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The original do-it-yourself travel guide to Europe ℠


European Driving Laws and Habits

Speed Limits, Tailgaters, Police
Pedestrian zones, speed limits, police, sirens, wrong way, radar camera traps.


Typical London traffic jam.

This is the kind of everlasting traffic jam you will find throughout the center of London. The only vehicle moving is that blur of a bicycle. The stationary vehicles are London icons, the double decker bus and the ubiquitous black cab, and a delivery truck of course. Don't forget that they drive on the wrong side of the street in England. On the left edge you see a 'no parking' sign and a 'one way' sign.

Carpe diem. Vivere bene! Gratia Deo.

Chapter 18 part 3 of

HOW TO EUROPE: The Complete Travelers Handbook
John Bermont

John Bermont — Chef du Site

This entire book is published totally free on-line by the author, photographer, and webmaster, yours truly, with help from my daughter Stephanie. I welcome all questions, comments, compliments, and complaints. For contact information please see NOTE TO READERS. Updated 24 November 2015.

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IN FOUR PARTS

This Internet edition of chapter 18 is divided into four parts because it is so big. The four parts are:

  1. European Auto Rental: Details and Documentation .
  2. Driving in Europe: Back Alley to Blazing Autobahn.
  3. Laws and Habits: Police, Speed Limits, Tailgaters.
  4. Parking, Gasoline, Safety: Adjuncts to Driving.

DRIVING HABITS AND LAWS

City Driving

There is a myth prevalent in America regarding the difficulty of driving in Paris. Au contraire mes amis, I find that driving in Paris is actually sane, almost easy, except for the problem of blocked intersections during rush hours. Pedestrians don't even have a chance. It is comical.

Amsterdam, though, is a city that will test your command of sailor's English. You must bully and bluff your way through narrow streets jammed with unruly drivers, streetcars, buses, mopeds, bicycles, dogs, and double-parked trucks. And pedestrians should be aware that painted crosswalks in Amsterdam are not safe. Drivers stop for dogs, but humans receive an insulting blast on the horn. The Dutch joke is that a driver turns on his wipers if a pedestrian is crossing the street in front of him/her. That's to wipe the blood off the windshield. Typical Dutch humor, but not far off the mark.

A few cities where it might even be worse than Amsterdam are Lisbon, Rome, Madrid, and Athens. In these cities you'll find massive horn-honking traffic jams as citizens go home for the afternoon lunch and siesta. At times when there is no traffic jam, every driver seems to be racing for the checkered flag.

Pedestrian Zones

A large number of cities in Europe have pedestrian zones. It is illegal to drive in these areas. They are usually marked by a round blue sign with a silhouette of an adult holding a child's hand. Sometimes the zone is marked with a sign in the local language. You might see cars and trucks in the pedestrian zone but these have special permits to enter, usually for business deliveries.

Driver Beware

Europeans tend to be fast, aggressive drivers, with the exception of Scandinavians. The Swedes and Finns are the most courteous drivers on either side of the Atlantic. But for the rest, watch out for tailgaters riding in your slipstream and general lack of good sense regarding the margin of error.

Speed limits and driving directions are posted as you enter England.

As you get off the ferry in England this sign shows the speed limits and the direction that you must drive — on the left.

Speed limits for different types of vehicles are posted at the Romanian border.

At the Romanian border check this sign to find your type of vehicle and the maximum speed in cities and in the countryside. The top speed of 80 kph is about 50 mph. The Romanian language is similar to Italian. Hmmm.... Rome, Romania — could be a connection.

Speed Limits

As previously noted, for the most part expressways in Germany have no speed limits. Every other country has speed limits on their expressways. The limits are generally 130 kph (80 mph) or less. The limits are pretty much ignored in Italy and on some roads in France. It can cost you dearly if you are caught. A friend told me that he was a passenger in Holland when the driver was stopped by the Rijkspolitie (National Police) driving one of their white Porsche Targa police cars in the good old days. The driver was ordered to pay the equivalent of $480 on the spot or walk home. He paid.

A significant difference between European and American driving is the variation in speeds. On an American road, most drivers will go at approximately the same speed, about 10% above the posted speed limit. Not so in Europe. There are a large number of underpowered small autos in Europe, along with certain very roadworthy sports cars and luxury sedans. An extra danger in rural areas in the east is the number of horse drawn wagons on the highways. You can be on top of these faster than you expect. On our drive through the mountains of Croatia we were often impeded by large logging trucks. You want to pass just to avoid breathing the horrible diesel exhaust fumes but it's very difficult to find a hundred yards of straight road so you can get a clear shot at passing.

A 2-CV tin can on the street in Copenhagen, Denmark.

This Citroën 2CV ("deux chevaux") in Copenhagen, Denmark was a real economy vehicle. It was made of sheet metal and had a canvas roof. With air suspension it sank half way to the ground when you got in. The 33 HP engine certainly wouldn't get you there very fast. I once had the honor of a free ride.

In Portugal, they drive fast and recklessly on the mountain roads, and toot the horn at every curve to warn whoever might be coming the other way. At night, many drive with parking lights only, or even no lights.

European trucks do not have the array of night running lights outlining the rig as they do in America. Their rear lights are usually covered with mud. They generally travel slow, especially uphill, so be careful not to run into one at night. Trucks also have a bad habit of quickly changing lanes without warning. Trucks are prohibited from German Autobahnen on Sundays until 10 pm. Get home before those gentlemen start their engines.

Passing

On all roads, it is strictly illegal to pass on the right. If you're accustomed to metropolitan freeways in the USA where you frequently do a right hand pass on those cars poking along in the supposedly fast lane, break the habit or risk your life. Also, it is strictly illegal to drive in the left lane on any expressway except to pass another vehicle. To announce your approach and intention to pass when the left lane is blocked, turn on your left turn signal. If that fails to budge him/her over to the right lane, flash your bright lights, day or night. All Europeans respect the left lane rules except the Dutch, especially those pulling a camper van up a hill on an expressway.

A Dutch highway patrol car.

On an expressway in the Netherlands a Dutch highway patrol, Rijkspolitie, has the left lane. This photo is from an earlier day when the police drove Porsche Targas, with the roofs off. Those boys were too tall to sit inside with their helmets on.

The high speed lane would be the right lane in Britain and Ireland. However, as you can see by the photo of the motorway in Belfast above, they drive in whatever lane they want on the islands.

In Sweden the law says that the headlights must be on whenever you are driving. Sweden does not have many miles of expressways but does have super wide roads with heavy duty shoulders. To facilitate passing, Swedes by custom pull over and drive on the shoulder (if it is clear) and let the fast guys have the road. Once a driver pulls over to the shoulder he must stay there until the car behind him passes. So don't pull over unless you can see a long clear stretch of shoulder ahead, and if someone pulls over for you, pass quickly.

Greece has heavy duty shoulders on the tollways. Most people drive with two wheels on the shoulder, leaving plenty of room for others to pass in the driving lane.

The highways in Poland generally have wide shoulders making it relatively easy to pass the horse wagons. In Hungary, there is virtually no shoulder. If the car behind the horse wagon is one of those under-powered commie things and his car is typically full of family and friends, he will be extremely reluctant to pass. A long line can build up and slow you way down.

Police

The German highway patrol is fairly easy to spot in green Opels. In fact, most police vehicles are as easy to spot as at home. Virtually all have large emergency lights mounted on top and have POLIS or POLITIE or some similar word painted in big letters on the side.

Police are known as garda in Ireland.

In Ireland police are known as GARDA. The driver of this patrol car in Cork found it convenient to park in the pedestrian walk zone. You would probably get a ticket and/or a clamp if you did that.

In driving through Poland, one thing that I saw on entering and leaving every village was a blue police car parked by the road with a very watchful officer inside. I assume that they are there to enforce the speed limit of 60 kph through the village since it's very easy to fly right through most of these little towns. You'll also notice that the second largest building in most Polish towns, after the church, is the police station. Police presence is so visible in this country that I came to believe that the word 'police' is derived from 'Poland.'

A policeman standing next to his car in Riga, Latvia.

I got lost in the Old Town of Riga, Latvia looking for a great restaurant where I had eaten the night before, the Lido. This patrol car came by so I waved it down and asked how to find the Lido. The officer thought for a minute and looked around. I guess he couldn't explain it so he said "Get in. We drive you there." On arrival he consented to have his picture taken. Sorry for the red eye caused by my camera flash.

Sirens

The common American law requiring drivers to pull to the right and stop for all emergency vehicles with siren and lights blazing is rarely followed. In Europe, drivers race ambulances to intersections. Police and fire vehicles generally get equal disrespect. The only countries where I saw some regard for emergency vehicles were Finland and Spain and the eastern countries. Emergency vehicles usually have blue flashing lights and a two-tone wailing siren. Only in Spain do they have the good old American screeching sirens.

Wrong Way

In Britain and Ireland, all drivers drive on the left side of the road. Steering wheels are mounted on the right hand side of the vehicle so that the driver tends to sit in the middle of the road. An American auto would be a bit difficult to drive in Britain or Ireland.

Pedestrians should be especially wary of vehicles approaching from the right. The streets of London are plastered with signs warning "Look Right" and on one-way streets, "Look Left." It's best to look both ways and over both shoulders before crossing. Always use the walk buttons and wait until you get the walk signal. Cars can seemingly come from out of nowhere so don't risk your life jaywalking.

A sign in Scotland indicating that you are about to enter a round about.

This road sign outside Edinburgh, Scotland shows your options as you enter the round about. Typically these are oriented so that you are driving upward in the diagram and you must turn left, indicated by a break in the road just to the right of the entry point.

One for the Road

Drinking and driving is an extremely serious offense in Europe. Every country has strict laws and strict enforcement. You can be stopped without apparent cause at any time and any place. The police will request your personal and automobile documents. At night, the police will willy-nilly stop anyone and everyone and "request" the driver to blow up a balloon for an alcohol test. Although this test should prove positive after the consumption of more than two beers within the last hour, I have seen a couple of cases where it was borderline on more than that and the driver was allowed to drive on to the next tavern.

Radar Traps

Speeding laws are variably enforced. Radar is becoming more generally used. One of the ultimate big brother devices, being used in Holland, Germany, France, and Switzerland particularly, is a combination radar/camera/strobe light set mounted in an unobtrusive, dull box here and there around the country and in the cities. The Germans move them around a lot and usually have a cop hiding in the bushes to make sure nobody jumps out and steals the radar/camera set.

Radar camera set in Holland.

Smile. Your next stop is the police photo lab. This ugly 3-in-1 box is a radar/camera/strobe. It detects and photographs speeders, red light runners, and tailgaters. Via the license plate number, a notice of violation is sent to the owner. The picture is available on request. Formerly the Dutch police would mail the picture with the notice of violation, but, ah, some drivers were photographed with front seat passengers not their spouses, which led to, ahem, some further difficulties when their mates opened the mail. I've been photographed for speeding twice in Germany, but only had one notification mailed to me for payment. Locations of the radar camera boxes are posted on various web sites, in the local language.

Mobile Phones

There are about a dozen countries in Europe which strictly prohibit the use of a cell phone while driving a car. In some countries the prohibition applies only to hand-held cell phones. The European countries which restrict or prohibit cell phone use while driving include: Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Holland (The Netherlands), Hungary, Iceland, Poland, Slovak Republic, and Slovenia. This is a fluctuating situation so ask your rental car company about cell phones before driving away.

Don't even think about "texting" while driving.

Road Help

Help on the road is available in Holland from the little yellow Wegenwacht (literally "road watch") cars. These are a service of the ANWB, Dutch auto club. They cruise the major roads helping motorists who have mechanical problems. The German auto club ADAC has similar cruisers on the roads. Members of the AAA are accorded some privileges by the various auto clubs in Europe. Check with your local AAA office before departing.

The Swiss automobile club offers outstanding road service for its members. I was a passenger in a car which caught a stone in the radiator and sprung a leak at midnight Sunday way out in the middle of France. That was the end of driving for the night. The Swiss auto club paid for towing to a local garage, a couple of hotel rooms for the night, a rental car for a week, and then delivery of the repaired car back to Switzerland.

Those planning to live in Europe may want to join one of the national auto clubs. Free maps, trip planning, maintenance assistance, and other services are available to members.

Traffic Circles

Rules governing traffic circles are not uniform. Check with a local tourist office to see if the circle or the entering traffic has the right of way. Watch all signs and road markings at circles. The inverted triangle YIELD sign, if present, will indicate whether incoming or circle traffic has the right of way. In addition to a sign the triangles are normally painted on the road way.

On the continent traffic goes counter-clockwise as in the USA. In Britain and Ireland, where the circle is known as a roundabout, traffic goes clockwise, i.e., backwards to us. It scares me even in a taxi. As you approach a roundabout you'll see a diagram of the branches indicating destinations for each branch. The circle will be broken just to the right of the branch you are entering from. This indicates that you can't turn right. Go left only.

Bored kid in London.

Are we there yet? London traffic is as bad as it gets. Before you drive in London get smart about the "Congestion Charge." This applies in certain area on weekdays during specific times. It can cost the equivalent of $20. That might seem ridiculous but if you do not pay you will be fined about $300. Traffic cameras are everywhere. For more information see London's Congestion Charge.

Kids in the Back Seat

Children less than 12 years old must ride in the back seat. In some countries the age limit is 6 or 10. You normally see young men driving around with their wife in the back seat holding the baby. It looks like chauffeur service.

Small children must use a child seat. Very small children must use a booster seat. Ask your car rental agency about local rules and availability of child seats.

DRIVE ON

As noted above, this Internet edition of chapter 18 is divided into four parts because it is so big. The four parts are:

  1. European Auto Rental: Details and Documentation .
  2. Driving in Europe: Back Alley to Blazing Autobahn.
  3. Laws and Habits: Police, Speed Limits, Tailgaters.
  4. Parking, Gasoline, Safety: Adjuncts to Driving.

 
Have a good trip!

NOTE TO READERS

I welcome questions and comments. If you have any concerns about your trip to Europe that have not been covered well enough in this section please do not hesitate to write and ask. When you write please include relevant details, per the folowing paragraphs.

I do not open attachments. I do not click links to web pages of any kind. I will reply in a day or two, usually.

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My email address is johnbermont@enjoy-europe.com.

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If your gizmos charge through a USB port this can keep you going. European cars have the same 12 volt electrical system as American cars. Scosche Dual USB Car Charger Scosche Dual USB
Car Charger

Rolling luggage sure beats lugging a pack on your back. Travelpro Luggage Maxlite 2 20 inch Expandable Spinner Travelpro Luggage Maxlite 2 20" Expandable Spinner
A shoulder bag for your daily walk-about. Travelpro Luggage Maxlite3 Soft Tote Travelpro Luggage Maxlite3 Soft Tote
Keep your stuff organized. There are more than a dozen colors and patterns to choose from. eBags Medium Packing Cubes - 3pc Set
Luggage Packing Cubes
eBags 3pc Set

The two gallon size is excellent for packing your clothes, but it is hard to find in Europe. Two gallon plastic ZipLoc bags Two gallon plastic bags
ZipLoc by SC Johnson

Inconspicuously lock your zippered luggage with a black wire tie. Cables to Go 43036 Cable Ties - 100 Pack (Black) Cables to Go 43036 Cable Ties - 100 Pack (Black)
Plug adapters are needed throughout Europe. There are at least five models used in different countries.
Note: The highlighted #E number is purely arbitrary. It is meant to help quickly identify products in this advert column when you write in for electrical advice.
See NOTE TO READERS.

This adapter is for the standard grounded plug in France, Germany, and northern Europe. It does not fit in outlets of Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, and Britain.
#E-010 Grounded Universal 2 in 1 Schuko Plug Adapter Type E/F for Germany, France, Europe Grounded Universal 2 in 1 Plug Adapter
European Schuko plug.
4.8 mm prongs.
Equivalent to type E and F.

You can use this ungrounded Euro plug in some European countries.
#E-020 Universal 2 in 1 Plug Adapter Universal 2 in 1 Plug Adapter
Euro Plug
4.0 mm prongs.
Equivalent to type C.

This is a universal plug adapter for the UK and Ireland.
#E-030 Grounded Universal 2 in 1 Plug Adapter Type G England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland AC Adapter Plug for use in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland
Equivalent to type G.

Here is the Swiss version.
#E-040 Grounded Universal 2 in 1 Plug Adapter Type J for Switzerland Grounded Universal 2 in 1 Plug Adapter
Type J for Switzerland

Here is the grounded Italian model.
#E-050 Grounded Universal 2 in 1 Plug Adapter Type L for Italy Grounded Universal 2 in 1 Plug Adapter
Type L for Italy

If your gizmos charge through a USB port this can keep you going. European cars have the same 12 volt system as American cars.
#E-200 Scosche Dual USB Car Charger Scosche Dual USB
Car Charger

This 50 watt 220/110 volt step down transformer is good for very small 110 volt appliances and light duty chargers.
#E-070 Travel Smart by Conair 50-Watt International Transformer Travel Smart by Conair 50-Watt International Transformer
A Swiss Army Knife is unquestionably the handiest item a traveler can carry, except not on a plane. Victorinox Swiss Army Huntsman II Knife Victorinox Swiss Army Huntsman II Knife
To help find your way on the winding and poorly posted roads of Europe. It works for civilian travelers also. Lensatic Military Marching Compass Lensatic Military Marching Compass
Wear a scarf for comfort and style. Nobody will ever suspect that you are an American. Very soft houndstooth neck scarf, Kanye West style, different colors available Very soft houndstooth neck scarf. Various colors available

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