Driving standards in south Italy

[bigkeeko]

Left a small town this morning (as a passenger) heading into Napoli city centre.

F**king hell.

Craziest driving I've ever witnessed in 2 hours. Passed several crashes. 9 out of 10 cars are bashed and scraped. Some (a lot) would not be legal here. Absolutely no regard for any other road users, no one indicates, three cars on two lanes, people straddling the lines. Madness. Not only that but the place appears completely wrecked.

Interesting to say the least but I dare say there's worse places.

[FoxtrotOscar1]

First time in Italy?

Just join in with the crowd, it's fun.

[MitchT]

I had the pleasure of a coach transfer from Naples airport to Sorrento once. The view out of the window was akin to the first lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, but consisting entirely of Fiats and Scooters!

[TEKNOPUG]

bigkeeko said:

Left a small town this morning (as a passenger) heading into Napoli city centre.

F**king hell.

Craziest driving I've ever witnessed in 2 hours. Passed several crashes. 9 out of 10 cars are bashed and scraped. Some (a lot) would not be legal here. Absolutely no regard for any other road users, no one indicates, three cars on two lanes, people straddling the lines. Madness. Not only that but the place appears completely wrecked.

Interesting to say the least but I dare say there's worse places.

I've just returned from 2 weeks driving in Crete. It's Mario Karts made real.

[mfmman]

MitchT said:

I had the pleasure of a coach transfer from Naples airport to Sorrento once. The view out of the window was akin to the first lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, but consisting entirely of Fiats and Scooters!

Same here

I once read the following

Traffic lights in Turin are regarded as an instruction

Traffic lights in Rome are regarded as a suggestion

Traffic lights in Naples are considered in the same way as all high level lights in the street and mean it's nearly Christmas

[456GT]

It's a great place to drive! And there's method to their madness as Italy is one of the safer countries in Europe:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by...

[RegMolehusband]

I drove last year in the Naples/Sorrento area. As you say, most cars are dented. There are stupidly bad drivers all around you and they flash you within feet of your rear bumper on the autostrada to get out of their way even though you're doing 80mph.

However the worst are the scooterists riding along the centre white line two-up with handles mm away from car wing mirrors. Many haven't got the straps done up on their skimpy looking helmets which are probably chosen for their appearance and how well they complement their designer sun glasses.

Otherwise, I mostly like the Italians

[damianke]

Yep, was a pedestrian in Naples once and soon sussed out that the only way to cross the road was to get behind a passing nun (lots off them around). It's the only thing Neapolitan drivers give way to...

[StuTheGrouch]

bigkeeko said:

Left a small town this morning (as a passenger) heading into Napoli city centre.

F**king hell.

Craziest driving I've ever witnessed in 2 hours. Passed several crashes. 9 out of 10 cars are bashed and scraped. Some (a lot) would not be legal here. Absolutely no regard for any other road users, no one indicates, three cars on two lanes, people straddling the lines. Madness. Not only that but the place appears completely wrecked.

Interesting to say the least but I dare say there's worse places.

I was in Naples for the first time not too long ago and this was pretty much my reaction too. The taxi driver was impatient at being stuck behind a waste truck (on a narrow single-lane street) so mounted the pavement and went around them- pedestrians having to very quickly get out of the way.

Unbelievable really. As you say, the cars and general place is trashed. It's a sthole which I will be in absolutely no rush to return to. People there are not friendly either.

[RegMolehusband]

456GT said:

It's a great place to drive! And there's method to their madness as Italy is one of the safer countries in Europe:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by...

I wouldn't have said that twice the number of UK fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants is a particularly good record. Although many are considerably worse of course.

[jackmansfield1]

I've been lucky enough to go to Italy many times and have always found it hilarious!

My favourite moment was leaving Rome in heavy traffic behind a police car, a Smart car wizzed passed the small gap next to us, cut the police car up and the car in the next lane and continued to do the same for as long as we could see him. Police did not care!

I've always been envious of how accepted overtaking is, too. If you over take here its as if your a murderer on the run...

[manracer]

I was in a car that was flashed out of the way at 110mph on the autostrada, and there was a rather long queue of cars that subsequently went past.

I found that after a day or so i blended right in, suppose it says more about my driving standard's when i was younger.

Lovely country though.

[battered]

Naples is good fun. I was there last month, I use it as a way to and from Calabria. I've only driven there once, it was entertaining.

Just at the moment, around Piazza Garibaldi, by the railway station, it's somewhere you need to keep your wits about you. It's never been great, but just now there are a lot of homeless people, mostly immigrants by the looks of it, on the streets there, and the combination of hungry people with no possessions and nothing much to lose and a European city is never a good one. The army are helping the Police with "Securite sulla Strada" armoured vehicles and armed patrols, and the whole area is looking a good deal hotter than you would like. Take care.

[fatboy b]

There's a very good reason Italy's road death rate is twice that of ours.

[swisstoni]

In my brief experience, further north, dawdlers are absolutely not allowed (and hounded out of the way with extreme tailgating) and I don't think trucks are allowed out of L1.
Also motorway on-ramps are about 20 yards long from a standing start so acceleration or blind faith is important!

[sunbeam alpine]

Try driving a classic Alfa

We toured Italy last year in an Alfa Spider. What you soon learn is -

1. Join in the mayhem.

2. They love their classic cars.

3. Every Italian drives a wreck but a lot of them have very interesting cars at home for the weekend/special occasions.

4. With very few exceptions, they will make a lot of allowances for someone driving a classic car.

[bigkeeko]

I forgot to say about the scooter/motorcyclists. One clipped a wing mirror and nearly came off. Not a trouser hardly on his arse nor a glove on his hand.
Thing is, I'll probably come back. Just couldn't risk bringing a good car as I wouldn't trust half of these lunatics are insured.

[NRS]

Thankfully when I was in Naples I had an Italian friend driving. So it generally went fine, with a few gestures and some cries of "stromso" (or however you spell it).

I did have a rental car in north Italy when I was there and the smaller roads were interesting to say the least! What in the UK would be 1 lane each way was actually a multi-lane highway there. Tractors driving along the side half on/half off the road. Then add in some scooters at the side too. These you would catch up with and so have to pass. However there was a lot of cars in both directions using the middle of the road as an overtaking lane. So you'd have to watch your right ahead of you for tractors/ scooters, watch your front left for overtaking cars from the other direction, plus keep an eye behind you on your left for people driving the same direction passing you. I very quickly gave up even trying to check/ keep to the speed limits and just followed the flow. You got used to it after a little while. It works remarkably well considering the madness!

[Mr. Potato Head]

5 up in a naff rental car heading out of Florence on route 65 to Mugello I got the hurry up tailgating and headlights.
Looked in the mirror it was an angry nun in a Suzuki Splash.

[The Wookie]

RegMolehusband said:

However the worst are the scooterists riding along the centre white line two-up with handles mm away from car wing mirrors. Many haven't got the straps done up on their skimpy looking helmets which are probably chosen for their appearance and how well they complement their designer sun glasses.

I used to work with an Italian chap, his opinion was that if you saw someone wearing a full face helmet in Naples then it was worth running away as it meant you were more than likely about to be mugged or shot!