accident happened was 55 mph.
About 1:45 p.m., driver Martha Melinda Harris, 60, was entering the southbound lanes from U.S. 183 when she was struck by a Chevrolet Tahoe headed south on Texas 130, said Mustang Ridge Police Chief Michael Gonzales. The wreck occurred near where the road intersects State Highway 45, another toll road.
Harris was driving on a part of U.S. 183 where the Texas Department of Transportation recently lowered the speed limit from 65 mph to 55 mph,
It says she was entering S/B 130 FROM US 183... i.e. entering the higher speed limit from a much slower highway. Sounds to me like the wreck occurred in an 85 mph zone, but she had just come from a 55 zone.
Back in the land of the lowest common denominator and diminishing standards/expectations. Here's what I notice: Almost dark, wet, many cars with no lights. People hesitate way too much when the light turns green. Phone yappers. People who can't track straight in the lane. Ludicrous traffic controls - sat at a turn light that let 4 cars through when 10 were lined up. And so on. I honked twice - first at a light dawdler, second at a car that started creeping into my lane when I was alongside it (very short driver I won't describe further as not to offend the oversensitive) No developed nation will take this place as an example of how to handle motoring.
Basically, in a nut shell, Virginians can't drive and drive way too slow. Speed limits are ludicrously underposted and it appears it is heavily enfoced with speed traps ( I was lucky during my 5 nights there and didn't get ticketed for ignoring the speed limits). No wonder radar detectors are illegal in VA.
I had one left lane camper force me to flash her well over 100 times with the brights! (literally, as I didn't mind if the rental car's bulbs burned out). She still didn't move right even after nearly 200 flashes, but the collateral damage of light waves :P made the guy in the right lane she was going side by side with slow down and allow me to pass on the right. I wasn't going to stop flashing until she got the point or I reached my exit 7 to 9 miles down the highway. Funny thing, when I passed she flashed me a few times, but the score is about 190 to 3.
Left lane camping seems to be an issue in VA. Traffic congestion is horrendous in the Vienna/Tysons areas, However, it was extremely light on the toll road going to/from Dulles airport which is where said incident above occurred.
Cell phone yacking and texting runs way more rampant in VA than CA. Perhaps the law is working, because the difference was easily noticeable. It seems a large chunk of drivers in VA are on their cell phones while driving (near 45%); whereas in CA its gotta be under 10% by now. I couldn't believe how many people were blabbing away on the phone; it seemed everywhere I looked; no wonder the traffic is so bad!
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
If it took that long for someone to die on the 85 MPH speed limited roadway, I think it's a good thing. Since a lot of people die anually on the roadways of America, it seems one death is a low total.
Any indication on the amount of traffic the 85 MPH speed limited TX highway is getting (and road miles traveled) to give the death some perspective?
I would venture to guess 1 death is less than most highways in say.. CA ...since the TX highway opened.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
If finding a job and moving was as easy to do as to say (not all of us are sour old boomers who hit their stride when job competition and credentials were much less strenuous than today), I just might. I'd have no problem paying German fuel prices and dealing with German vehicle inspections to receive German roads and drivers.
But good idea. Rather than hope for improvement here, just dismiss any thoughts with the sour old "love it or leave it" kind of rebuttal which has helped the US so much. Nice future that will bring.
Drove down 405 and 167 yesterday, and it did not disapppoint. 405 never ceases to amaze me in that it is posted at 60, and even in wide open traffic, there are endless amounts of those who are only driving because easy licenses are no doubt "business friendly", who are dawdling at about 50 with the same grip on the wheel I would have at 200mph.
Biggest idiot was a CA plated Mitsu Endeavour that was in the left lane, wanted to change lanes to exit, planned late, and stomped on the brakes to get over. A few actual LLCs but nothing too bad. Drive back in the late evening was easy, but had to undertake a few slowpokes to maintain the speed limit. Wide open road, temps in the mid 40s, and dry conditions, FWIW. There needs to be a special license endorsement for interstate highway use, keep the lesser mortals on the side roads where they belong.
Oh, while out with family, riding in my uncle's comfy but wallowy LeSabre, was in a carpool lane on a 45mph arterial going the speed limit, Civic 2 cars ahead randomly slams on the brakes and just stops. The Buick's ABS works. Saw no reason why the Honda needed to stop (probably dropped the phone), driver who no doubt defies description.
Even though I'm lousy with languages, it'd be fun to be an ex-pat for a year or two. Well, maybe six months would be almost affordable since getting a job is a pretty remote possibility. But in Germany, I'd just do public transportation. Let the bus drivers deal with the inconsiderate drivers.
If I lived in a city there, no doubt, no need for a car. That's why rental cars are a big deal there - people use them for weekends and holidays, and just use the amazing transit grid during the week. I'd want a job though, couldn't voluntarily cease my income and do nothing just for the heck of it.
And so much less inconsiderate (or I should say, clueless) stuff there, seriously.
Oh yeah, something else yesterday that irked me - people braking for turns in the road. Not corners or yellow signed swerves, just a minor change in direction. Why is that so common here?
>not all of us are sour old boomers who hit their stride when job competition and credentials were much less strenuous than today
I'm glad I don't fit in that category. :P
My nephew went to Germany and lived during the summers. I don't know if he worked while there or not. He taught German in High School here. He took his wife and family one of the summers. As to working, I would think as progressive and forward-looking Germany is, that would be easily done for people choosing to move there from other countries... For someone who loves the driving, the cars, knows the language apparently..., great opportunity.
No more left laners.
I know long ago someone I knew did move to Germany. I recall on a visit back he said that althought taxes were 50% of the income, everything was provided including a great pension system upon which he could retire.
He didn't mention the driving nor did he mention the autbahn and considerate drivers there.
my neighbors (about 50, with 1 kid hitting senior year of college) took a job transfer last year and moved to Germany (I forget where). Seemed like a nice adventure.
Unfortunately (but luckily) I have a 12 month per year job. Suppose I could bank up some PTO and take LOA, but it would be a big imposition on my co-workers. Probably something to do if I was never to return.
Jobs aren't exactly hanging down from the trees anywhere. Even the first world parts of the EU have no better employment picture than here. Funny the benefits that can exist when someone else subsidizes continental defense and your nation doesn't embark on suicidal foreign policy ideals, eh. Add in the diminished tension between the 1% and the people, managers and workers etc, and it's a different world.
Most drivers in NA aren't as hyper-attentive as some of us posters :shades: Indeed, you will virtually never see a LLC or phone yapper there. The speed trap mentality is also a lot less prevalent. A day on the autobahn (in nice weather, and a lack of construction zones) can be like therapy for those of us who like to drive.
>Unfortunately (but luckily) I have a 12 month per year job.
I was thinking of just moving, becoming a citizen, and staying, which is what the one person from college apparently did.
I had often thought of visiting Germany. My nephew urged me to go. But life and responsibilities didn't let me feel free enough to go. I knew enough German to get by as a visitor.
I would have loved the driving as you describe it.
..."Oh yeah, something else yesterday that irked me - people braking for turns in the road. Not corners or yellow signed swerves, just a minor change in direction. Why is that so common here?"...
Let me just give the pot a stir. (I neither believe or dis, invested or dis) It is so much easier to do @ LOW SPEEDS !!! ??? Indeed far less consequences !! ???
At higher speeds (say 100 mph +) to do any to all of these low speed distractions would be delusional at best. I think that is why in the early days, Germ nameplates had silliness issues with gobs of cup holders. They are so dialed in now with American preferences, I am sure microwaves, refers, washer and dryer options might be considerations. :sick:
Comments
Now I am in France, which seems to be a lot less concerned about rules and logic than Germany - basically, go where you fit.
Couldn't say DC has the best drivers and keep a straight face.
Also some local driving quirks - bad manual transmission skills, esp slipping clutches/grinding gears and starting out in too high a gear. Flooring it off the line and also flooring it as one approaches an intersection, as to ensure you make the light, especially if a turn is ahead. Traffic back in lazyland really is in slow motion.
Still beats LLCs and slowpokes though.
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/13/jeff-gordon-fined-100k-docked-25-points-for-c- rashing-boyer-w/
Brad Keselowski saw himself fined for $25,000 and put on probation through December 31 for having a cell phone in the vehicle with him. TV cameras spotted the phone
25K fine for that guy is like a $25 fine for you or I.
The penalty has to be severe enough that they'll never do it again, that's simply not the case here.
This may be a plot to generate more controversy than a simple ban would have done.
Good city to park the car and just walk or use those trams, which is what I am doing. The big boat will get to take a break.
It was there like that for at least 2 hours.
I'd wager the typical Seattle area driver would quickly suffer a nervous breakdown driving through urban Zurich. Too many inputs to monitor, driving that requires attention and situational/spatial awareness.
Did it have rental plates?
Lots of slowpokes on Swiss highways today, but at least they keep right. And then you get on a secondary road, go 10 over, and have an Audi or BMW on your tail - cultural universal.
Driving on the autobahns today - lots of old people/Sunday drivers. The speed differentials would kill some people here, especially on the old 4 lane stretches where a car in the left lane might be going 130mph, and the right lane might be going 60 at best. I got my boat up to about 220kmh, which is plenty as the snow tires are rated for 210. But mostly cruised at around 170-180kmh, which feels very comfortable in that car.
Have only seen 3 police cars on the autobahn (German, Swiss, Austrian) in well over 1000 miles of driving. One was tending to a Subaru facing the wrong direction, the other was parked - looked to be taking a meal break, and the third was just driving, and took an exit. Funny how well it works without the overgrown school bullies picking cherries for revenue streams.
I'm expecting the news reports of carnage, spilled blood, and twisted metal to be coming in daily now according to some posters here.
And here ya go...
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/High-speed-toll-road-has-fir- st-fatality-4029915.php
I thought this comment in the report was interesting:
Until Sunday's crash, the wrecks on the road that had garnered the most attention involved vehicles colliding with feral hogs and deer in this largely rural area at night.
So this 85 mph limit was set in an area where hogs and deer are likely to cross the road. Smart. Real smart.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Actually if all they are looking at is the road ahead, that's dangerous. Need to keep the eyes moving to see the sides and rear too... to see people merging (see news story re Texas fatality), coming up behind them, and of course those deer and hogs running onto the road.
And while keeping the eyes moving, they could catch the speedtraps. Although if someone is going to routinely go 85 on a normal rural highway in Texas (limits ~60-70) they'd better have a radar detector. Or a lot of money.
IF anything, new data and data analysis (old/new data) indicates that testing procedures actually LONG have MASKED the INCREASED dangers of so called "smaller" cars (25% of the passenger car vehicle fleet). You know, the cars all the envirocons advocate we all shoe horn ourselves into. "Through The Looking Glass" so to speak, it can be logically argued that one of the reasons for the historically BEST years of NHTSA fatalities and injurystatistics are smaller cars in the real world are LIMITED to 25% of the passenger vehicle fleet population. Indeed statistics could be even BETTER than already BETTER, if the % of small cars were indeed... smaller STILL.
MOST (75% of the passenger vehicle fleet are "large cars") of which 50 to 60% are PU trucks (combos, etc) and app 12% being SUV's. Defacto, that leaves app 12%-15% "actual "LARGE cars. (cops car F Crown VIC, an example)
I was leaving Canal Rd for the Clara Barton Parkway.
There are cars merging from the left with a big fat YIELD sign there (hello? open your eyes) but someone completely blew by that without even slowing down.
Luckily I was alert and came to a screeching halt about an inch from the passenger door, right tire on grass, even.
Said owner just drove away like nothing happened? Son-of-a-gun!
Here's a Google Maps image:
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=38.96221,-77.135535&spn=0.000808,0.001206&- t=h&z=20
The other car was right were that green car is, they do a near U-turn. There are actually 2 lanes after the turn, but the car drove completely in to my lane (going to MacArthur Blvd if you zoom out).
Must be the most often ignored Yield sign in this area. :sick:
I'm glad you were on your toes though, juice!
The other car made that U turn without slowing down and cut me off in my lane, forcing me to the shoulder.
I was in the Miata, but I really think that if I had been in a heavier or less maneuverable car I would have hit him pretty hard. Even in rain I'm certain we would have crashed.
It's going to kill me to go back to slow motion dawdling along :sick:
About 1:45 p.m., driver Martha Melinda Harris, 60, was entering the southbound lanes from U.S. 183 when she was struck by a Chevrolet Tahoe headed south on Texas 130, said Mustang Ridge Police Chief Michael Gonzales. The wreck occurred near where the road intersects State Highway 45, another toll road.
Harris was driving on a part of U.S. 183 where the Texas Department of Transportation recently lowered the speed limit from 65 mph to 55 mph, a decision that toll opponents said was designed to force people onto the toll road. Local officials have asked the state to raise the speed limit back to 65 mph, partly out of convenience and partly out of concern that the speed limit disparity could hinder drivers as they enter the much-faster toll road. (emphasis added)
It's hard to see how the 85 mph speed limit had anything to do with it, given that the posted limit on the stretch of road where the accident happened was 55 mph.
Harris was driving on a part of U.S. 183 where the Texas Department of Transportation recently lowered the speed limit from 65 mph to 55 mph,
It says she was entering S/B 130 FROM US 183... i.e. entering the higher speed limit from a much slower highway. Sounds to me like the wreck occurred in an 85 mph zone, but she had just come from a 55 zone.
I had one left lane camper force me to flash her well over 100 times with the brights! (literally, as I didn't mind if the rental car's bulbs burned out). She still didn't move right even after nearly 200 flashes, but the collateral damage of light waves :P
Left lane camping seems to be an issue in VA. Traffic congestion is horrendous in the Vienna/Tysons areas, However, it was extremely light on the toll road going to/from Dulles airport which is where said incident above occurred.
Cell phone yacking and texting runs way more rampant in VA than CA. Perhaps the law is working, because the difference was easily noticeable. It seems a large chunk of drivers in VA are on their cell phones while driving (near 45%); whereas in CA its gotta be under 10% by now. I couldn't believe how many people were blabbing away on the phone; it seemed everywhere I looked; no wonder the traffic is so bad!
Any indication on the amount of traffic the 85 MPH speed limited TX highway is getting (and road miles traveled) to give the death some perspective?
I would venture to guess 1 death is less than most highways in say.. CA ...since the TX highway opened.
You flashed your brights 190 times in 9 miles? Might I suggest that you cut back on the coffee?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
IF I were this unhappy in the US and Germany is so much more acceptable to me, I think I'd consider moving to Deutschland.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
But good idea. Rather than hope for improvement here, just dismiss any thoughts with the sour old "love it or leave it" kind of rebuttal which has helped the US so much. Nice future that will bring.
Biggest idiot was a CA plated Mitsu Endeavour that was in the left lane, wanted to change lanes to exit, planned late, and stomped on the brakes to get over. A few actual LLCs but nothing too bad. Drive back in the late evening was easy, but had to undertake a few slowpokes to maintain the speed limit. Wide open road, temps in the mid 40s, and dry conditions, FWIW. There needs to be a special license endorsement for interstate highway use, keep the lesser mortals on the side roads where they belong.
Oh, while out with family, riding in my uncle's comfy but wallowy LeSabre, was in a carpool lane on a 45mph arterial going the speed limit, Civic 2 cars ahead randomly slams on the brakes and just stops. The Buick's ABS works. Saw no reason why the Honda needed to stop (probably dropped the phone), driver who no doubt defies description.
And so much less inconsiderate (or I should say, clueless) stuff there, seriously.
Oh yeah, something else yesterday that irked me - people braking for turns in the road. Not corners or yellow signed swerves, just a minor change in direction. Why is that so common here?
I'm glad I don't fit in that category. :P
My nephew went to Germany and lived during the summers. I don't know if he worked while there or not. He taught German in High School here. He took his wife and family one of the summers. As to working, I would think as progressive and forward-looking Germany is, that would be easily done for people choosing to move there from other countries... For someone who loves the driving, the cars, knows the language apparently..., great opportunity.
No more left laners.
I know long ago someone I knew did move to Germany. I recall on a visit back he said that althought taxes were 50% of the income, everything was provided including a great pension system upon which he could retire.
He didn't mention the driving nor did he mention the autbahn and considerate drivers there.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Jobs aren't exactly hanging down from the trees anywhere. Even the first world parts of the EU have no better employment picture than here. Funny the benefits that can exist when someone else subsidizes continental defense and your nation doesn't embark on suicidal foreign policy ideals, eh. Add in the diminished tension between the 1% and the people, managers and workers etc, and it's a different world.
Most drivers in NA aren't as hyper-attentive as some of us posters :shades: Indeed, you will virtually never see a LLC or phone yapper there. The speed trap mentality is also a lot less prevalent. A day on the autobahn (in nice weather, and a lack of construction zones) can be like therapy for those of us who like to drive.
I was thinking of just moving, becoming a citizen, and staying, which is what the one person from college apparently did.
I had often thought of visiting Germany. My nephew urged me to go. But life and responsibilities didn't let me feel free enough to go. I knew enough German to get by as a visitor.
I would have loved the driving as you describe it.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Let me just give the pot a stir. (I neither believe or dis, invested or dis) It is so much easier to do @ LOW SPEEDS !!! ??? Indeed far less consequences !! ???
At higher speeds (say 100 mph +) to do any to all of these low speed distractions would be delusional at best. I think that is why in the early days, Germ nameplates had silliness issues with gobs of cup holders. They are so dialed in now with American preferences, I am sure microwaves, refers, washer and dryer options might be considerations.