Most people - even traffic-hardened Europeans - are at first aghast at the driving habits of Italians in the Mezzogiorno. I was. No one seems to obey any traffic laws, in the towns pure chaos seems to reign. At the wheel your blood pressure rises as you look nervously left, right, behind you, ahead of you.
But after a while you start to realize that, if not exactly a system, there is some kind of method here. The prime principle seems to be: It's all a game. In Germany or the U.S. tailgating is aggressive, and causes aggressive responses. But in Italy the tailgater is simply getting into position for the next chance to pass, and will happily stay there for miles if necessary, without intending any aggression. In town if you wait passively at a side street to merge into the arterial, you can wait for a long time if you don't take any action. But just start to nose your way into the flowing traffic, and they'll let you in. The same applies to pedestrians. Stand at the side of the road, even at a pedestrian crossing, and no one will stop for you. But take one step into the road - wherever you are - and they'll let you cross.
I checked recent statistics, and Italy's rate of traffic deaths is about the same as Germany's, and considerably lower than in the U.S. I guess that's all those 16 to 18 year olds - on the continent you need to be 18 to get a driver's license (in most countries).
The roads themselves are in varying condition. The four lane highways in Puglia compare well with most U.S. freeways (the speed limit is 110 km/h, but see rule 2 below). The local roads range from quite good to abysmal. Road markings are scarce in any case. Highway police are rarely seen; frequent signs refer to the use of radar, but they seem to be fakes. Around Lecce they are starting to put in red light cameras.
While in Puglia I tried to construct a system of (light-hearted) rules describing the way driving works in the Mezzogiorno:
But after a while you start to realize that, if not exactly a system, there is some kind of method here. The prime principle seems to be: It's all a game. In Germany or the U.S. tailgating is aggressive, and causes aggressive responses. But in Italy the tailgater is simply getting into position for the next chance to pass, and will happily stay there for miles if necessary, without intending any aggression. In town if you wait passively at a side street to merge into the arterial, you can wait for a long time if you don't take any action. But just start to nose your way into the flowing traffic, and they'll let you in. The same applies to pedestrians. Stand at the side of the road, even at a pedestrian crossing, and no one will stop for you. But take one step into the road - wherever you are - and they'll let you cross.
I checked recent statistics, and Italy's rate of traffic deaths is about the same as Germany's, and considerably lower than in the U.S. I guess that's all those 16 to 18 year olds - on the continent you need to be 18 to get a driver's license (in most countries).
The roads themselves are in varying condition. The four lane highways in Puglia compare well with most U.S. freeways (the speed limit is 110 km/h, but see rule 2 below). The local roads range from quite good to abysmal. Road markings are scarce in any case. Highway police are rarely seen; frequent signs refer to the use of radar, but they seem to be fakes. Around Lecce they are starting to put in red light cameras.
While in Puglia I tried to construct a system of (light-hearted) rules describing the way driving works in the Mezzogiorno:
- Absolutely do not obey any road signs or laws. They're meant for drivers who are less skilled than you.
- The true speed limit is the posted speed limit plus 1 km/h for each year you're under the age of 60.
- "Do not pass" logically means don't pass if you can see a vehicle coming in the other lane.
- If you use your turn signal too often it might break, so don't bother. Besides, everybody knows where you intend to go.
- If you drive while talking on your cell phone (without a hands free set), obviously your concentration will be higher.
- Drive as closely as possible to the car in front of you, this utilizes the road space more efficiently.
- If you're having an important conversation with others in your car, be sure to slow down considerably so you don't miss a word. Don't forget to gesticulate with your hands so they understand you! Bonus points for talking on your cell phone at the same time.
- If a pedestrian looks like she knows what she's doing, don't worry about her - she can obviously take care of herself.
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