Highway

I-5 was the first highway I took in the United States. At the time, only 3 days had passed since I arrived at the USA. I had to go out to greet one of my fellows flying from LA. The day before his family got to the San Dieog Airport, I deliberated how to get there from my house. Taking I-5 seemed to be the quickest way. Anxiety seized me. What if I missed the right exit for the airport? What if I took the wrong exit?

I usually drive at 60miles per hour on highway, but I feel as if I am at a lower speed in USA than in Korea. In spite of the same speed, I feel differently. This different feeling occurs because the Korean & USA highways are not like in various ways.

Frist, around 3- meters high walls lie along the shoulder of Korean highways, which make drivers feel more narrow. That's why drivers could feel more speedy because of the optical illusion. The other hand, USA highways are open that drivers are not teased by narrow.

Secondly, since opposite direction lanes are adjacent we unconsciously feel uneasy about the cars running from opposite sides. USA both sides lanes are often laid far away each other that the cars in opposite are out of my sights. It makes me feel better sense of stability.

Lastly, exits show up every 1 mile on USA highway, while Korean highway are only accessed from the big cities. Korean has a very fewer exits and access from/to the highway compared to the USA. We do not need to reduce speed to exit highways as often as the Americans.

Aside from the speed, let me talk about the toll. Korean highway collect the toll from every passing vehicle. Every entrance and exit has the toll station. Economically, this policy might have an effect on the number of users. As many know, USA highways are free with a few exceptions. Clearly, Korean highways are well maintained, but I think USA's are under poor maintenance because they are a bit aged and, there are quite a lot of unintended litters such as bald tires that could cause traffic accidents.