Driving in Europe - what's it all about?

[Deleted member 11979]

This week I'm on a trip around the Northern part of europe in my car and have visited UK, France, Belgium, NL, Germany and Denmark.

The driving standards vary immensely from country to country, and I think in Belgium I have at last found a place where people drive more agressively and ignorantly than the UK.

Denmark is the best so far, courteous and stress free, almost a pleasure! Germany is not too bad either.

I've driven a lot in Italy and their driving is fast and reckless but all in good humour - the Belgians just scare me!

I wonder if this has some relationship to a nations "happiness"?

 

[StevenN]

Bring back It's A Knockout!

"and here come the Belgians"

Must be still wearing the Big Feet

Lol

Steve

 

[st4]

I found the Italian driving standards good. The best for discipline were the French, on their autoroutes anyway, on round abouts they were more creative with lane discipline although I do not think lanes were painted on them....

The worst, were the germans, by a country mile. Middle lane hogging, red light running, tail gating, you name it, they did it.

 

[Burger]

Some of my scariest driving moments have been on Belgian roads. Trucks pulling into my lane while I'm already next to them. Cars doing the same and pulling out of side roads with no warning at all. Cars cutting across to get to the next exit half a nano second sooner. I thought Romania and Bulgaria would be bad, but Belgium knocks them into a cocked hat. I thought maybe it was just my bad luck, but now I've read this perhaps it isn't.

I've always feel safest in Germany but am sorry to see over recent years even their lane discipline and standards have fallen drastically on what it used to be.

 

[219]

I haven't driven in Belgium , but have driven in Holland and Germany where I thought drivers generally well behaved and had no problems . I have also driven in Italy , both in cars and , once , on a hired scooter : the driving there is 'charismatic' to say the least - on the autostrada they are little different from the motorways of any other country , but once you get into the countryside and some of the smaller towns & villages it is pretty much a free for all - drive on the left , drive on the right , drive down the middle if you like ; if something in a shop window catches your eye - just stop the car where you are and get out , everyone will find their way around you - no problems , no fuss , none of the famous Italian hornblowing and hand waving I expected - everyone was very laid back . I only witnessed hornblowing in two places , both city centres - Rome and Florence , and both times it was due to tour buses stopped outside hotels and completely blocking narrow streets . I never saw any crashes , nor many damaged cars either .

Of the three vistis there , and possibly six weeks total spent there - must have only seen three or four Ferraris

 

[Tiff]

Some of my scariest driving moments have been on Belgian roads. Trucks pulling into my lane while I'm already next to them. Cars doing the same and pulling out of side roads with no warning at all. Cars cutting across to get to the next exit half a nano second sooner. I thought Romania and Bulgaria would be bad, but Belgium knocks them into a cocked hat. I thought maybe it was just my bad luck, but now I've read this perhaps it isn't.

I've always feel safest in Germany but am sorry to see over recent years even their lane discipline and standards have fallen drastically on what it used to be.

I'd agree with all of this, but Poland by night is absolutely terrifying. Sleeping or drunk truckers, mad boy racers in blinged 5 series drifting round blind bends, cars 4 abreast on a single lane road. Mad, just Mad.

I agree the standard of driving has gone down in Germany too, but Belgium is terrible, no lane dicipline, crazy overtaking and just sheer plain inattention.

 

[GP801]

Have to agree about Belgium. Maybe thats why cruise control is banned on some of the motorways.
France generally very good on the motorways but then there is not the volume of traffic we get here - other than around Paris.
Italy is somewhat chaotic but everyone knows the score and adapts to it. Never had any problems personally. The biggest danger in the cities are the foreign tourists who try to cross the roads "properly". As long as you keep walking the traffic will go round you. If you stop you risk getting hit.
Never driven in Poland but my son tells me its scary especially at night.

 

[del320]

^another in agreement about the hateful Belgians - it doesn't help that they appear to mark their roads with watered-down grey emulsion paint...

 

[Druk]

Shame if their driving lets them down. The people are the nicest and friendliest and most helpful of the lot. imo.

 

[Charles Morgan]

I have many Belgian friends and they are quite delightful. They too complain of the standard of the driving, but having seen them pile into a car after a very boozy dinner, I am unsure that they have taken the beam from their eyes first!

Only one nation worse than the Belgians (including the Poles, the only drive there I have had was nightmarish, as a rear seat passenger in a W123 200d) are the Luxemburgers. Clueless.

Danes lovely people, but police there are very very strict.

 

[BTB 500]

My most scary driving incident was in Belgium - a Golf estate that had been driving alongside us deliberately cut across the grass strip at a motorway junction at about 80 mph (having taken the wrong exit). Unfortunately there was a drainage channel in the grass which launched Golf into the air ... I watched it coming towards us at roof height. Landed on the hard shoulder less than 10 feet away - amazingly, upright - in a cloud of mud/grass/steam.

 

[Doodle]

Belgian plates are generally (unless a company car) assigned to the person, not the car.

So beware of anyone with a 5-digit registration plate; these are pre-73 issue so it generally means they're old, and therefore could well have never taken a test (Driving test only appeared in the 60's)

 

[Niks]

Belgium was by far the worst for me, in every way possible! I found the french annoying as they would take forever overtaking lorries, a lorry driver could be doing 60mph, and a french nutter overtaking at 62! Germans are sensible in towns, but give their cars full welly on motorways forcing you to move out of the way. Italians, they switch lanes too much and cut others off! Spanish, just plain reckless, overtaking when theres oncoming traffic forcing a lorry on the opposite side onto the hard shoulder! Now the swiss, they are sensible and have the most discipline in my opinion.

 

[Niks]

I'd agree with all of this, but Poland by night is absolutely terrifying. Sleeping or drunk truckers, mad boy racers in blinged 5 series drifting round blind bends, cars 4 abreast on a single lane road. Mad, just Mad.

Hehe, mate try driving in Sweden! Imagine your cruising at 80mph peacefully enjoying the scenery. Then alongside you comes a BMW E36 M3 with 800-1000bhp, engine bouncing off its rev limiter, the turbo spinning away, rear wheels spinning leaving tire tracks atleast 4 car lengths in front of you, followed by a Volvo 240, BMW E34 M5 doing the same thing...all this whilst your still cruising at 80mph.

 

[Satch]

This is precisely why I time my arrival in France for about 01.00 in the morning (apart from being an utter cheapskate and getting cheap deals of course)

Go through France/Belgium/Luxembourg on the toll free roads with minimal traffic, into Germany and Munich in time for brekky or push on into Austria and lunch in ski resort.

Found Saturday night/Sunday morning best overall: very few heavy vehicles around either.

 

[DITTRICH]

Travelling overnight across Europe is best from 9pm onwards. I usually get to Poland at around 9.00am the next morning and push on to Kaunas in Lithuania for 5pm.

I think the Poles are the worst drivers.
Closely followed by the Russians.
The Italians are fast but they cope with it - after negotiating perilously short entry and exit lanes to the autostrada you will understand.
The rest are pretty much the same.
I don't get to Belgium much thank god.

 

[BTB 500]

We normally travel overnight on the continent ... it is more tiring though.

 

[Burger]

We generally make an early start but also try to make sure we're travelling on Sundays.

Regards,

 

[crockers]

Anyone driven in Slovenia and Croatia? What are the drivers like down there? Is it safe to take a car there?

 

[Burger]

Didn't Spike just do a trip to Croatia?