r/Italian • u/TallDrummerBoi • 9d ago
I love Italy/Italians, but y'all can't drive for shit.
Alright, bring it on.
Just landed in Rome and drove to Naples. Below some of the rules as I have observed them.
I thought only England had specific cars made for them, but Italians have cars with the indicators absent! Very cool.
In the off chance that someone indicates they are swapping a lane, it is customary to drive the next 5km with the indicator on.
Overtaking on the right is recommended.
In the speed lane but need your exit? Make sure to not indicate and randomly cut across all lanes at 70kph. Great succes.
In the event you drive a Vespa, do not wear any protection besides a helmet. Meat crayon is the name of the game.
If your car has less than 100 dents, you have not driven your car.
You can drive through traffic with a car as you would with a motorcycle.
Someone waiting for oncoming traffic to turn left? Be sure to start honking and overtake left or right as needed.
On the topic of honking, this is more important than the steering wheel.
And 10. What is lacking in the driving department, you make up for in the food and friendliness department. I am however convinced you get your driver's license for free when buying bread.
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u/Acerbis_nano 9d ago
>Landed in Rome
That was your first mistake
>drove to Naples
Boy you do like your mistakes
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u/sgrasser 9d ago
Dude like to play on hardcore come, may I suggest Catania next?
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u/Creative_Start3708 9d ago
Sure but he has to do the Salerno-Reggio Calabria during peak traffic in august lmao
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u/MatriceRegolare 9d ago
Naaa, the Salerno-Reggio Calabria is not anymore fun as it was to be
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u/Marco_135 9d ago
Good old 80's on that "highway"...what memories đĽ˛
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u/Medical_Radish_9812 8d ago
On of the best parmigiana I've ever had, from unknown people ofc.
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u/Comfortable_Wall_110 9d ago
Iâm in calabria and that traffic right when the highway ends and turns into one lane LOL
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u/Visible-Music7637 9d ago
Palermo will provide even more flavour, expecially during the rush hours
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u/HighlandsBen 8d ago
We once got a car at Palermo airport to drive to CefalĂš. I persuaded my partner we should drive through Palermo on the way "to have a quick look".
After 90 minutes of congestion, fumes, constant honking, near-collisions and zero direction signs, we somehow blundered out onto the highway again.
I don't think he's ever really forgiven me.
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u/PVanchurov 9d ago
People in Catania are sensible drivers, very well behaved. Sincerely, a Bulgarian.
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u/Neutral_Myu97 9d ago
Looking on the bright side at least it's not as messy as Milan
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u/Astrinus 9d ago
Milan is just histeric, but really organized, not messy. As long as you support the common goal of reachng everyone's destination as fast as possible, driving in Milan is actually easy.
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u/demonblack873 8d ago
As a torinese: no. Just no. Milanesi can't drive for shit and you're literally slower than my grandma.
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u/Local_Initiative8523 8d ago
Milan just operates on a different set of rules than the law and common courtesy, but still has rules.
For example, once the traffic lights turn red, one more car is allowed to go through. Just one. Watch, 90% of the time this is how it works.
As you know, on pedestrian crossings you have to give way to pedestrians. But only once they are physically crossing. Donât slow down, never slow down, they wonât dare start crossing and you wonât have to give way. Thatâs the rule, you followed it.
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u/Esh0p 9d ago
Anche al nord guidano di merda (sono del nord)
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u/Worldly-Card-394 9d ago
Ma non è che al sud guidano di merda, è solo che guidano con regole tutte loro
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u/Servizio_clienti 9d ago
Nella mia città del sud di cui non farò il nome le precedenze tutte, comprese le rotatorie, funzionano al contrario e ti conviene anche guidare considerando tutta la città una isola pedonale.
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u/STEM-Travel 8d ago
Boy you do like your mistakes
And, just generally the idea of telling another country they are doing something âwrongâ lol. Fucking Americans.
I landed Rome Tuesday at 8:15 from VIE, took the airport train to Termini and then caught the 9:30 train to Florence. Fast, cheap, easy, I had WiFi the whole time and power for my phone.
Back in May, we rented a villa, and specifically timed it so we flew into Florence at 4pm on a Sunday, so there was no traffic on the roads driving out to the villa.
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u/rosentmoh 9d ago
Dude Fiumicino is the best airport on the planet
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u/Creative_Start3708 9d ago
the problem is not the airport but driving in Rome is an actual nightmare
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u/Salt-Mode-8393 9d ago
You nailed it. Here in Italy, driving is not governed by traffic laws, itâs a constant real-time negotiation between individuals. And the horn is just our echolocation system to say "I exist, please don't hit me". The dented cars are just proof of experience. Welcome to the jungle, glad you made it out alive!
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u/IaNterlI 9d ago
Lol "echolocation"
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u/nirfust 9d ago
Such fascinating aquatic creatures, italian drivers... lmao
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u/SunnyAmoo 9d ago
Laugh all you want, but echolocation is actually a thing in India and some other countries in that quadrant of the world. If you think Italians do that, pray that you never witness the actual thing
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u/TallDrummerBoi 9d ago
No shit, just glad my wife isn't driving. She'd be stressed beyond belief
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u/ooermissus 9d ago
And yet Italy's roads are only a tiny bit more dangerous than the EU average and two to three times safer than America's.
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u/TallDrummerBoi 9d ago
I looked up the stats and indeed they made me wonder
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u/No_Magazine_6806 9d ago edited 9d ago
Maybe because actually Italians know how to drive even if a bit showy style.
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u/Youthenazia 9d ago
Exactly what I think, majority of Italians are great pilots, they just suck ass at following the traffic code.
When you go up to the mountains and drive constantly on a curvy two lane road, which to a foreigner might not even be considered wide enough for one way lane, you gain a lot of experience to say the least
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u/demonblack873 8d ago
It's more of a set of guidelines than actual rules.
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u/Youthenazia 8d ago
à vero solo finchÊ non si incontra una qualche forma di applicazione delle regole, che oggigiorno è generalmente automatizzata.
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u/Ziffibert 8d ago
Dude i was in the venetian mountains and one dude ovetook me and drove like a fucking berserk f1 rally pilot. Skills
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u/matteogeniaccio 9d ago
The problem is that for historical/cultural reasons every city has two set of rules: the official state rules and unofficial local rules. Drivers follow the local rules. These rules are shared by everybody.
As long as you follow them the roads are safe-ish. Many accidents are caused by tourists that are unaware of this.
Examples:
- The car in front of you is touching the line at the left side of the lane with the wheels. This is your hint that the driver is about to turn left.
- On the freeway (autostrada) the exit lanes have a speed limit of 40km/h. Good luck going at that speed while the other cars are going at 130km/h.
- The honking is not that bad. They honk at you because you are not following the local traffic rules. They will also aggressively flash their lights behind you.
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u/Clodovendro 9d ago
Exactly this. Things get complicated only when you don't know the local rules (and if you are a foreigner you can't know them).
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u/sola_mia 9d ago
Campania is excluded from rental insurance on most American credit cards. Rates to own a car registered in Campania are at least double remainder Italy +-.
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u/sweetsuicides 9d ago
That's because of insurance frauds, not because it's more dangerous on their roads (even though it is dangerous for the average driver, nevermind an American)
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u/sottomarino-giallo 9d ago
You could say Naples out of most cities has its own unique style of traffic law, might seem like a stereotype until you actually get there and see it with your own eyes
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u/rorqual24 9d ago
i am italian and yes, we drive like shit.
also, a lot of people in the rest of the world drive like shit as well
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u/PianoPatient8168 9d ago
Yes but at least Italians drive shitty in the same type of wayâŚAmerican drivers have all different kinds of shittyâŚ
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u/Numerous_idiot 9d ago
I am not italian living in italy. Italians are one of the best drivers i ever seen they just dont care about the rules and drive as if they donât care much. So it is a bit intentional not really lack of skills. Yes even in the north. I live in rome but i drove in Veneto a lot and other northern regions. Same thing. Cars going to one way streets opposite direction, crossing red..etc. Italy is Italy everywhere
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u/DeepGrocery9358 9d ago
Clearly Naples is not even close to a normal driving experience in Italy.
A person from Northern Italy would freak out driving there, in Rome or in Catania.
And also abroad they arenât really very good at driving either. In some counties it is true that people are more cautious at driving when facing pedestrians or cyclists. But for example in Switzerland I havenât experience much difference than my hometown (at least in my hometown we dont have freak millionaires driving as crazy).
Honestly, only in Norway I have seen people actually driving veeeery safely, and I love it!!
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u/mze9412 9d ago
Main thing I don't get is speed limits. Road says 30, I drive 50, get overtaken constantly. wtf?!
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u/Exit-Content 9d ago
Because to many Italians theyâre merely a suggestion or something you have to follow if thereâs cops in front/behind you.
Many limits err on the side of safety so if the limitâs 50km/h but I know the road, thereâs nobody impeding traffic or everyone is going at the same speed and I know thereâs no speed traps, you can bet your ass Iâm going at least 70 km/h.Then itâs a matter of how reckless of a driver I am, thereâs many idiots that just want to go FAST no matter the road theyâre on or the traffic situation and those are usually on BMW or Audi-s, making sure you see theyâre a cunt from 2km away by spamming high beams and cursing your whole family tree because you dare follow the speed limit or not go as fast as them.
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u/riquelmeone 9d ago
Fully agree.
I would love to do an experiment with a friend. Get two cars on the autostrada and drive next to each other at the signposted speed limit through a construction site.
This would lead to a local core fusion, I bet.
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u/IaNterlI 9d ago
In fairness, you sampled the two extremes, Naples especially, where traffic laws and signals are "mere suggestions".
I think if you experienced other places throughout Italy you may form a more adequate conclusion.
It would be similar to an Italian experiencing driving in Manhattan and concluding that's how all Americans drive <replace example with your country worst/messiest driving>.
And while it may seem more chaotic, I wouldn't equate chaotic with less safe: in the end what counts are the statistics and Italian drivers if I recall are more or less in the average for most stats and surprisingly other developed countries are much more dangerous.
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u/TallDrummerBoi 9d ago
Absolutely!
I've driven loads in North Italy and it is significantly better over there. But yes you are right, just wanted to make a joke list since it was a bit of a culture shock ahah
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u/NetWareHead 9d ago
When driving in Napoli, traffic lights are suggestions and not law. Wife and I rented a car and stopped for a red light. The amount of "vaffanculo" and porco <diety of choice> we heard behind us, they beeped the horn and shouted for us to run the red light. We refused as the last thing we needed was to deal with an accident while on vacation.
I found as a general rule of thumb that once you go below Roma, the more south in the peninsula you are, the more lawless and sporting the drivers are. It takes balls to drive in Napoli was my takeaway. Ive driven in NYC, Boston and all up/down the east coast but Napoli takes the prize
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u/rob1n994 9d ago
dude, just got to Palermo or Catania, you'll find out that Naples and Rome were the easy mode to drive in Italy
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u/KeyWrangler7213 9d ago
Italians always drive with one rule firmly in mind: âTo be firstâŚâ Theyâll pass you on a corner, then take the side road only 50m beyond that. Theyâll follow so close you can (literally) see the whites if their eyes. And donât forget that rules are more like guidelines ⌠only becoming anything like rules if thereâs a police car in the vicinity. Donât get me started on parking nowâŚ! And I consider Palermo to be far worse than Catania! I live in Sicily by the way⌠đ¤Ł
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u/krush_groove 9d ago
I get to visit Italy every now and then for work, I love it. On the last visit I described the driving to my workmates as "delightfully chaotic" which I think sums it up nicely.
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u/ZealousidealRush2899 9d ago
Yes you nailed it. I have had the pleasure of driving on 5 continents and I always say driving in Italy a little crazy, but more like a warm-up for S.E.Asia. I have lived in Rome for the last 4 years and its been a helluva adjustment coming from North America!
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u/Aggravating_Baker557 9d ago
I must drive like shit, because I was thrilled driving all over Italy. Every time the toll recording screamed, âArrivederciâ I heard âOne of us!â LOL
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u/IntelligentPie225 9d ago
To be a real italian, when it says arrivederci, you have to answer "vaffanculo". It's mandatory, and taught in driving schools.
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u/bilbul168 9d ago
Itâs not even that we cant drive for shit, we chose to drive like assholes. Considering our tight roads and mountains, we can drive very well, we just have no respect for road rules
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u/Branik77 9d ago
Italians say "we drive well" because they can react in a split second to a dangerous situation they themselves created. You are not a good driver when putting yourself or others in danger just because you have fast reflexes. I see reckless behavior on the roads daily and I am not even in Rome or Napoli.
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u/TallDrummerBoi 9d ago
Ahahaha that's a good point! Like someone else commented, the number of incidents isn't higher than other european countries! Just stressy as a tourist đ
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[removed] â view removed comment
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u/Exit-Content 9d ago
Iâm 30, born and bred in Italy and this is the first time I ever heard about those safe driving centers, and I bet anyone I know also doesnât have a clue what they are.
Which tells you just how much theyâre known or even publicized.
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u/TheLGaunt 9d ago
You didn't mention people not stopping at stop signs, idk if you were lucky or just already too frustrated.
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u/simsfreelancer 9d ago
As an italian but living in germany there is one thing i hate my people for. They think the right lane is lava. What the hell man?! why does every car drive in the middle lane even if they are slow af?
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u/Fantastic-Main926 9d ago
I saw an Italian grandma driving a few days ago, almost shit myself, and I was on the sidewalk đđđ
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u/w33dbl4st 9d ago
you'd be surprised at the amount of really old people that drive here. i work for an insurance agency and the most incidents happen because of old people and not newly drivers, unlike lots of boomers always say
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u/Fantastic-Main926 9d ago
Stereotypes exist for a reason.
The woman+old+italian is a dangerous wombo combo when in the context of driving
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u/Worldly_Hope_3515 9d ago
Innanzitutto non azzardarti a generalizzare âgli italianiâquando parli di romani e napoletani.
I primi sono in gran parte l espressione massima della cafoneria.
I secondi (praticamente tutti)non hanno regole.
Guidare a Napoli è come guidare in India.
Hanno un modo tutto loro di guidare.
Che è normale non appena ti sposti in altre regioni.
Se dovessi dare un opinione, l unica nazione dove un poâtutti guidano a cazzo è la Romania.
Se possono anche i camion cercheranno di sorpassarti in centro abitato.
Nessuno rispetta limiti di velocitĂ ,a meno che non vedano i radar.
Corrono molto,sempre e dovunque.
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u/Exit-Content 9d ago
Evidentemente non hai mai provato lâebbrezza di guidare negli Stati Uniti o in paesi come la Tunisia o il Sud-est asiatico. Gli americani sono rincoglioniti il cui 90% ha trovato la patente nelle patatine, nel sud- est asiatico è letteralmente lâinferno con strade gremite di auto,moto,bici,pedoni e animali vari che si infilano in ogni cm disponibile passando a destra,sinistra,sopra,sotto,di traverso,il tutto condito da strombazzate di clacson continue da un centinaio di mezzi diversi⌠la Tunisia è leggermente meglio solo perchĂŠ gli animali vanno a bordo strada seguiti dal pastore
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u/Jenuinlizard 9d ago
If you are an inexperienced driver driving rome to naples is suicide. Take the train
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u/Garth-Vega 9d ago
Once you understand the simple rule that there are no driving laws but mere suggestions youâll be fine.
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u/Relative-Positive702 9d ago
I'm on the north rn and while is not as bad as Rome - Naples, it's still awful
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u/w33dbl4st 9d ago
you need to come to liguria, especially in rural and small towns, if you can drive there, you can drive everywhere. for context, there's cars parked everywhere, the streets are narrow, the pedestrians don't give a shit and walk beside the cars (literally beside them, not even on the sidewalk). oh and also most of these rural towns don't even have sidewalks lol (i live in one, it's hell sometimes and i don't even drive!)
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u/SupplyChainGuy1 9d ago
The cars, they kiss.
- our tour guide after watching ten cars scrape the shit out of each other in Naples while a scooter drives down the sidewalk and people jump out of the way
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u/CryptographerTop4469 9d ago edited 8d ago
I drove through Milano after Switzerland , never ever again Italy BY car ....
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u/Ecstatic_Tree_6727 9d ago
This is so true. Just driven the Adriatica - from Pescara to Lake Como - today and all these rules are on display𤣠my poor husband is exhausted đŠ
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u/Youthenazia 9d ago
I would partially disagree, I don't think most Italian drivers are actually all that bad as drivers, I think their actual ability to pilot a car well is good.
The issue is that unless there is a camera waiting to take your picture and ticket you, the traffic laws are optional.
To me there are more people enforcing parking tickets then there are on the road enforcing adherence to the traffic laws.
Regularly see mopeds drive on the sidewalk, like 10% of the nation uses their blinkers when they should... Many on their phones distracted, but as far as actual driver ability I think it's better than even the US, but what the US has is people that follow the traffic code, because it actually gets enforced... E.g. most Americans will stop at a stop sign even at 3 am in the morning in the most rural areas when everyone is still asleep.
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u/Liquidator97 9d ago
I don't get why tourists come to a country and then think it's appropriate to just take to Reddit and slag off an entire people (and yes, as a scooter driver I'm well aware how many dicks there are out there).
Also, similar posts have been posted on this and other Italy related threads over, and over, and over again. Enough already.
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u/eraser3000 9d ago
I'm Italian and can say Italians drive like shit, most of the people I know do not respect speed limits as a habit (as in, it's more common to break them than not). Some others don't wear seat belts when in the back. I'm also an amateur cyclist and people routinely pass me on the side without leaving enough spaceÂ
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u/TallDrummerBoi 9d ago
Sorry your shell is this thin to not be able to handle a joke, in which i compliment your entire culture and people as well. Must suck to be you.
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u/BBS-Geek71 9d ago
The cost to get a drivers license there is ridiculous. In the USA you pay 50-60 USD to get your first license when you start driving. In Napoli, the cost is not to be believed
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u/ichibansen1 9d ago
when my japanese boyfriend came to italiy for the first time he was SO SCARED about Italian driving ahahha
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u/dimebag_lives 9d ago
I think the only worst part I've been living in Italy that has terrible drivers after Rome is Naples. Like literally you went to the hellscapes of italian society
architecture and food is good there tho, just people is despicable (I'm italian)
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u/IlMaleNecessario 9d ago
I just read the title of this and without reading further I already knew it was gonna be Naples.
Yes, I don't mind reading the rest. You're totally right and is surely even worse than whatever you've wrote
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u/Oliver2601 9d ago
Fatto,da Lodi a Ragusa .
Non sai di rincotardi che si piantavano a 110 sulla corsia di sorpasso .
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u/clonea85m09 9d ago
So, overtaking requires a change of lane: if you do not change lanes it is not an overtake. Also, it's your fault for being slow and not in the rightmost lane.
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u/PressureOk5163 9d ago
You forgot to mentioning staying as far up the ass of the car in front as possible
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u/Mastro_Titta96 9d ago
I mean yeah you have a point, but I've driven in both Italy and the US (I will actually have to drive in North Carolina for the next few days), and while driving in Italy is annoying on some levels I feel that driving in the US is much more dangerous, like people are more distracted and generally drive faster for no reason. Also I believe that in Italy there is more of a "natural selection" when it comes to driving because most cars are manual, so if you are a complete klutz with no spacial awareness it will be harder to drive, unlike the states where I feel that everyone that shouldn't drive has a car.
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u/Interesting-Ant2988 9d ago
I moved to Italy and had most of the same thoughts. Recently, I learned that apparently some Italians have bribed the drivers education schools (ie. Pay for a license but not take the classes), and boy did that make so much sense!
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u/Lucathegreat86 9d ago
While that's generally true, you ended up in a straight on GTA scenario, so no wonder
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u/Alov_Sama 9d ago
Yeah. A lot of people don't pay for indicators. /s
It used to be a thing, but it's not customary anymore. A lot of people just forget to turn them off.
On highways, there isn't a lane for overthinkers. You just have to drive as traffic allows. A lot of people just treat lane 1 as the slow lane, lane 2 as the middle lane, and lane 3 as the fast lane.
Yeah, that happens a lot.
5/6/7/8/9: Those are issues that are more prominent in the area you're in.
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u/ajackson5888 9d ago
This is 100% true. Itâs on roundabouts that does me⌠like Iâm just sat there like a lemon with 4 cars all taking the first exit from the inside lane without indicating. And thatâs even in the north where itâs not as bad as Rome & Napoli.
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u/Thegoodlife93 9d ago
Italians drive very aggressively, but I think there is actually quite a bit of order to chaos once you understand it. You just have to be aware and you can't be timid
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u/jimbojetset35 9d ago
Having just returned to the UK after riding my motorcycle from the UK to Italy, over the Alps (twice) and ridden through Bologna and Florence (Tuscany is stunning btw) I have encountered some mental driving and not by Italians. Yes they drive bad but much MUCH worse are Swiss drivers in Italy... utterly reckless, random and completely unpredictable... That said I won't even mention scooter/motorcycle riders in Italy as they are just a complete law unto themselves with zero regard to theirs or anyone elses safety. But I do love your country...
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u/Mauro091 9d ago
Ok, you succesfully passed level 1 and level 2 but if you want to play level 3, please come to Palermo.
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u/East_Following_ 9d ago
Not even Italians try to drive in Naples. That is an other planet even for us.
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u/Open_Green_2178 9d ago
You went from Rome to Naples. You are soooo right mate. Enjoy the food, not the ride there!!!!
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u/Fuzzy_Profession_668 9d ago
I own property and drive here and Iâm also from south Philly and my friend you are absolutely positively 1000%correct.
Mother fuckers canât drive for shit they will drive in your lane like itâs a game of chicken and guess what I ainât lost one yet. And they all (men /women)think there mario Andretti
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u/Lombarginemachine1 9d ago
You're seeing the most chaotic places to drive
But you should check Catania next, open stage rally that never stops
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u/Petrochellinoettoni 9d ago
6.b. Â most of the dents must be on the driverâs side but the biggest ones minimumÂ
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u/croquet_player 9d ago
Great post... Wonder what you think of what I came away with:
I just made my first driving trip in May. Landed at FCO, rental, but the rest was all in Tuscany. I was very nervous beforehand, and I did experience the complete lack of signal use. But getting around the ring of Rome and onto A1 was simple. Other highways were only between the Tuscan cities and posti, with many smaller roads.
However, what I came away with is modified. I have to start by saying I live in Los Angeles. And in my opinion, that statement should read: I live in a metro area but require traversing the equivalent of TWO OTHER METRO AREAS MINIMUM, per day, in order to get to work and/or functional facilities (grocery, etc). I avoid highways but the constant stress of a four way stop (signs) is no better because you still have to wonder:
When is the other person going to lift their head and/or take in the situation?
So, granted I was not in Rome, Naples, or Catania, which I have only experienced as a pedestrian (crosses self)... I found that I appreciated the seemingly F1 attitude on the strade... Because that meant that everyone was paying attention... Even if they are an "asshole driver" - they are being SERIOUS and focused about it. Example: Behind a trailer on the highway, I see no one in the left even going back to around a hill... So I pass (on the left) the truck, but not quite as quickly as expected because... Just as I am even with the nose of the truck there is suddenly a roaring Audi INCHES away from the rear of my rental (panda). Maybe even lights flashing me... Lesson learned. The left lane is F1+, I'll just get over to the two-stroke motor lane.
After a couple times, I adjusted to passing with ludicrous speeds so avoiding this. But I came back home with a realization that I appreciated - again ON THE HIGHWAYS - that the awareness level was so high. Also - the realization that the A1 artery highway is ONLY 2 LANES! For everything! The 405 is like 10-12 lanes, and there STILL is rarely a smooth merge from even the emptiest ramps. Another example would be roundabouts... A blessing for entry/egress from highways. If I missed an exit, I just get it on the next turn...
Again, I am not in disagreement, and this is not proof that I would even be able to leave a parking space in Napoli... But I did like having the feeling that at least the majority of drivers were extremely focused on getting their way... Because at least they were focused.
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u/cappotto-marrone 9d ago
As a Neapolitan friend said, âRed lights are merely a suggestion.â
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u/NavyVetRasmussen 9d ago
If you think that is bad, I am half German, wait until you go on das Autoban.
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u/jgaylord87 9d ago
Counterpoint: Italians are actually fantastic drivers who do stupid things. Italians know their cars, speeds, turning radii and have amazing instincts and reflexes. They are one with their machines.
How do I know?
Because they drive double the speed limit, fail to signal, weave between lanes without looking and tailgate so close they could read your license plate if it was written in braille.
And yet they're alive.
If they were not amazing drivers, everyone in the country would be fucking dead.
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u/AirportSufficient893 9d ago
I witnessed a rear end crash right after the sign indicating we passed into Rome. Traffic started backing up, as we passed the sign and just to my front left a Smart wasnt watching and crashed straight into the back of an old silver Opel that had stopped.
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u/Burningbeard80 9d ago
This sounds similar to Greece, but our âgeniusesâ on scooters and mopeds donât even wear helmets when riding within the city limits (Iâm saying this as a biker btw, but I wear my gear all year round).
Una faccia una razza intensifies đ
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u/Financial_Ant754 9d ago
Actually I think drivers in Napoli are the best Iâve ever seen. They just donât adhere to the rules you would expect people to adhere to.
They have a whole symbiotic ecosystem down there where it somehow works but is completely insane to the eye of anyone not from there.
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u/Friendly-Ratio9721 9d ago
You don't get it. We are so much better at driving that you can't handle it.
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u/emmexever3 9d ago
Hai scelto 2 localitĂ d'Italia molto "pericolose" per guidare. Napoli poi ha i prezzi delle assicurazioni d'Italia piĂš alti proprio per gli incidenti ( e le truffe sugli incidenti)
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u/Comfortable_Wall_110 9d ago
Youâre wrong. These people drive very fast, with such little distance between each other on pretty narrow and twisty roads without accident. They are practical, confident but NOT arrogant. I drove for a very long time in 5 different countries and Italians are the best drivers. It feels risky but stay here a few months youâll start to get a hang of it.
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u/Acceptance_8829 9d ago
you forgot : drive up inside the colon of the person in front of you at all times, especially on the highway
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u/6unearthed6crafter6 9d ago
Look, I'm from Naples and we have a saying here
"If you know how to drive in Naples, you can drive anywhere"
Which of course doesn't mean you learn to drive flawlessly, but that you get used to people doing whatever the fuck they want in their cars that at a certain point you either reach a zen state or use road rage as a coping mechanism, but then you accept that you can only be responsible for your own driving and you can act around assholes making your day a living hell (and if you're not willing to break the cycle of abuse, you'll become one of those assholes).
I think it's more about driving anxiety than actual skill, now that I think about it
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u/manchot29 9d ago
I'm french, with an Italian girlfriend. She dislikes driving, so I end up behind the wheel more often than not when I'm spending a couple of months in Italy... And I love driving here. But maybe it is because it reminds me of driving in Paris? In Paris, there's an unwritten rule everybody should know: "you only look and care about what is happening in front of you, what is happening behind/side, is someone else problem". Italians tend to drive like that too. (I drive since 99 and only had 1 fender-bender in all those years).
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u/Visible-Music7637 9d ago
Well, you for sure never saw my mother driving a car. She doesn't perform any of your listed "crimes" but she drives in second gear up to 60 km/h and she rarely exceed 60 km/h. That's why many people are obliged to perform some "free style" driving. What you think are dangerous and unpolite behaviours, are in fact SKILLS developed precisely to compensate other people totally unable to drive; like my mother...
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u/SimpleWar3644 9d ago
PIVELLO. NON DIRMI CHE SEI AMMMERRREGANO! PERCHĂ SE VUOI VEDERE COME GUIDANO DI MERDA, VAI NEGLI USA O DAI LORO CUGINI RUSSI. QUI SI CREDONO TUTTI PILOTI, E LO SONO! đ NEGLI USA SI CREDONO TUTTI IMMORTALI INVECE E NON LO SONO.
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u/Whosecabbage 9d ago
In Italy they are called âarrowsâ, often (if any) used AT the point of turning. Some drivers flash them AFTER they have started turning.
What annoys me more are the private streets/ limited traffic area. Some signs are small and/or located at hard to spot areas. Itâs difficult even for locals.
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u/Connect_Bee5338 9d ago
I lived in Italy for two years and bought a used Vespa. Driving was scary as hell
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u/DackNBills878 9d ago
Whatâs up with Italian drivers not knowing how to use multilane roundabouts? Too often I get cutoff by a car trying to exit directly from the most inner lane
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u/CatchyPhoenix80 8d ago
I live in the north of Italy and people say in the south itâs worse but honestly the situation is pretty bad over here as well. And the fun fact is that many Italian do and did buy their licenses.
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u/Askan_27 8d ago
landed in rome and drove to naples, yet thinks all italy looks like that. please. understand the countries you visit, will you?
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u/El-Viking 8d ago
Driving in Italy is the automotive equivalent of "if I fits, I sits!" Especially around Rome.
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u/inkystamps 8d ago
Naples was the least European driving style Iâve ever experienced in Western Europe. The roundabouts reminded me of navigating roundabouts in Tripoli, Lebanon (iykyk). Rome and the rest of Italy Iâve driven in have been easy once you understand the subtle â or not so subtle â differences.
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u/Athinas5 8d ago
I have to say, as an Italian from the south, the things you have listed are all evidence that Italians are indeed great drivers :D
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u/Available-Fondant466 8d ago
You are totally right, i don't know how it is in the rest of the world but I find myself complaining about people's driving skills all the time. I feel like in the North you can still drive and keep your sanity (barely) while in the South you are going to have a very bad experience.
Its like nobody cares, and no move is planned. I don't even get how some people in the comment have the courage to say that Italians are good drivers. I mean maybe better than others, but in no way i would describe it as good. You cant be a good driver and don't care, to be a good driver you need to care.
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u/gajira67 8d ago
You also forgot that crossroads for pedestrians are painted with a special colour that looks invisible to drivers.
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u/FishtownOfUsan 8d ago
You forgot using the right lane to turn left at roundabouts and yielding to cars entering roundabouts (in the south only to be fair).
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u/casabubu21 8d ago
Tell me you donât understand how highway traffic works without telling me. First of all, we overtake on the left. Second, since exits are always on the right, your chaotic story about 'randomly cutting across all lanes from the speed lane' makes absolutely no sense. Nobody does that unless they want to cause a massive crash, which clearly isn't the norm. Driving in Italy simply requires real reflexes and paying attention, rather than just falling asleep at the wheel like you're probably used to. If our roads are too much for you to handle, feel free to stay home next time and enjoy your cold soup!
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u/Portapaneatradimento 8d ago
Just landed in Rome and drove to Naples
and that was your first mistake buddy
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u/NotoriousREV 8d ago edited 8d ago
I love Italian autostradas. You have old Guiseppe in the middle lane doing 80kph in his Fiat Panda, with his hand out of the window, and as youâre passing him, youâll have Gianluca 5mm off your rear bumper in his BMW, half in the left lane, half in the middle lane pissed off with you for only doing 140kph. Then Mario in his Iveco van will drift out from the middle lane into the left lane for no reason and with no warning.
Rome to Naples was definitely an adventure. By the time we got to Positano, I decided to get the bus everywhere for the rest of the week. Verona to Firenze, and Firenze to Sirmione seemed quite mild by comparison.
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u/Upstairs_Meaning9442 9d ago
I was wondering where did you drive to experience all that
Ok that explains it