Italian Autostrada - Still recovering

[blueST]

Had a lovely week driving round Umbria recently. Beautiful country, food and people. However, the journey to and from on the Autostrada was possibly one of the most eye opening things I have ever seen in my life. I have done a lot of driving around europe, even Italy before, but never in my life have I seen so many people drive so fast, so close together. It was like watching slip-streaming in the Daytona 500. Why do Italian motorist not see the danger in a Merc ML500 travelling at 100mph less than a meter of the back bumper of a tiny Fiat with a mother and 4 kids on board? Add to this that the motorways are bumpier and twistier than some b-roads, led to me having more than a few heart in mouth moments.

Also, do the speed cameras not work? No one seemed to slow down for them.

[crofty1984]

blueST said:

Also, do the speed cameras not work? No one seemed to slow down for them.

My boss did. Nearly sent me through the effin' windscreen!

[blueyes]

blueST said:

Why do Italian motorist not see the danger in a Merc ML500 travelling at 100mph less than a meter of the back bumper of a tiny Fiat with a mother and 4 kids on board?
Also, do the speed cameras not work? No one seemed to slow down for them.

Italian rules for life:

1. The rules apply to everybody else.

[Louis.]

I have been in Italy now for 6 years and have to agree with the driving here. I also think that it is due to the fact that there is not much road awareness adverts on television at all ! Since being over here I have known 5 people that have died in road accidents (all seperate incidents!).....
Everytime I am back in England on the road I feel SO MUCH more relaxed !!!

Regarding speed cameras I heard they at certain times of the day they get switched off....which will certainly explain why a friend never had 3 cameras along a certain stretch of motorway flash at him !

[blueST]

Louis. said:

I have been in Italy now for 6 years and have to agree with the driving here. I also think that it is due to the fact that there is not much road awareness adverts on television at all ! Since being over here I have known 5 people that have died in road accidents (all seperate incidents!).....
Everytime I am back in England on the road I feel SO MUCH more relaxed !!!

Regarding speed cameras I heard they at certain times of the day they get switched off....which will certainly explain why a friend never had 3 cameras along a certain stretch of motorway flash at him !

That sounds aweful. What they need is coppers stopping people from driving the way they do. In 3500 miles of driving round europe the only police vehicles I saw on the motorways were in Britain. And we complain about the lack of road policing in the UK. I did see a couple of Polizia Alfa 157s on the A-roads but the occupants seemed to be posing around, one arm out of the window, shades on, seat wound all the way back. Non of your push-pull roadcraft technique in evidence. Other than the scameras there appeared to be little or no enforcement. I suppose it at least proves that speed acameras aren't the answer.

[blueyes]

blueST said:

I did see a couple of Polizia Alfa 157s on the A-roads but the occupants seemed to be posing around, one arm out of the window, shades on, seat wound all the way back. Non of your push-pull roadcraft technique in evidence. .

Polizia don't deal with traffic, Carabinieri do.

I'd rather deal with them than any UK plod. 9 times out of 10 they'll b0ll0ck you, make you feel an idiot and waste half an hour of your time instead of giving you a ticket.

[blueST]

blueyes said:

blueST said:

I did see a couple of Polizia Alfa 157s on the A-roads but the occupants seemed to be posing around, one arm out of the window, shades on, seat wound all the way back. Non of your push-pull roadcraft technique in evidence. .

Polizia don't deal with traffic, Carabinieri do.

I'd rather deal with them than any UK plod. 9 times out of 10 they'll b0ll0ck you, make you feel an idiot and waste half an hour of your time instead of giving you a ticket.

I'm not sure if the ones I saw were Polizia of Carabinieri, come to think of it. Who are the ones with Fiat Puntos, who stand at the toll booths wafting their machine guns about?

[blueyes]

blueST said:

blueyes said:

blueST said:

I did see a couple of Polizia Alfa 157s on the A-roads but the occupants seemed to be posing around, one arm out of the window, shades on, seat wound all the way back. Non of your push-pull roadcraft technique in evidence. .

Polizia don't deal with traffic, Carabinieri do.

I'd rather deal with them than any UK plod. 9 times out of 10 they'll b0ll0ck you, make you feel an idiot and waste half an hour of your time instead of giving you a ticket.

I'm not sure if the ones I saw were Polizia of Carabinieri, come to think of it. Who are the ones with Fiat Puntos, who stand at the toll booths wafting their machine guns about?

Machine guns would probably be Carabinieri.
Puntos sounds odd though.
Could have been Guardia di Finanza- Customs and Excise sort of.

[sleep envy]

there's a big crackdown going on at the moment - have seen so many carabinieri and polizia stradale out and about it's unreal, people appear to be driving far slower than usual although there's still the odd deficiente who tailgates

suppose they need to make up the shortfall seeing as L'ICI isn't being collected this year

[Scalper]

blueST said:

Had a lovely week driving round Umbria recently. Beautiful country, food and people. However, the journey to and from on the Autostrada was possibly one of the most eye opening things I have ever seen in my life. I have done a lot of driving around europe, even Italy before, but never in my life have I seen so many people drive so fast, so close together. It was like watching slip-streaming in the Daytona 500. Why do Italian motorist not see the danger in a Merc ML500 travelling at 100mph less than a meter of the back bumper of a tiny Fiat with a mother and 4 kids on board? Add to this that the motorways are bumpier and twistier than some b-roads, led to me having more than a few heart in mouth moments.

Also, do the speed cameras not work? No one seemed to slow down for them.

to me it seems like a perfectly normal way of driving

[crofty1984]

Ahh, the Italian highway code: "At all times, you have right of way"

[Nikkie]

crofty1984 said:

blueST said:

Also, do the speed cameras not work? No one seemed to slow down for them.

My boss did. Nearly sent me through the effin' windscreen!

So get the boss to give me a reasonable price on the 993 and he can drive the "Dad mobile"

[Scalper]

crofty1984 said:

Ahh, the Italian highway code: "At all times, you have right of way"

it's not quite like that

whoever has the biggest car has right of way

[chris watton]

It's quite surprising how quickly you get used to it, we have been here a year now, and our senses have definitely become more highly attuned to anticipating the Italian drivers - they will pull out in front of you, they will drive either at full pelt or stupidly slow (Like the woman we get stuck behind daily, driving with her small daughter on her lap! )

It makes me smile when I see posts on the other forums regarding someone cutting them up/pulling out in front of them - here, it's a way of life! Italians cannot seem to drive properly (a lot of them), and this is reflected in the sky high insurance (€1800 for our 1.5 diesel Nissan Note!) The moans about driving in the UK are very petty compared to what we've seen/experienced.

In Italy, if you're not used to it, always anticipate and always assume the worst.

Edited by chris watton on Thursday 25th September 10:59

Edited by chris watton on Thursday 25th September 11:01

[Louis.]

where have you all settled down in Italy ? You are correct about adjusting to the driving.

[andyc.]

blueST said:

.

Also, do the speed cameras not work? No one seemed to slow down for them.

Thats why they are so close...so the camera doent get the targa.

I noticed this week police with cameras set up by the side of the motorway!First time ever I have seen them.

Tailgating seems not to bother them over in Italy.They dont brake test like in the UK.They either get out of the way politely or ignore it.
They are far more courteous than in England and no road rage.

Tailgating,undertaking,flashing and continuous indicating seem the norm.

I feel alot more relaxed on the Italian Motorways than in the UK!

[catso]

andyc. said:

Tailgating,undertaking,flashing and continuous indicating seem the norm.

I love Italy and generally driving there but I'm not a fan of tailgating and that continuous indicating thing gets right up my ar5e, especially at night.....

[blueyes]

catso said:

andyc. said:

Tailgating,undertaking,flashing and continuous indicating seem the norm.

I'm not a fan of tailgating and that continuous indicating thing gets right up my ar5e, especially at night.....

Ah!!!... so YOU'RE the bu66er at the front of the queue in the outside lane!

Don't you know we have places to go, women to do and espresso to drink?

[sleep envy]

[catso]

blueyes said:

catso said:

andyc. said:

Tailgating,undertaking,flashing and continuous indicating seem the norm.

I'm not a fan of tailgating and that continuous indicating thing gets right up my ar5e, especially at night.....

Ah!!!... so YOU'RE the bu66er at the front of the queue in the outside lane!

Don't you know we have places to go, women to do and espresso to drink?

You maybe right about me being at the front but my solution to not being tailgated is to be travelling faster than (almost) everyone else.

I'm not known for holding people up, just ask the Polizia/Carabinieri.....

Edited by catso on Thursday 6th November 10:16