THOUGHTS ABOUT DRIVING IN ITALY

Italian driving is based on intimidation and speed. Hesitate at an intersection and you can plan to spend the rest of your vacation there. Having said that, Italian drivers, especially when driving on the autostrada are among the best drivers in the world. They are in total control of their automobiles at all times and actually use their mirrors and directional indicators constantly.

On the autrostrada, the left is for passing; period. If you do not intend to drive fast stay out of the left lane. When driving on the left keep an eye on the rearview mirror. As you notice cars quickly approaching behind you, put on your blinker and move over, fast. Italian drivers will assume anyone on the left really knows the rules and will be constantly scanning their rear. Fail to move and the car behind you will be within inches of your bumper in seconds. Get caught impeding traffic flow in the passing lane and you will be fined. Never, never, pass on the right. It is just not done and it’s a surefire way to cause an accident. If you intend to keep on passing, leave your left blinker on while overtaking other cars. This lets everyone know your intentions. Occasionally you may have to flick your beams a few hundred metres behind the traffic ahead that you are travelling fast and intend to pass everything. This is useful to the cars and trucks ahead that were contemplating entrance onto the passing lane and usually prevents them from moving over until you have blown by.

Beware of trucks, especially when you see more than one travelling together. They are forever passing each other at a crawling 80 k.p.h. to stay awake, feel they own the road and will think nothing of moving into the left lane as you are zooming along flashing, honking and blinking at 200 k.p.h. Posted speed limits, I am told, are merely suggestions. Due to high rail costs, most of Italy’s commerce moves by truck. Expect to see plenty of them on the roads during the week.

Tunnels abound in Italy and you must turn on your lights whenever you enter one. Small signs prior to each tunnel will provide its name and length. Bridges, river crossings, rest stops and so on are all similarly marked.

In fact, the Italian highway system is much easier to navigate than our own one. Exits, junctions, towns, restaurants, gas, lodgings, interesting locals, distances to major cities, routes, next exits, police, etc. are perfectly and continuously posted. Overhead electronic message boards provide constant information on the time, weather and traffic conditions.

All major highways in Italy are tolled. There are always at least two lanes, one for people like us who need to manually grab a ticket from the machine and those who have transponders. The lanes are clearly marked with pictorials. You pay when you leave the highway by once again looking for the lane that indicates cash payment. Simply give the ticket to the attendant and wait for the amount owed to flash on the electronic screen. No problem, right!

Finally, if you happen to lose your ticket, simply keep repeating the name of the town where you entered the system and eventually after much flapping and heavy sighing you will be charged the correct amount.

P.S. About getting an International Drivers License. A waste of time and money!

Before driving off in your rental automobile, familiarize yourself with all of the controls. The last thing you need is to be fumbling around with switches and knobs in an unfamiliar car on a narrow hairpin turn with the Mediterreanean a few scant hundred metres straight below you. Some foreign cars are just that and very few things are where you would expect to find them. Adjust everything to your comfort while still in the safety of the parking lot. Mastering the various degrees of headlight adjustment to accommodate the variety of daylight and tunnel conditions is important. Even more important, is finding reverse on a standard shift car. Look for a ring just below the head of the shifter. While changing gears into reverse, two fingers reach over the shift knob and pull the ring up which then releases the lock and allows the car to be shifted into reverse. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve come across a tourist sitting in his or her car in a total state of confusion and frustration at being unable to accomplish this seemingly simple task. The other give away is seeing tourists pushing their cars backwards into a street.

Finally, a word on tickets. Speeding tickets are unheard of. Parking tickets, are on the other hand a virtual given. Here are the rules on parking:

1)   There are an abundance of municipal parking lots in Italy and they work on the principle that the more coins you shove in them, the longer you can stay. Rule number one, always carry a pocketful of Euro pieces. Keep your eye on the timer as you insert coins and remember that in Italy they use the 24-hour clock. Occasionally, you might find an attendant who just might be willing to cooperate in selling you a long term parking ticket but don’t count on it. Remember that it’s all about having lots and lots of coins.

2)   When you do get a parking ticket, you will need help. Parking tickets range from the small (20 Euros) for simple overtime violations to truly obscene (up to 150 Euros) for parking in restricted zones such as ambulance and fire routes and tourist zones. The parking ticket is a small document that requires a full confession, details of past misadventures with the law and at least one character reference. Okay, I’m kidding, but they need to be paid. As you might expect, the only place to pay parking tickets is the Post Office (try and find one). If you think you can ignore it then wait until you see your visa bill from the car rental company who will add a series of punitive financial penalties that can sometimes triple the cost of the original ticket. One of my many uses is as the payer of parking tickets. I get it done because it’s happened to me.