Traffic flow rules in ATSMP.

[JeffHendrie]

I'm hoping this is in the right place, as it is partially a suggestion.

 

Suggestion Name: Traffic flow rules in ATSMP

Suggestion Description:  This partially pertains to amending the "Overtaking" section in the ATSMP rules, it's also partially advice, tips, and "hints" to driving in America and Canada.   (I have a couple short comments at the bottom of this post, just as advice.)

 

 

"High Beams ('Brights')"-

In the U.S. and Canada, flashing your brights (high-beams) is ONLY (this cannot be stressed enough) for advising someone to turn off their brights, or that they have a headlight(s) out, or need to turn their headlight on; flashing your brights to advise someone may merge ahead of you is an older practice, and highly frowned upon, though it is still used at times, by some.   Brights are to be turned off when any oncoming traffic is present, or when there is traffic present within 685 feet--a rule of thumb for this is if you see more than one red spot, turn the brights off; if the lights are so far that they seem to be one red dot, you're far enough.  Brights being off as stated, is not a suggestion, as much as it is a law in the United States and Canada.  Brights (in ETS2MP, I have this problem) make it harder for other drivers to see.  When I merge, or look in my mirrors, or at an oncoming vehicle driving on an undivided roadway, when they have their brights on, I can not see the front of their truck, I only see white, which means I cannot see their truck, judge the distance of their truck from mine, or maneuver safely.  This is why flashing your brights is highly frowned upon in the United States and Canada.  In the 1990s and prior, when headlight and "brights" were dimmer than today, it was common practice, and perfectly fine; that practice has--for the most post--died, due to collisions caused by not being able to see properly due to the brights being used for signaling purposes.  I anticipate (but do not look forward to) this real-life issue in future updates of ATS.

 

"Communication with horns and lights"-

In the U.S., 2 honks is a "hello", a single short honk is a reminder to pay attention (light is green, you may go), and a longer honk is more of an aggressive thing.  We will use our blinkers to direct if it is safe to merge back, during an overtake, if we feel it is necessary; otherwise, we do not merge back any distance less than 100m--flashing your brights for the purpose of communicating when to turn is a tricky subject, and thus is safer to simply not do. 

 

"Turning and 'Common Courtesy' Right of Way"-

Right turn on red is okay in most states, but some states do NOT allow right turn on red--keep up to date on this please, if you're unsure, either look it up, or just wait for the green light.  When turning, stay in your lane; which means that if you make a left turn, you enter the left-hand lane of travel, or center-most lane when completing the turn; and the right-hand lane of travel, when making a right turn.  If anything is of question when it comes to "what do I do in what situation in what state", just ask/let us (drivers from the United States/Canada) know, a lot of us from the U.S. and Canada are happy to help people learn North American driving "procedure".  Also, common courtesy--which is in no way written law, but just commonly accepted practice in the United States and Canada--is when two vehicles meet on a single-lane road, the smaller one pulls over.  ("Fishtailing" [no trailer] trucks yield to ones with trailers [pull over as far as possible], and the larger vehicle may pass, using caution.)  People turning right have right-of-way over those turning left, when turning onto a two-lane (one lane each direction) road.  On a four or five-lane (two lanes each way) road, left-turning vehicles may proceed, completing their turn into the left-most lane, as right-turning vehicles may proceed, completing their turn into the right-most lane.  This common U.S. and Canadian law is described more in-depth later, in  the links provided.

 

More detail on that one-lane road issue:

In the U.S. and Canada, a accepted solution (at least in my locale), and practice for this issue, is larger vehicles (in this case, trucks with trailers) have the right of way, and smaller vehicles ("fishtailing" trucks, or trucks without a trailer) are to pull over (safely, which includes 4-way hazard flashers to be on) to allow the vehicle with right-of-way to pass (using caution); when the larger vehicle has passed, and only then, the smaller vehicle may continue on their way.  This also counts for semi-trucks with shorter (length) trailers; shorter trailer yields to larger trailer.  It reduces problems massively, until you have two trucks the same size, then north and west travelers have right of way.  If there's hazardous cargo, the hazardous cargo gets right of way no questions asked.  That's just how we drive typically.  It makes sense, and keeps problems from happening.  The directional thing is how railroads used to work in the early days (in America), and I'm not completely sure if we can trust ourselves to go "the gentleman's route" and decide civilly which truck should go first in the north-south vs. east-west issue.

 

 

Real life references for driving laws:

For a real-life reference on basic driving laws in the United States, a bit more in depth than what is currently on the forums, using Michigan's "What Every Driver Must Know" (where I live), California's Driver Handbook, and Nevada's Driver Handbook as the current examples.  What I learned (which is reflected in the next so far) MAY be out of date by a couple years, due to when I learned to drive.  How the horn and lights are used for communication is still accurate though, as well as the common practice in my locale for right of way between trucks on a narrow road, such as Oxnard's.

 

Michigan (MI): https://www.michigan.gov/documents/wedmk_16312_7.pdf (this is still current information, it has not been updated since 2014, I have taken the time and liberty to check, as this is the state I live in, and the state to which I have been issued a drivers' license in real life.)

California (CA): https://www.dmv.ca.gov/web/eng_pdf/dl600.pdf (Some information may be out of date, please consult the California DMV for up-to-date edition)

Nevada (NV): http://www.dmvnv.com/pdfforms/dlbook.pdf (Some information may be out of date, please consult the Nevada DMV for up-to-date edition)

 

 

Traffic signal usage:

 

The single, largest mistake being made currently, and already, is pertaining to the following quote from all three documents noted above:

"When traffic control lights are not working, you must come to a full stop before proceeding through the intersection. After yielding to pedestrians and other vehicles that have already stopped or are in the intersection, you may proceed with caution."

This rule, law, applies to 4-way flashing yellows, commonly seen at night in ATS, when the signals begin flashing yellow in all four directions.  It seems that everyone (or most people) take this as "do whatever you want", which is not true.  Use extra caution when this happens, treat it as a flashing red.  Stop at the intersection, this does not mean a "rolling stop", it means bring your truck to a full stop, 0MPH (0Km/h, which I note because 1Km/h registers on the speedometer as 0MPH), and count out 5 seconds.  1-Mississippi, 2-Mississippi, you get the idea.  Look both ways, and ahead (for oncoming vehicles who may turn, and ignore the above rule law.

 

 

 

This post may seem complicated, (or may not), but it unfortunately is just as confusing as "American Road Law."

 

 

Something before I cap off this post, and then somewhat go into "random nonsense" (a small section from "What Every Driver Must Know"):

 

 

A direct quote from the rules page:

"

When overtaking

• Start your overtaking maneuver when you are at least 60m from the truck in front of you (you can always check the distances using the TAB key).
• Stay in line
• When you checked that the other driver is 100m behind you, you can start merging back...

...if you see the other driver turn its lights on, or hear him honk 2 short times, it means that you can merge back safely from his point of view, even if you're not 100m ahead. In that case, it's nice to thank him using the left-right-left-right blinker signal. Note that high beams would normally be used IRL, but cannot be seen for now in the MP game.

When being overtaken

• Stay in line
• If you're riding at 90 km/h, it is nice to slow down a little so the other driver has a chance to overtake you.
• When there's enough distance between you and the overtaker (60m should be enough), turn your lights on (or honk 2 short times if it's night time and your lights are already turned on) to signal that he can merge back safely."

My main comments/concerns on this quote: 

     -As stated before, high-beams normally are not used in real life for signaling anything except "for advising someone to turn off their brights, or that they have a headlight(s) out, or need to turn their headlight on."

     -Stay in your lane as you overtake, and slow so the vehicle may overtake you.  If you see an aggressive driver, keep away, and report it. (This is good, and I like that this is specifically noted in the rules.)

     -As stated in the rules (this is correct) "Start your overtaking maneuver when you are at least 60m from the truck in front of you...", "Stay in [your lane]", "When you checked that the other driver is 100m behind you, you [may] start merging back."

     -"...if you see the other driver turn its lights on, or hear him honk 2 short times", we'll give you a couple honks to let you know you can start merging back, but this is rare; as we almost never do this.  In the U.S. we typically reserve the two short beeps as a polite "hello", or (for some) "hey bro, 'sup?" kind of thing.  Sometimes we'll use the short beeps (at a green light,) as a signal to "wake up" and get moving, because you're holding up traffic.  I cannot stress enough though, if you're unsure, ask.  There are those of us who are just rude, but there are a lot of us who'd be happy to help.

 

 

Any example images: None  (None, excluding the illustrations already present in the Californian, Nevada, and Michigan Drivers' Ed documents provided.)
Why should it be added?: This will greatly reduce any problems (especially) when dealing with drivers from the United States and Canada, who are used to the ways we drive in the United States and Canada, and thus those who drive like this all the time, both in-game, and in real life.  Part of this, is because the current rules slightly conflict with common, and widely accepted driving procedure in the United States, and thus conflicts (in part) with the following basic rule: "While Driving in TruckersMP, users are required to follow the traffic laws of the respective country."

 

 --I'm not suggesting that we follow these laws to a tee, I am simply giving input on how driving in the United States and Canada is done, for those who do not know, and have never been to the United States or Canada.  I have already seen arguments in multiplayer caused by someone not following the Basic U.S./Canadian Road Law; some where someone says "learn to drive in us" (actual quote), or an American and European going at it on who's right about the road law, two Americans going at it about the road law, or two Europeans going at it.  I mostly hope that this will clear up at least a little bit of the debate/confusion.

As I said earlier, if you have ANY questions about how the Basic American/Canadian Road Laws work, just ask, a lot of us are happy to help.  I'm happy to ask for help in Euro Truck 2 MP if I need it, and I'm happy to listen to advice in Euro Truck 2 MP.  The same with ATSMP, I'm happy to give help/advice if I'm asked or if it's needed.

 

 

 

(The following tips are from "What Every Driver Must Know", I follow these as best I can in-game, and follow them strictly when driving in real life.  These are indeed helpful for safe driving.)

The following tips can help you drive safely:

• Concentrate on your driving. A momentary distraction can

lead to a crash. Do not allow tasks such as talking on a mobile

phone, texting, using a GPS, tuning the radio, searching for

a compact disk or eating distract your attention from the

road.

• Drive defensively.

• Obey all traffic control devices and traffic laws.

• Be courteous to others.

• Communicate your intentions by using your turn signals or

hand-and-arm signals.

• Be aware and keep alert. Even though you follow the laws,

realize others may not.

• Recognize that you share the road with others whether they

are walking, bicycling or driving.

• Avoid looking at any one thing for more than a few seconds.

• Watch for vehicles coming from alleys or parking places

when driving in a business district.

• Always give yourself enough time and space to do what you

need to do safely. Never follow another vehicle too closely.

• Drive cautiously and increase your following distance at

night, during bad weather, rush hour, during maneuvers

such as lane changes and when approaching intersections.

• Do not drive when you are tired.

• Always obey a law enforcement officer’s orders. An officer’s

directions take priority over other traffic control devices.    (OP's note: In the case of ATSMP, a "law enforcement officer" is an administrator, or moderator.  They are the police (in a way) for this simulator/game.)

[Takumi Fujiwara 86]

with the traffic lights you are wrong. That is if they are flashing red or are OFF. Ingame they flash yellow which means proceed at caution-NOT a stop sign.

[.StεvƐ.]

_{The only problem is, A LOT of drivers who play the game are either European or some other nationality other than US (you look at peak times on the servers where EU servers are practically full yet the US server is almost empty) so have a completely US law system, although would be more authentic, would also confuse and annoy a lot of drivers who don't understand the rules, especially new drivers who are getting to grips with the driving mechanics within the game, a compromise would be good so some US laws could be enforced, but also so more familiar rules that we know in Europe should also be adhered to in order to make it fair for everyone driving out there, its bad enough at the moment with some people who still don't understand the turn right on red rule at all and still act like its ETS2 where you cant move through a light until its green, so adding in more  US rules AT THIS point in time isn't a good idea in my opinion, give it a few months when people have got more used to the game and the mechanics etc and then start adding in more rules ad regulations that are from the US.}

[JeffHendrie]

with the traffic lights you are wrong. That is if they are flashing red or are OFF. Ingame they flash yellow which means proceed at caution-NOT a stop sign.

I have actually asked that question of a police officer, since I was unsure... their reply, was that if the lights are flashing the same color all four ways, to treat it as a stop sign, or a 4-way stop.  I have encountered 4-way flashing yellows before locally, with lights on the older system... back when 4-way yellow flashing lights were used at any time after 8:30PM, and before 5:30AM.  They mean it's a 4-way stop.  4-way flashing yellow was used, because that's how traffic lights of the 1920s through 1930s operated.  The yellow was the only color that could be used for a single-color, four-direction light.  One way, red was at the top and green on bottom, the other way (cross-traffic) had red on bottom and green on top.  So, in the late 1930s, and in some places, into the early 1940s, four-way flashing yellow was used as a four-way stop, as four-way flashing red is now used.  This is a very common mistake made.  I have also seen an original 1930s pocket edition of Michigan's Traffic Laws and Regulations, which confirmed the four-way flashing yellow statement.  It also said "No sticker, sign, or any other visual obstruction may cover any area --greater than that of 2 inches squared-- of the rear window of any vehicle when driving in the State of Michigan, unless otherwise specially permitted by the Michigan State Department of Transportation; with fore mentioned permit held on the operators' person, or inside the vehicle, at all times of operation."  That law is now repealed, as it applied, and was useful, due to cars having much smaller rear windows.  Since the last time I dealt with the four-way yellow traffic signal, the signal had been deactivated, now used only for display, and a new signal, using the modern system, constructed in place of the old system.  "Proceed with Caution" is solid or blinking yellow, in only one direction, a four-way stop is when all directions are either flashing red, or flashing yellow... otherwise, when a signal is broken somehow.  One direction is unlit, or multiple directions are unlit, or other, just as obvious faults in the system.  I have taken the time to do my research on the traffic laws of my state, now, if California says all-direction flashing-yellow is "proceed with caution" in their laws, (not "let's never write this down, and just do whatever.")  Also, if you are approaching a yield sign, you don't just run right through it, you slow down quite a bit, to somewhere between 5 and 16 MPH (typically), look both ways, and then go through if it's safe.  Now, determining who has the right of way in a 4-way yield is kind of hard, you could go the "gentlemen's route", and say it's whoever got there first, but at that point it's turned into a 4-way stop.  Especially since 4-way yield does not exist (to my knowledge).

 

_{The only problem is, A LOT of drivers who play the game are either European or some other nationality other than US (you look at peak times on the servers where EU servers are practically full yet the US server is almost empty) so have a completely US law system, although would be more authentic, would also confuse and annoy a lot of drivers who don't understand the rules, especially new drivers who are getting to grips with the driving mechanics within the game, a compromise would be good so some US laws could be enforced, but also so more familiar rules that we know in Europe should also be adhered to in order to make it fair for everyone driving out there, its bad enough at the moment with some people who still don't understand the turn right on red rule at all and still act like its ETS2 where you cant move through a light until its green, so adding in more  US rules AT THIS point in time isn't a good idea in my opinion, give it a few months when people have got more used to the game and the mechanics etc and then start adding in more rules ad regulations that are from the US.}

I do still see "While Driving in TruckersMP, users are required to follow the traffic laws of the respective country." as a rule, so technically, my suggestion is already in place... and is more of an "FYI/Guide to Driving in North America", but it is still a suggestion, as I am suggesting we try not to let the rules conflict in this manner.  Now, I do agree, we might want to implement this slowly, to give a little leeway for a while after this is put in place; and after someone first joins ATSMP.  I can also say that your statement is true of the reverse as well, I still right-turn on red sometimes in ETS2, because I live by, and drive by the U.S. laws every day.  Right-turn on Red also is not required in the United States, as you are allowed to wait for the green, as is required in Europe, if you so please. Also, the EU servers are full so often, because that's where everyone is used to connecting.  There are many Americans and Canadians in the EU servers.  Besides, the EU servers are notorious for being larger servers, and thus create more draw to them from North America, as well as Europe; so I honestly don't think that's a good argument yet.  Maybe if we got some solid facts, where are people connecting from, to, and how often... (% from NA on EU servers, vs. % from EU on EU servers--as an example--as statistics taken by the server hosts), I'd be more inclined to say the full EU server vs. empty US server is a good argument.  So far, I, personally am just driving in ATSMP, the way we drive in real life in America, because it's not against the rules, and the very first rule requires it (so it seems).  I've never driven in England or Scotland in real life, but I learned quite quickly, as the basic laws are the same:  Drive on the correct side, stop on red, caution on yellow, go on green if traffic is clear.

 

I'm not saying to have U.S. rules immediately there and enforced strictly; I'm suggesting we take out the confliction between rules in ATSMP as much as possible, by putting the accurate guidelines in place, and leaving the ETS2MP level of enforcement for a few months from now.  At least have it there so when the time comes to (maybe) start enforcing it, it's not a massive issue, and not such a big surprise; because hey, it's there, you've been given 4 months, 8 months, a year, or (preferably a max of) 14 months to learn to drive in the U.S., which (at 8 months) is longer than Drivers' Ed expects you (in real life) to learn the road laws here in the U.S.  Personally, I'd suggest the rules be put in place, then begin to enforce them after they've been there for about 10 to 12 months, so there's about a year's worth of leeway; if it should be longer, let me know how long you think it should be.  Now, the mechanics of trucking in the U.S., I can definitely understand that... I got too used to driving the European trucks (you people make great trucks by the way.  Handle wonderfully, we're still working on the cabovers here in the U.S. a bit), and now need to learn how to drive the long-noses again.  Also, polite tip that I remembered on my way to work this morning when someone was tail-gating me (driving way too close behind me), is sometimes in the U.S., we'll tap our brakes a couple times, to let you know to "back away a bit, please; you're too close behind me".  When you're too close to the person in front of you, for their comfort, it means you're--most likely--too close, period.  That person kept riding my bumper for a full mile, they'd back off when I tapped the brakes, then ride right back up... over and over.  It was so [darn] annoying.  I couldn't even see their headlights over my deck-lid ("trunk", "boot"); and they were in an SUV, and I have a sedan.  So either they were really [darn] close, had really low headlights, or I've got a really huge son-of-a-bee-sting "land boat" (cars between 16.5feet and 20feet long).  That's aside the point, though.  When we tap our brakes, we're just trying to politely tell you "you're too close behind me, please back off."  There was something else I was going to say and can't remember what it was now... eh I'll remember eventually.

 

--I also apologize if I seem edgy or stand-offish at all, I'm a little bit run-down due to work; I don't mean to be rude or offensive.

[.StεvƐ.]

^if that was the case, then in ETS2 we should have had different rules for each border crossed but we didn't, we had a uniform set of rules for all countries which please everyone no matter the country they are from or what country they are in, so really a compromise between full US laws and EU laws should be made to please everyone because not all of us are from the US and understand our own countries traffic laws better than others.

[JeffHendrie]

^if that was the case, then in ETS2 we should have had different rules for each border crossed but we didn't, we had a uniform set of rules for all countries which please everyone no matter the country they are from or what country they are in, so really a compromise between full US laws and EU laws should be made to please everyone because not all of us are from the US and understand our own countries traffic laws better than others.

I'm sorry, but did I ever say "full US laws"? If I did, then that means that (for example) "no woman may wear a housecoat whilst driving in the State of California", and "no vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour, within the State of California."  With the ETS2MP rules, (I assume) the basic laws and practices of driving in Europe are the same (which is generally the same in the U.S. between states, as can be seen in the provided documents), which is why it works... but there are differences, some of them "kind of" big, between US and EU driving laws and practices; those differences come mostly in the common practices, rather than in laws.  On the EU servers, Americans must follow EU practices... so how is it unfair to ask that at minimum, EU drivers at least try to follow the common US laws and driving practices?  Again, I'm not asking for ANY enforcement of this until enough time is given to learn and understand the basic, common driving practices and laws of North America; I'm simply asking that for now, we try, and leave enforcement of it (same as ETS2MP enforces EU driving laws and practices) until 14 or so months from now, which to me, seems pretty reasonable.

Also, it seems reasonable to ask that if someone is going to drive in Europe, ask them to drive like they're in Europe (already done, check the ETS2MP guidelines, they even give information to help you learn EU practices and laws); and if someone is going to drive in North America, ask them to at least try to drive like they're in North America (which simply trying to do this, hasn't been asked in the guidelines.)

 

Quite simply, my question to you--and everyone else--is, how is it "unfair", or "unreasonable", that if Europe can ask North American drivers to try to drive like Europeans when on ETS2, then North America can ask that European drivers try to drive like North Americans, in ATS?  It seems pretty fair to me; especially when the part of the proposal is to give you somewhere from a full year, if not more than a year, to learn how we drive in North America; or, if you still don't understand what I'm saying, or what my logic is here, feel free to ask me to try to explain better.

[MaffewE]

I think it's a bit mixed due to the fact its Europeans and Americans playing both ETS2 and ATS, therefore there has to be some similarities and it'd be a bit unfair to expect everyone to behave differently and perfectly on both games, to the point it conflicts the 'real-life' laws on two completely different games. I get your point but I do think there is an element where you cannot ever force someone to act or behave exactly like the book when it isn't real - that's something that will always be a factor in games.

[JeffHendrie]

I think it's a bit mixed due to the fact its Europeans and Americans playing both ETS2 and ATS, therefore there has to be some similarities and it'd be a bit unfair to expect everyone to behave differently and perfectly on both games, to the point it conflicts the 'real-life' laws on two completely different games. I get your point but I do think there is an element where you cannot ever force someone to act or behave exactly like the book when it isn't real - that's something that will always be a factor in games.

That's why I say to try.  Also why my suggestion really, in the shortest version possible, is to give people the explanation of how North Americans drive, and what our basic driving laws are in the U.S. so it gives a heads-up on what to expect.  So we don't flash our brights at a passing vehicle to say "turn off your brights please", or toot our horn to say "hello", and have someone start pinching us off on the freeway at 60-70MPH, thinking it means the same thing as in Europe.  The suggestion is to prevent crashes more than anything else.  I don't want there to be any surprise (I also don't want there to be problems, such as) when someone gets annoyed, or when a crash occurs, due to misidentification, or misunderstanding of horn/light usage.  It also gives a way to clear up the situation when a road gets backed up because someone doesn't know who has right-of-way on a one-lane, two-way road.  MaffewE, thank you for being the first person to post, who actually understands what I'm saying.  I need to work on slimming down my posts, and not typing as I think, and vise versa.

 

Also, going back to this for a quick sec:

^if that was the case, then in ETS2 we should have had different rules for each border crossed but we didn't, we had a uniform set of rules for all countries which please everyone no matter the country they are from or what country they are in, so really a compromise between full US laws and EU laws should be made to please everyone because not all of us are from the US and understand our own countries traffic laws better than others.

There are (by default) similarities (many), between NA and EU driving laws (some of those similarities are the tips I posted at the end of my very first post, the ones I mentions from "What Every Driver Must Know", and we all know how to use traffic lanes, how to change lanes, how to signal turns and such--it's mostly the basics that are applied everywhere, when driving--the few rules and practices in European driving, that do differ from North American driving--right turn on red is okay, but not required, four-way flashing yellow is to be treated as a four-way stop, brights should not be used in XYZ situations; how horns and lights are used for communication--are the differences I'm most concerned about, because those differences can cause accidents; and if you're informed, there's a large decrease in the chances of an accident/collision will happen due to that difference.  Does that help clear anything up at all?  The only "big" thing that makes NA and EU driving so much different, is "right turn on red is okay, but not required, four-way flashing yellow is to be treated as a four-way stop, brights should not be used in XYZ situations; how horns and lights are used for communication," and not a whole lot else, to my knowledge.

[carlsagan]

The rules on the ATS MP are not to be real, I think they would created to be functional. And works fine. I respectful disagree with all of you saying here. We don't need real rules on a simulator to make things unnecessary complicated.

[heyhococo]

^ I agree. If things were too complicated, then no one would understand and people would be like "Read the rules" and another would be like "But I don't understand, what rule have I broken?" and their like "You know, I don't even know anymore. Never mind.".

So, due to the complexity of it, sorry, but it's a -1 from me.

[JeffHendrie]

The rules on the ATS MP are not to be real, I think they would created to be functional. And works fine. I respectful disagree with all of you saying here. We don't need real rules on a simulator to make things unnecessary complicated.

 

^ I agree. If things were too complicated, then no one would understand and people would be like "Read the rules" and another would be like "But I don't understand, what rule have I broken?" and their like "You know, I don't even know anymore. Never mind.".

So, due to the complexity of it, sorry, but it's a -1 from me.

I understand what you are saying (I think), and I pose this question to you:  Is it better to say in the rules "While Driving in TruckersMP, users are required to follow the traffic laws of the respective country", and then give information that conflicts with that, in which may cause crashes and unneeded headaches, or to note the simple, main differences between EU and NA driving, such as: right turn on red is okay, but not required, four-way flashing yellow is to be treated as a four-way stop, brights should not be used in XYZ situations; how horns and lights are used for communication.  We don't want accidents happening because people don't understand how to drive in NA, versus how to drive in EU.  Honestly, the one thing I don't understand, and would like some explaining for, is how can:

 

-right turn on red is okay, but not required,

 

-four-way flashing yellow is to be treated as a four-way stop,

 

-flashing your brights (high-beams) is ONLY (this cannot be stressed enough) for advising someone to turn off their brights, or that they have a headlight(s) out, or need to turn their headlight on,

 

-2 honks is commonly used as a "hello", a single short honk is a reminder to pay attention (light is green, you may go), and a longer honk is more of an aggressive thing.

 

-We (in NA) will use our blinkers to direct if it is safe to merge back, during an overtake, if we feel it is necessary; otherwise, we do not merge back any distance less than 100m--flashing your brights for the purpose of communicating when to turn is a tricky subject, and thus is safer to simply not do--

 

-tapping your brakes a couple times is a warning that you are going to stop or slow down soon, or is a warning that the person behind you is too close to you.

 

The documents--such as "What Every Driver Must Know"--are simply a more accurate, and in-depth look at North American driving laws than what we currently have on this site.  It explains what the signs are, what they mean, how to react in different driving situations, etcetera.

 

 

 

 

Is this a simpler/less complex way of explaining it?  There are more differences like these, but these are the ones that I can see becoming more immediate problems.  I'm not trying to push you into saying anything, I just want this to be as simple, and understandable as possible.

[heyhococo]

^ That's a better way of putting them, to show that they're more optional rather than compulsory rules.

[JeffHendrie]

^ That's a better way of putting them, to show that they're more optional rather than compulsory rules.

Yes; granted four-way stop on four-way flashing yellow, is indeed a law, which has a lot less leeway.  :/

[jammerxd]

I would also like to add that nobody should be passing on the right hand side using the shoulder or in the dirt JUST BECAUSE YOU are impatient and don't want to slow down to allow the person in front of you to turn, accelerate or get up to the speed limit! A double yellow is a double yellow for a reason, a double yellow in the United States should be treated like a solid white in EU(no overtaking) a dashed yellow means that overtaking is permitted, but use caution when doing so. Drivers in truckersmp need to learn patience, right of way, and manners when driving, especially in the United States. 

[Badgriuel]

^ Only issue with your double yellow argument is that the Dev's for the game didn't do their homework and everything is a double yellow line which is far from what it is in California and Nevada. You only see dashed yellow lines at intersections in this game. Which is dumb because that's not how it is. 

[JeffHendrie]

^ Only issue with your double yellow argument is that the Dev's for the game didn't do their homework and everything is a double yellow line which is far from what it is in California and Nevada. You only see dashed yellow lines at intersections in this game. Which is dumb because that's not how it is. 

Yes, now in large cities, I can see a heck of a lot of double-yellow lines, in the country, I see some (rare) solid-yellow on one side, dashed on the other; or dashed yellow lines in general... back when the U.S. Highway System ("U.S. Routes", like Route 193, Route 66, Route 53, etcetera) was created, most of the Route's length was either an intersection, or double-yellow line, or intersection between the highway/route, and a driveway (like a gas station).  Which left everything else to be one-side passing, or both-sides passing, (or even no markings at all), which was tricky, especially on curves or hills, which made up a lot of the route system; not including the Midwest and flatlands/plains.  The problem I have most with the Devs, is they put a lot of the barriers one or two feet from the solid-yellow line on the side of the roads, and made the collision hulls too large for those barriers.  In the U.S., most barriers are at least 4 feet from the roadway, there ARE some (very few) places where the barrier is one or two feet from the road, such as on Square Lake and John R (if I remember correctly) in Michigan, in the Metro-Detroit area.  The barrier there, is a guardrail that sits about 2 or 3 feet from the roadway, marking/protecting a large ditch from oncoming traffic.  I do see way too many double-yellow lines though, so I must agree with that.  Sadly, just as in real life, it seems we have little say in what road markings are where in terms of double-yellow vs. dashed-yellow.

 

 

I would also like to add that nobody should be passing on the right hand side using the shoulder or in the dirt JUST BECAUSE YOU are impatient and don't want to slow down to allow the person in front of you to turn, accelerate or get up to the speed limit! A double yellow is a double yellow for a reason, a double yellow in the United States should be treated like a solid white in EU(no overtaking) a dashed yellow means that overtaking is permitted, but use caution when doing so. Drivers in truckersmp need to learn patience, right of way, and manners when driving, especially in the United States. 

I must agree with this, double-yellow is "do not pass", no exceptions.  I don't care that you have an urgent load... if my truck is 6-speed (which it is), and has a heavy trailer with fragile cargo (which I've had before), I don't need you honking at me when there's two lanes each way, just pass me.  Also, nobody needs your horn on Route 193, especially when they're trying to go uphill pulling 33,945lbs of trailer and cargo.  I have a 625HP Detroit Diesel in my truck, my truck can handle whatever load I give it, but it needs some patience sometimes.  6-speed is what I know how to drive best, I can do 10, I can do 18, but I'm best at 6-speed; so just let me (or anyone else) get the truck moving.

 

Also, 4-way flashers mean the vehicle is moving more than 8MPH below the posted speed limit (on interstate freeways, the speed limit it 55MPH minimum, and 70MPH maximum; staying in the right-hand lane while bringing your truck from 20-30MPH, to 55 after you entered the freeway just a few seconds ago, does not require 4-way flashers)/is a impediment to traffic flow/is a road hazard (thus the term "hazard lights" for 4-way flashers), and is parked as so for a reason; e.g. out of gas, stalled vehicle, heavily damaged vehicle, limping along the road as far to the RIGHT side of the road as possible, or is pulled into the grass/dirt/shoulder for some emergency reason, stalled, out of gas, heavily damaged.  Please, try to have at least some patience for these vehicles.  Also, do not abuse the 4-ways, they are not "park wherever the f*** I feel like"-mode, they are not "Drive however I want" or "I'm not good at driving, and therefore I'm a road hazard; I'll drive with my hazards/4-ways on all the time so I can get away with it"-mode, they are used when needed and never any other time.  I see people abuse these in real life all of the time, and sometimes see it in ATSMP.

   -When someone has their 4-ways on, patience is a good thing to have.  Just go around them, don't lay on the horn indefinitely; or better yet, you could put your 4-ways on, pull over, and ask if they're okay.  If they need help, try to help, if not, tell them okay, and tell them to have a nice journey, then put your blinker on, turn off the 4-ways, and slowly, cautiously merge back onto the roadway.

 

A (hopefully) helpful tip about avoiding almost unavoidable collisions:

If you (somehow) lose braking capabilities at the top of a hill, feel free to put the 4-ways on, and try to notify others of the situation as best you can, at the same time as you're pressing F7 + "Enter".  Do your best to try to stop the truck though... even if it means burning out your brakes, hitting the handbrake, using the exhaust brake (or all three brakes); or even if it means rolling your truck into the dirt at the side of the highway or freeway, running into a tree, guardrail, concrete barrier, bush (if possible), fence, or wall.  You can take the hit; and save yourself, and others.  Your load may be damaged, but it's better to have a few scrapes on your truck, and damaged load, than to have a 5-truck pileup, with many drivers angry with you for something that may not have been anyone's fault.

[Matt]

Hey there!

Thanks for your suggestion

Due to the amount of down votes and the complexity of your suggestion (in addition to the rules already covering what is necessary), I will be rejecting this suggestion.
Thanks to all who contributed to this topic.