G Flip ‘freaks out’ Aussies after learning ‘insane’ fact about American drivers: ‘We wouldn’t DARE do that here’

An Australian expat living in the US has revealed the one driving habit they notice Americans often skip on the road. 

Singer-songwriter G Flip sparked an amusing yet confusing discussion after sharing that American drivers hardly ever use their handbrakes when parking their cars.

‘I’m an Aussie living in the US and one of the things I find drastically different about the two is driving – driving etiquette and road rules… People in the US don’t use their handbrake that much,’ G Flip, who goes by they/them pronouns, said in a video.

‘In Australia, whenever we’re parking the car, even at the shops, like not even on a hill, we’re whacking on that handbrake.

‘Over here, I feel like it’s only when you’re on an incline or on a hill that the handbrakes are used. Whereas in our driver’s test (in Australia), you have to have the handbrake on when you park the car.’

According to Americans, most cars in the US have automatic transmissions, and putting it in ‘park’ is considered more secure than using the handbrake. In Australia, it’s mandatory to apply the parking brake to prevent the car from rolling.

Aussies were stunned by the revelation, with one writing: ‘What do you mean they don’t use handbrakes?!’

‘How do people not use their handbrake to park, that’s blowing my Aussie mind,’ another shared. 

Many Americans came clean, with one sharing: ‘I don’t know where my handbrake is.’

‘I’m 38 and have never once used a handbrake, I don’t even think my car has one?!’ one said. 

‘The handbrake confused me so much when I got here (Australia),’ another added.

And they weren’t the only country to avoid using handbrakes.

‘I’m a Canadian in Australia and my Aussie partner is always putting the brake on and I never do, we don’t really use it in Canada either unless we’re on a hill. I can’t get used to it,’ one shared.

‘I’m in Canada but I think I’ve used my handbrake like… once or twice in my life,’ another added.

Another culture shock G Flip shared was American drivers don’t wear seatbelts.

‘That’s one of the first things I noticed,’ they said. 

‘We’re in Australia we’re always wearing our seatbelts. Obviously the police in the US have a lot going on, there’s guns and there’s a lot more crime.

‘In Australia, there’s no guns and the crime rate’s quite low. Our streets and roads are heavily policed.’

The singer – who has been living in the US after marrying former Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause – said there’s hardly any speed limit signs in America.

‘In Australia, every couple of 100-metre or something, there’s a sign that tells you what the speed limit is,’ they said. 

‘Here, everyone basically just goes f***ing rogue over and goes whatever speed they want, especially on a freeway. It is like Grand Theft Auto. 

‘People are just going through all the cars, changing lanes, changing four lanes, and it’s the motherf***ing wild west.

G Flip said they were stunned to learn drivers can turn right on a red light. 

‘And if you don’t do it, you get beeped,’ they explained. 

‘In Australia, you can’t be going. When there’s a red light, you can’t f***ing drive through that. That’s a no no.’

Finally, they said American drivers are required to pay for petrol first before filling up the tank.

‘When you go to get petrol in Australia, you fill up the gas tank and then you go in and pay,’ they said. 

‘But  in America, you have to pay first, and then you get the fuel. In Australia it’s the other way around, which doesn’t really make sense, but I guess we’re really trusting.’