Driving in Florida

There's a phenomenon of driving in Florida that I still don't quite get. As I was explaining to my uncle who lives in California earlier, driving is, shall we say, a bit different.

Learning to be a defensive driver in California, I was taught the 3-second rule: that is, leave enough space as you can from the driver on the highway in front of you. You never know if you have to make an immediate stop on the highway or try to avoid some danger or accident.

Apparently someone has edited out this 3-second rule page in the Florida Driving Manual (if that's what it's called).

If there is a space in between two cars enough for a third to fit right in, a third car will just get into this space. It does not matter if the rest of the highway is wiiiiiiiiiide open. That space must be filled. There is barely a foot between cars.

Of course me, being an activist, I felt it was my duty to change this dangerous habit for the sake of Floridians. So I would always leave ample space in front of me.

Silly me, tricks are for kids.

What happened in reality was that all these cars would just cut in front of me and I'd feel so cheated for trying to do something good (and way behind so many cars). So now that's how I drive there. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I bet Floridians can parallel park really well in LA if they can squeeze in at 80 mph on a highway.