Driving Standards across Europe

[Robbo SPS]

I've just returned from a 10 day 14 country motorbiking trip and whilst stuck on the last 500 miles through Germany to Calais ( via Amsterdam ) i got to a little bit of thinking about the differing driving standards.

It went something like this :

Brits: Wont get out of the way, just in case they cant get back out into their gap, even if you can wizz past easily.
French : Like to keep the left indicator on to show they are overtaking, but generally love bikes and will do anything to get out of your way
Belgians: Just aweful. Wont move, drive slowly and only like you to undertake, so they dont need to move. Oh they dont like to use mirros or indicators either!!
Germans : Fantastic, and they dont put up with slow drivers in the outside lane holding you up.
Czech : Indicate once their movements are made !!
Slovenia and Austria : Like the gernams, just not quite as good
Crotia, Poland  and Slovakia : Just like Belgium !
Dutch : Worse than the belgians
Hungarians: cars and bikes  they are like the french and germans, but in trucks  they race you. Have you ever been late braked into a bend by a 40 ft artic ??

I think that wraps it up. And yes it took 500 miles to work that out. I didnt mention the Polish roads are horendous !!
Hungary

[Paddy_NL]

Hungary

Then you should eat!

My view:

Brits: inventors of the M.L.A. (Middle Lane Association). Always stuck in the middle for no apparent reason, they even wait untill that slow truck overtook that other slow truck rather than slipping by via the fast lane.

French: love their indicators. Like Germans and Brits they have a 'points on license' system, and that shows. Paris is a killer though.

Belgians: do you know most Belgians got their licence by a CBT test in a car park? It shows definitely.

Dutch: always seem to be busy doing something else besides driving. If they aren't on the (non-handsfree) phone, they are either busy reading a newspaper, shaving their chin or chatting to their passenger like this person just got back from a 6-month holiday.

Germans: no respect at all for lorry drivers. For the rest they are fairly diciplined.

Italians: "I had to be there yesterday!"

Former East Europe: all NASCAR drivers (not a single clue about rules).

Like I said, my view...

[termietermite]

French drivers :
Indicate left all the time when you are on a roundabout, and only turn it off when you're leaving it; better still, do not indicate at all then nobody will be confused;
Do not overtake until you are less than 1mm from the rear bumper of the person in front;
Sit 1mm from the bumper of the person in front, even if you are not going to overtake;
Once you have overtaken, cut in and sit 1mm from the front bumper of the person behind;
When parking (esp. in Paris), if the space is not big enough, just shunt the cars either side of the space out of the way until you fit.
If you are 60 or over, the priorite a droite rule still applies to you, even at junctions where the rule has changed for everybody else

But they are very good to bikers, and in return, bikers wave a foot politely to acknowledge you if you give them room to pass.

[Paddy_NL]

and in return, bikers wave a foot politely to acknowledge you if you give them room to pass.

but I always wonder which toe they're sticking up inside that boot

[Robbo SPS]

Brits: inventors of the M.L.A. (Middle Lane Association). Always stuck in the middle for no apparent reason, they even wait untill that slow truck overtook that other slow truck rather than slipping by via the fast lane.

And even more annoyingly we still continue to do it all over europe when there are only 2 lanes, usall in a big and old Rover!!

[vqdave]

French drivers :
Do not overtake until you are less than 1mm from the rear bumper of the person in front;
Sit 1mm from the bumper of the person in front, even if you are not going to overtake;
Once you have overtaken, cut in and sit 1mm from the front bumper of the person behind;

Very funny, when in France i also adopt this attitude to blend in, especially as when up to speed momentum is all in the Humber and its a bit silly to pull out too early and then lose speed and have the shame of pulling back in again like a foolish roast beef, stay behind until the very last moment so all johnny garlic sees is a wall of chrome in the mirror then a golden flash whipping by and pulling in again immediately.

And always leave your left indicator on at all times when out in the left lane, shows those main land continentals that i ain't moving the arrow right until i'm ready.

[Piglet]

Brits: inventors of the M.L.A. (Middle Lane Association). Always stuck in the middle for no apparent reason, they even wait untill that slow truck overtook that other slow truck rather than slipping by via the fast lane.

And even more annoyingly we still continue to do it all over europe when there are only 2 lanes, usall in a big and old Rover!!

LOL!!!  I didn't realise my father had been away over the last couple of weeks 

[garyfrogeye]

Also in France, why overtake one car when you can overtake fifteen in one go (while aproaching a blind bend).

I was untertaken by a nissan 3 litre something or other on the M25 on Saturday I was on the outside lane with the flow of traffic about 10mph faster than I should have been. I estimate his speed while crossing from the middle lane to the inside lane to undertake everybody then back out to the fast lane, was probably fourty MPH faster than me (and everybody else).

[knetter]

French drivers in my area are to be avoided at all costs. They tend to swerve from one lane to the other for no apperant reason. Untill you pass them and see that the driver is stoned beyond oblivion

This is also applicable to the Belgians

We dutch know how to sjmoke and drive

[Gordonwr]

Italians don't wear a seat belt because their driving is so good that they will never be involved in an accident!!