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Speed Traps and Potholes: The Great Texas vs. St. Louis Driving Showdown
The Fast and the Felony: Texas Highway Culture
In Texas, the speed limit signs are more like polite suggestions than hard rules. If you aren’t pushing 90 mph on 635 or I-30 in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, you are basically an obstacle. The first three lanes are reserved for the “felony” drivers—the ones who are ready to move and won’t hesitate to run you off the road if you are lingering in their way. It is a high-stakes environment where the police are everywhere, and everyone knows that hands-free laws are strictly enforced. In the Lone Star State, you either keep up or get out of the way.
St. Louis: Where Red Lights Are Optional
Cross the border into St. Louis, and the energy shifts from high-speed precision to unpredictable chaos. Here, the drivers are mental in a completely different way. You will see people slowing down just to take an exit—a cardinal sin in Texas—or navigating a landscape riddled with potholes that could swallow a subcompact car. In St. Louis, the traffic laws seem to evaporate after the sun goes down. Red lights and stop signs become mere decorations, especially when you need to keep moving for safety. It is a survivalist approach to commuting that requires a thick skin and a lot of patience.
The Blinker Paradox and the Friday Frenzy
Driving in the Lou requires a unique set of psychological tricks. Want someone to pass you? Turn on your blinker. In most places, that signals a lane change, but in St. Louis, it acts as a trigger that forces the driver next to you to speed up immediately to block you. It is a bully-or-be-bullied system. And then there is the Friday phenomenon. Historically, St. Louis drivers saved their wildest maneuvers for the end of the work week, but in the 2020s, every day except Sunday is treated like a lawless Friday afternoon. You have to be a defensive driver just to make it to the grocery store.
Chicago: The Ultimate Bully
While St. Louis is chaotic, Chicago is a different beast entirely. It is a city where you have to be a bully just to survive the merge. From three-lane dives across traffic to cars hitting each other and simply driving off like nothing happened, the Windy City makes the Texas-St. Louis rivalry look like a Sunday stroll. Whether you are dodging potholes in Missouri or hitting triple digits in Texas, the American road is a battlefield of cultural extremes that requires constant vigilance.
Disclaimer: The info in this article may or may not be true. This was taken from a conversation from The Grind It Up Podcast and should not be used as your reliable news source but rather entertainment.
This info can be found in this episode of The Grind It Up Podcast
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