OT (sort of) UK Drivers are the best IMHO

Well I just got back to Australia after a 3 month swan around the UK and
Northern Europe and I gotta say that UK drivers have to be some of the most
polite people on the road. I know there are going to be the exceptions to
the rule but I only seemed to have met people who were willing to stop on
narrow roads and let me pass, would allow me out of side roads, gave a
"thank you" wave when I did the same for them. Thanks to all the Landie
drivers who always backed up or drove off the road to let me pass on the one
lane roads.

It made driving almost a pleasure in the UK - geez those roads are crowded,
I'm amazed that there are not more accidents.

My only concern was the number of unbelted children, babies in the arms of
mothers, farting and fighting dogs in the pubs!

The worst drivers in Europe - well it would be a toss up between Italians
and the Southern French. I never realised that turning on your hazard lights
allowed you to stop and park (double park/triple park) anywhere you liked -
on pedestrian crossings, in roundabouts, in junctions (preferably the
busiest), on pavements, in bus stops and of course anywhere which would
cause an immediate 2km traffic jam.

I intend demanding that Australians of Italian descent should pay triple the
insurance premium as obviously us Angloes are far better drivers!!

Let the flames begin hehe

No flames, I tend to agree on most points.

Never driven is S. France, but I drove a bit in
Italy this year and would disagree that they're
bad drivers. It's just that they all drive according to
a set of rules only known to themselves.

These include driving very close to each other
and darting in and out of traffic lanes apparently
at random. Both of these are done at insane speeds
since they mostly seem to ignore speed limits as well.

Another assumption seems to be that everyone has
the right of way at all times unless actively forced to
give way.

Remarkably, they all seem to do this very skilfully and with
remarkably few accidents. It's just a bit brown-trouser
inducing for outsiders.

Nick

Roger & Lorraine Martin wrote:
> Well I just got back to Australia after a 3 month swan around the UK and
> Northern Europe and I gotta say that UK drivers have to be some of the most
> polite people on the road.

I just got back to NZ after a couple of weeks in Australia and I've got
to say that Queensland drivers are *way* better than NZ drivers when it
comes to common sense and being polite. Driving there was a lot less
stressful than driving here.

I'll also support your views on the Poms being good drivers and the
Italians being insane beyond belief.


--
EMB

[email protected] (Nicknelsonleeds) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>
> Never driven is S. France, but I drove a bit in
> Italy this year and would disagree that they're
> bad drivers. It's just that they all drive according to
> a set of rules only known to themselves.
>
> These include driving very close to each other
> and darting in and out of traffic lanes apparently
> at random. Both of these are done at insane speeds
> since they mostly seem to ignore speed limits as well.
>
> Remarkably, they all seem to do this very skilfully and with
> remarkably few accidents. It's just a bit brown-trouser
> inducing for outsiders.
>
> Nick


I have driven a lot in both France and Italy, and I would agree that
they seem to drive to a secret set of rules. From the behaviour
(overtakes on blind bends, kamikaze lane-changes and the rest) you
would expect no-one to survive a trip to the shops, and yet accidents
are relatively few. And yet, to be fair, both Italy and France have a
death-rate far higher than the UK's, so it can't be as inocuous as you
say.

FWIW, I blame Italian driving on the Fiat 500. Theory goes: most
Italians learned to drive in a tiny car with the power of a small
vacuum cleaner. Once you reach cruising speed (which may take several
minutes), you ain't gonna give it up for nobody - hence the preference
for swerves, high-speed passes and shut-your-eyes-and-go-for-it
junction techniques, rather than braking and assessing, and speeding
up later if it's appropriate. This behaviour is hard-wired into the
new driver's brain, and when he gets his Alfa or Ferrari, he just
can't forget.

I used to drive a 2CV as my only car, so I'm familiar with the need to
conserve momentum.

Rich

Roger, you could have helped by saying from which State you come. We NSW
drivers give way to no-one.

My wife reckons I was a bloody awful driver after I returned from a 3 month
stint in Saudi Arabia. My view was that one needed to keep in front of the
bloody Arabs.

Ron Beckett
Emu Plains, Australia
1995 P38A Range Rover HSE 4.6 Litre V8


"Roger & Lorraine Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Well I just got back to Australia after a 3 month swan around the UK and
> Northern Europe and I gotta say that UK drivers have to be some of the most
> polite people on the road. I know there are going to be the exceptions to
> the rule but I only seemed to have met people who were willing to stop on
> narrow roads and let me pass, would allow me out of side roads, gave a
> "thank you" wave when I did the same for them. Thanks to all the Landie
> drivers who always backed up or drove off the road to let me pass on the one
> lane roads.
>
> It made driving almost a pleasure in the UK - geez those roads are crowded,
> I'm amazed that there are not more accidents.
>
> My only concern was the number of unbelted children, babies in the arms of
> mothers, farting and fighting dogs in the pubs!
>
> The worst drivers in Europe - well it would be a toss up between Italians
> and the Southern French. I never realised that turning on your hazard lights
> allowed you to stop and park (double park/triple park) anywhere you liked -
> on pedestrian crossings, in roundabouts, in junctions (preferably the
> busiest), on pavements, in bus stops and of course anywhere which would
> cause an immediate 2km traffic jam.
>
> I intend demanding that Australians of Italian descent should pay triple the
> insurance premium as obviously us Angloes are far better drivers!!
>
> Let the flames begin hehe
>
>
>
>
>

> My only concern was the number of unbelted children, babies in the arms of
> mothers, farting and fighting dogs in the pubs!
> >

Tell you what if we contact Eurotrash; the mothers farting, and fighting
dogs in the pub would make a fortune in fees )

As far as driving is concerned I guess local conditions apply; if I remember
correctly Oz was just as good/ bad as UK. Mind you when in South Africa I
did see minibuses in Cape Town with mole grips for steering wheels. Also a
new approach to breakers yards; go for a wheel and make it fit .... ie only
four studs.. no problem just drill another hole or two to make it fit. All
with mine own eyes, no kidding.

Driven a lot in France the best move they have is to exit a junction on the
motorway from the outside lane.Deadly!.
They seem to clear away accidents quicker and better than we do in UK.

Adrian Ford
"Hirsty's" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> > My only concern was the number of unbelted children, babies in the arms
of
> > mothers, farting and fighting dogs in the pubs!
> > >
>
> Tell you what if we contact Eurotrash; the mothers farting, and fighting
> dogs in the pub would make a fortune in fees )
>
> As far as driving is concerned I guess local conditions apply; if I
remember
> correctly Oz was just as good/ bad as UK. Mind you when in South Africa I
> did see minibuses in Cape Town with mole grips for steering wheels. Also a
> new approach to breakers yards; go for a wheel and make it fit .... ie
only
> four studs.. no problem just drill another hole or two to make it fit. All
> with mine own eyes, no kidding.
>
>

> Driven a lot in France the best move they have is to exit a junction on the
> motorway from the outside lane.Deadly!.

It's not exactly unknown here either! 'Great fun' if you are towing a
light caravan behind a Range Rover and have just pressed the loud pedal
when they shoot across your bow.

So Adrian Ford was, like

> Driven a lot in France the best move they have is to exit a junction
> on the motorway from the outside lane.Deadly!.
> They seem to clear away accidents quicker and better than we do in UK.
>

That's cos they get more practice

--

Rich

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