Driving in different countries: cultural differences?

[Beaumont]

Visitors of this forum come from all around the globe, and I was wondering about the driving in those different countries. What is it like in India or in Russia? What are the differences between the North and South of Europe? In your country, are the drivers rather courteous, or rather aggressive? Do people go by the book, like in the US, or are there non-written rules, like in Asia? Tell us what make the driving in your country specific, or about the strange things you noticed when going abroad, and tell us what kind of driver you are!

[Maïwenn]

Well, I lied when answering the poll... I don't drive in Thailand, but I answered it's a jungle. There is only one rule, just like in the jungle : the law of the strongest. Very darwinist : the bigger, faster, more aggressive you are, the more the others will leave you alone. The nice drivers such as me have no chance. I guess I have to stick to my public-transportation-user condition!

As for other countries : I was amazed by the English drivers' cordiality the first time I went there. I hope it's still the same.

In Denmark they really really follow the rules. And they get angry if you don't. Like, if you cross the street where you shouldn't, the drivers start to sound their horns, even though you're not a danger for them. I think they get stressed, they're not used to it.

[Demona]

Traffic in Moscow is a fight that you have to be prepared for! What makes driving here special? Mostly idiots. There is even a "rule" that all the drivers know and those that are wise use it. In Russian it is called the three D rule- Дай Дураку Дорогу-in English it would be something like Let the Idiot Pass.

In Estonia where I used to live everything is very nice. However, during the last couple of years things started to worsen...people disobey rules.

[michka]

Driving in Italy is a fine mixture of jungle and war. Drivers can be rather high-and-mighty here.

We have our non-written rule. The first one: Italian drivers are the best ever. Second one: it is up to you to guess where they might want to go, for in this jungle you will chance on everything but functioning blinkers.

Most people are convinced that in Southern Italy people drive worse. In a sense I believe that driving here in the North is more dangerous: although people show more respect for the rules, they drive much faster.

In the North we also have our load of bombs : have you heard of those bored Italian youngsters throwing stones from overpasses ?

[Beaumont]

I don't drive in Thailand, but I answered it's a jungle.

I drive in Bangkok and sometimes it is indeed a jungle, you have to beware of anything bigger than you, and force your way if you don't want to spend hours waiting at some intersection. But people are not as aggressive as they can be in Paris, for instance, so it might look more stressful, but actually it is not. What bothers me the most is not the driving or the other drivers, it's the highways, motorways, tollways, whatever they call them. It's a tangle of roads going in all directions, climbing on each others, and you never know which one you're supposed to take. The signs hardly help, as they usually put them at the last moment and it's too late to change lanes.

And of course they drive on the left side of the road, like the English, so you have to get used to that too.

A few things are also different, like when you flash your lights. In France you flash your lights to tell someone you are yielding the way, that he can cross in front of you. But here flashing your lights means beware, I'm coming and I'm not stopping, so get out of my way!

[nyarzduk]

I chosed "it's a jungle with its own written rules" . Because, yes, in Korea it's kind of like a jungle but there is one rule that everyone follows... It's the "let-the-bigger-pass" rule. Basically people follow the rules except that :

Buses are big and bus drivers are experienced so they just go on if nothing is on their way (if something's on their way they horn and go), that's why they are standing in the middle of the croassroad waiting for the right time to block evreyone and go (unexperienced bus drivers just insult all other drivers while forcing their way)

If there are no traffic jams taxi drivers can drive like mad max if you ask them, I went from my home to my work place, 15 minutes by car usually, in 5 minutes when I was late and told the driver to go fast (OK it's the best I got, but believe me they are fast) I thought I was going to die several times but finally it was OK ^^

Motorbikes drive on the pavement (some cars do that do, after all pedestrians have to careful) They usually avoid anyone thanks to their skill.

Cars make U-turns ANYWHERE (and they are very good at that, even though it is rightening for people seeing it for the first time)

If pedestrians cross the street outside of the zebra, car drivers get panic-striken but don't think about braking.. You've got to run-run-run and hope.. The better way to cross a street is to wait 2 minutes, then the fire gets green for you and if you wait a little more to let the late-crossing cars and buses go, then off you go, you can cross the sreet !

[sarahlauren]

when on vacation in Peru, the traffic was a mess! Constant honking, every vehicle on top of the other it seemed. Anything goes. In Germany, they seem to obey the laws, even the walkers waiting for the white man light to appear, but they drive very fast, take turn sharply, and brake at what seems to me last minute. In Paris, the public transportation in hopelessly confusing! The states however is probably towards the top of the list for favorable driving conditions.

[iubito]

A stange thing I've seen in Romania, in Cluj-Napoca... there is a counter which tells you how many seconds you have to wait before to have the green light. And once the light green, you cross, and the counter tells you how many seconds you have to cross.
When it's 0, the light is green for cars, and often cars start before the 0, because they know they will have green really soon.
So, if the light is green for pedestrian and there is less than 8 seconds, don't cross !

[Maïwenn]

Most people are convinced that in Southern Italy people drive worse. In a sense I believe that driving here in the North is more dangerous: although people show more respect for the rules, they drive much faster.

I don't know which one is worse, but I was a passenger in Southern Italy, and that was kinda freaky.

First thing, they really made fun of me when I put my belt on. This is a reflex for me, but there it seemed like the funniest thing ever.

One day, the driver's door couldn't be closed. Because I was sitting at the back I said I would hold it. But no, no, the driver insisted in holding it himself while driving.

Another day, my friend's mother missed the way on a 2x2 road. And instead of making a proper u-turn later on, she silply drove on the terrace in the middle, where they have grass, trees and all! The contrast between her appearance, the real mama, short and plump, and her driving behaviour was striking



And something that happened to me recently in Thailand : the taxi driver who starts to wai a temple in a sharp curve. When you wai you join both your hand together in front of your head. So a curve isn't really appropriate. But nothing bad occured, I guess Buddha was really protecting him that day

[Beaumont]

A stange thing I've seen in Romania, in Cluj-Napoca... there is a counter which tells you how many seconds you have to wait before to have the green light. And once the light green, you cross, and the counter tells you how many seconds you have to cross.

Yes we have that here at some crossroads. When the light is red you don't need to keep staring at it until it becomes green, you know how many seconds you have and you can just relax or keep yourself busy in the car. Now when the light is green it makes people rush when there are only a few seconds left, so I'm not sure it's such a good idea!

And something that happened to me recently in Thailand : the taxi driver who starts to wai a temple in a sharp curve. When you wai you join both your hand together in front of your head. So a curve isn't really appropriate. But nothing bad occured, I guess Buddha was really protecting him that day

I had a friend in Laos who used to do that all the time. When I was sitting in the passenger's seat I would just grab the wheel and drive the car with one hand, that made her laugh each time.

[Sisyphe]

A stange thing I've seen in Romania, in Cluj-Napoca... there is a counter which tells you how many seconds you have to wait before to have the green light. And once the light green, you cross, and the counter tells you how many seconds you have to cross.

Yes we have that here at some crossroads. When the light is red you don't need to keep staring at it until it becomes green, you know how many seconds you have and you can just relax or keep yourself busy in the car. Now when the light is green it makes people rush when there are only a few seconds left, so I'm not sure it's such a good idea!

In Switzerland, Germany and Austria, the orange light flares up in addition to the red one a few seconds before it turns to the green. But I never saw anyone starting up before the green ! They are to polite.

Moreover, in Switzerland, when it is red, a lighting panel orders you to switch off the motor.

One other thing is amazing me : in France, roadsigns are quite handsome (as far as a sign could be handsome), big, light-reflecting, etc. A friend of mine, who works at a town hall, said me that the littlest one costs at least 1500 €.
Switzerland is a richer country than France. Their public buildings or services (especially railways) are richer, more handsome and more comfortable than in France. But their roadsigns are old, tiny, rusty, setting on old iron bars etc. As they were in France in the 60e...

[gilou]

One other thing is amazing me : in France, roadsign a quite handsome (as far as a sign could be handsome), big, light-reflecting, etc. A friend of mine, who works at a town hall, said me that the littlest one costs at least 1500 €.
Switzerland is a richer country than France. Their public buildings or services (especially railways) are richer, more handsome and more comfortable than in France. But their roadsigns are old, tiny, rusty, setting on old iron bars etc. As they were in France in the 60e...

Well, this may not be as good as it looks: roadsigns renewal is a common way for french mayors to get kickbacks from the roadsigns contractors.
A+,

[Cãlin]

A stange thing I've seen in Romania, in Cluj-Napoca... there is a counter which tells you how many seconds you have to wait before to have the green light. And once the light green, you cross, and the counter tells you how many seconds you have to cross.
When it's 0, the light is green for cars, and often cars start before the 0, because they know they will have green really soon.
So, if the light is green for pedestrian and there is less than 8 seconds, don't cross !

Same for Bucharest. Also, if you're a pedestrian, even once you get the green light, wait for about (another) 8 seconds until the drivers "realize" that the green light is for the pedestrians and the red light for the drivers, and not vice-versa.

Traffic in Bucharest, Constanta, Cluj-Napoca and other major Romanian cities is a mess. In smaller towns, the traffic is OK. I've been living in Bucharest for may years now, I don't dare drive here. But I used to live for 20 years in a smaller town (150-160 thousand inhabitants), where I used to drive on a daily basis once I got my driver's licence, and the traffic was really alright, everybody obeying the rules...

So... it depends. The larger the city, the messier the traffic.

[iubito]

So... it depends. The larger the city, the messier the traffic.

Yes that's true, in other cities (Sighet, Satu Mare, Alba Iulia or Buzau) this wasn't that mess I saw in Cluj

[pc2]

salutations,

in Brazil, driving has its problems...
we don't drive a car, because we are very young (15 years old).
but we don't plan to ever learn how to drive, because, in Brazil, it is quite dangerous and can be quite stressful.
1. there are written rules for how to drive, but, here, no one respects them.
2. there are many irresponsible teenages or even adults driving cars.
3. statistically, about 94% of the driving accidents are caused by irresponsibility.
4. bus drivers are a very strange kind of driver: they are miseducated, unrespectful and actually try to get you stressed. we are not discriminating all the bus drivers, but, in Brazil, at least in Rio de Janeiro, most bus drivers are like this. strange, isn't it?
5. the police officers are very, very corrupt. actually, there are no police officers you can trust, just a few. there is a thing called "Blitz", in which police officers stop a can and "invent" a reason to be able to charge money. one time, our elder brother was driving and an officer stopped him, charging R$40 (40 reais, equivalent to approximately 20 euros). these police officers had no reason to charge this money, because our brother had all the documents.
6. many people drink and drive.
7. people don't respect the speed limit. in a 60km road, people drive at 120km. ridiculous.
but our father is a very responsible driver. our elder brother is as well. in our family, no one drinks alcohol and we will never drink. if we would be drivers, we would be responsible drivers as well. but we don't plan to be.

salutations,