Buckle-Up to Drive Internationally

As in every country, there are good and bad drivers. There are angry and aggressive drivers and very calm drivers. That being said, buckle up.

After driving for over 46 years including 8+ years as an EMT, I’ve seen my share of drivers. I‘ve ridden motorcycles of all sizes and driven a variety of sized vehicles from tiny economy cars up to a ten-speed diesel truck. Here are some observations and opinions from my personal experiences after driving in America, Mexico, Ireland and now Italy. And, tied to the observations are tips for you as an alert, defensive driver.

So which nation has the worst drivers? I won’t answer it as such. It isn’t easily measurable in terms of best or worst. There are certain things that do stand out as positive and negative though and this information will help you be an informed driver. I am just as certain some will be offended by my opinion/observations and such is life.

When driving anywhere, one must be assertive and have a decent amount of self-confidence. Everywhere I have driven, local drivers are more apt to tailgate dangerously and pass you at the worst possible location/time. Ireland was the best about this but expect to get the doors blown off your rental by an expensive luxury sedan should you stay at the speed limit.

Speaking of speed limits. Mexico gouged me for supposed speeding while driving below the posted limit. Ireland has many speeding cameras and issues tickets. Italy, let’s say they have speed cameras nearly everywhere, depending on the region. Near Bagni di Lucca we saw 4 within a single mile. They have nearly zero tolerance, and the fines are very high, with the car rental companies adding another 50 euro or so handling fee. We joked that they must only enforce it on tourists, as the obvious local drivers speed everywhere. Not just on the highways. I mean they are either on the gas, or on the brakes. Our saying was, “What’s the speed limit in this area? Oh. Apparently that much.” As a vehicle would race by or pass us, even on residential side streets.

Aggressive. That’s our overall word for many drivers. In rank order, from least to most, the level of aggressive diving is Ireland, then Mexico, then Italy in that order. The previous two aren’t even close. Round abouts during rush hour are a comical display of sight and sound in Italy. Horns blaring, occasional shouts and oh my! The weaving together of vehicles 3 and 4 wide onto a single lane circle. In Ireland a large Mercedes may pass you at some point, in Mexico a pickup truck may whiz around you on a sketchy road, but in Italy, it may be an elderly person on their cell phone passing you in a neighborhood on a street barely wide enough for two cars.

That brings us to parking.
Most locations in Ireland saw drivers being very compliant with parking restrictions. Sure, Dublin and larger cities had their double-parking issues etc. Mexico had more parking slots, but generally didn’t even have lines to designate spaces in many areas. Roads there, at least, were usually pretty clear for travel. Italy, once again, tops the three countries for creativity. People parking in crosswalks like it’s an actual space! Double parking. Parking nose first in between two cars, so the rear of the vehicle is out in traffic! It is so common to see a car pulled into a parallel spot at an angle, with the tail end protruding into traffic that we have stopped shaking our heads at it. This is one of the dangers one must be aware of while driving anywhere, and here it is an epidemic. It is also extremely common to see cars parked mostly and even completely on wider sidewalks with the emergency flashers going for extended periods of time. Parking, especially free parking in Italy, is hard to find and we theorize this is what causes much of the behavior. “You can’t ticket all of us.” We may have seen three or four tickets on vehicles our entire trip so far.

I will say this: As negative as I may sound on Italian drivers, in several towns and cities, they are extremely aware of pedestrians and cyclists most of the time. If you’re walking along a sidewalk, and even hesitate or lean toward a crosswalk, you may cause a squealing of tires as they stop to allow you to cross. It is law here, and one they almost always abide by. In the single lane walled streets of the old cities, they may be moving at seemingly fast speeds, but they will thread their way through a crowd of people like a pro. So, although Italians may ignore some laws and flaunt safety in some areas, their actual skill level and awareness is not in question by and large. The famous slow pace of life in Italy, does not translate to when they are behind the wheel. Even they admit this.

Overall:

So although it sounds like I am saying Italians can't drive. On the contrary. They seem to be very skilled drivers in their own setting and circumstances. Just get out of their way and walk around them wherever they decide to stop. It IS their country after all. We're just passing through.

Aggressive drivers exist everywhere. Let them honk. Let them pass. Let it go. You have the rest of your life to get to your destination.