Italian Driving

For the past month and a half I have become an expert at back seat driving. I haven't been able to drive since the day we moved to Italy, because all of the cars here are manuals and I just simply haven't learned yet. I do plan on learning and marito says he will teach me, I'm just not comfortable yet to learn on these roads at the moment. Now that my vehicle is here, it has been so nice to hop in the car and take off, not having to wait for a ride or burden someone else. My car is my independence.

I want to share a few things that I have noticed that is different here than back home in the states, and in no means am I bashing the Italians and their lifestyle, just pointing out differences.

First off, drive in the right hand lane, unless you are passing someone. If you are in the left lane and someone approaches you quickly and you are slowing them down, expect to see them flashing their lights at you telling you to move over. They may even honk at you to let you know that they are behind you.

Tailgating is very common here, mostly because I feel there is a lack of patience for the driver in front to move over. The locals will get up on your bumper and zig zag in between cars with the bare minimum amount of space. Take a breath, they know what they are doing- this is their lifestyle. Don't brake check the person behind you to send a message. There is no road rage here, so don't get mad when they speed up onto your back bumper and flash their lights or honk a horn at ya!

One of the first things to annoy me is that they wait until the last second to pull off onto an exit ramp. Why wait? Do as I do and get over into the exit lane right away, thus allowing others to know you are exiting, right? Nah, they don't do that. Don't get frustrated, just start getting used to it! You can't change their ways.

I have seen a couple of times in the two months I have been here, that if an Italian misses their exit they won't go to the next exit and turn around. NOPE! They will back up on the Autostrade (Interstate/Highway) and make their exit! So please be mindful of cars on the shoulder- they may be in reverse!

The policia don't care if you speed. End of story. Cars fly by doing 50 kilometers per hour faster than the policia and no one gets a ticket. In fact, I haven't seen any cars pulled over by police on the Autostrade, BUT! I have seen cars pulled over and men peeing on the side of the road. Honey Badgers don't give a sh*t (To understand this reference please watch this hilarious YouTube Video).

Speaking of speeding. Certain roads have a TUTOR system, which takes pictures of your car and calculates your average speed over a length of highway. If you speed, you will get a ticket a couple months later. There are also camera boxes that capture your speed at a certain moment and not the average over a distance. So sorta like a Red Light camera. Be careful. There are signs to warn you so you can slow down, and I just don't want you to waste your money.

Honking. In Europe everyone honks their horn. Doesn't mean they are mad at you like it does in the States. There are varieties as to when and where to understand honking.

• If you slow down to make a turn and you hear a honk- hurry up
• You allow someone in the opposite direction to come by in a tight area and they honk- Thank you
• Lanes are merging and you don't let them in and you hear a horn- LET ME IN!
• There are honks for being too close to my car
• Big vehicle coming around the corner, it will blow their horn to let the person on the other side of the corner know to prevent collision in a blind turn.
• Red light just turns green, they will honk if you aren't on the pedal within the first second.

It has taken me some time to determine which honk means what. I thought we were just bad at driving- but it is kinda like having a baby and learning which cries mean food, sleep, etc.

I also want to inform you that when lanes merge into one, the Italians will be four wide in two lanes, trying to squeeze into line. Drives me nuts, but it is what it is. Reminds me of NASCAR races, when everyone is leaving the race and it is a mad rush to get out of the parking lot.

You definitely have to be a defensive driver here. Beware of scooters. They come out of nowhere and zip in between cars to get to where they are going. They will pass you on the left, even while you are making a left hand turn. You really have to be looking behind you more so than in front of you.

Get good insurance, because they will hit you and keep going. Insurance is already very steep here in Italy, but for good reason. The majority of the cars here have Naples kisses and I can already tell you that my car doesn't stand a chance. It is a risk I was willing to take.

Don't leave ANY valuables in your car. Take the face plate off of your after market CD player, unplug your GPS and CLOSE YOUR CIGARETTE LIGHTER! If it is open, it tells onlookers that it is probably used for a GPS which might be in your glove box. The economy is poor and people are looking for a quick buck. So protect yourself.

Don't be afraid to drive while you are here. I can't imagine three years without a vehicle of my own. I do plan on investing in a bicycle so I can go to the market around the corner and pick up a few things without parking my big ole car.

Invest in a GPS. The roads are confusing, and most of them do not have signs. If there are street signs they are on a building, not over the street. They sell GPS' at the NEX for around $200. Some more, some less. They come with Europe maps already loaded as well as US maps. So you can take the GPS back to the States and use it without buying an extra download for maps. I have a Garmin, but I hear the Tom Tom is the way to go (I guess it is better in certain areas- I can't compare).

I do look forward to driving back in the states. I miss the 4-way stops. Round Abouts are intimidating to me, and they are everywhere. I'm sure I will get used to them, and will love them when our time here is up. I will have to learn how to stop again because Napolians don't stop at stop signs. They slow down and that is it. But only in Naples from what I hear. Napolians are a breed of their own when it comes to driving, so don't be alarmed if you go North and it is much more calm.

I hope these tips help you to understand the driving lifestyle here. If you want to add to the list, post a comment below to help others.