I mean. The UK (particularly Northern Ireland) are gods of zipper merging. It is like all of the queuing is to train them for exactly that. Every single time I felt like an asshole because I slowed down even a km/h or two to "let someone in" when they knew exactly how much space they needed and had it under control.

Germany... I am honestly gobsmacked at how bad Berlin and Frankfurt were at zipper merging. It felt like if I suddenly discovered that nobody in mainland China could make rice without a rice cooker. Like... I think the US might somehow actually be better. And we are HORRIBLE at zipper merges. At least New England, if not Chicagoland.

If I am traveling internationally and driving? The bare minimum is that I'll ask the person at the rental counter if there are any "gotchas" to be aware of. And if I have any friends in the area, I'll chat with them on a hangouts/discord call before I fly over.

Hell, I SHOULD do the same when driving domestically but at this point I can handle NYC, LA, Boston, Chicago, and all the stupidity in between so... fuck it and sorry if I cut you off.

But also....

Theory: People think speaking in absolutes based on driver's ed manuals is stupid? And you actually have to understand "the rule of the road" and how to drive defensively.