The totalled car at the bottom has a different license plate than the one being unveiled at the top, so at least they had a backup when they trashed it :-)
I've been to Italy a few times, have been in cars driven by Italians, and they drive like madmen, even the women. I wouldn't give their policeforce a Lamborghini in a million years. In fact, they shouldn't be allowed to drive anything that can go faster than a Segway.
I have driven a variety of vehicles in many European countries (including those juggernauts you curse that brought you almost everything you purchased in the last fifty years) and the drivers in each country/region adapt to their particular conditions.
The trick to coping with driving in Italy is to understand that the driver behind you always wants to be in front of you.
You may be dawdling along and the driver behind may risk life, limb, and property to get past. Having achieved that goal the other driver will then proceed at his chosen speed: that may be anything from the speed you are doing to as fast as the other vehicle will go... faster sometimes, as the pictures show.
In Italy I have been honked at for failing to go through a traffic light on red. In Switzerland the traffic stopped to allow me to proceed safely through a red light. The French just honk for no particular reason. The world's best drivers come from your country, wherever you live.
Ha ha ha, not likely. I learned to drive in Spain, and while they're better than the Italians (or less crazy), I wouldn't defend them as the best.
I've driven a bit in the UK, and they seemed quite civilised.
Now I live and drive in the Boston area of the US, and drivers here are notorious for been obnoxious with their honking and for making U turns (bang a U-ee) wherever they want.
I've never driven in India or Egypt, but I hear that's even crazier than Italy.
I do like your explanation about the Italian driver's mentality; it makes sense now that I look back :-)
The trick to coping with driving in Italy is to understand that the driver behind you always wants to be in front of you.
I've found this to be true of drivers everywhere. At least male ones. It might be sort of like how testosterone levels spike in a guy when he holds a gun (even anti-gun dudes). Maybe just being in a car causes that too.
The world's best drivers come from your country, wherever you live.
"Captain Luigi Mario Corleone liked his women colleagues and his cars to be the same way: hot, and fast. But he hated the position where he wasn't on top! (woopsie!) Italians..."
"The world's best drivers come from your country, wherever you live." I beg to differ. I believe the world's best drivers are those in Lebenon, where I live, and that this is objective fact. Why? Well... have you seen our roads? AND our traffic? They ough to make a Grand Theft Auto themed after Lebanon, then the traffic would REALLY be intense and driving in it a genuine damn challenge!
Why do I believe Lebenon has the best drivers? Two words: intensive training. You've got to be so careful and constantly alert, it's like taking a daily goddamn combat course! Therefore I am POSITIVE we have the best reflexes and reaction time to any driving hazards we might encounter. You'd be surprised at how relatively FEW grave/fatal traffic accidents we have, in this merry automotive anarchy of ours. Probably no more, relatively, than in, oh, say... ITALY? :-D
"I've never driven in India or Egypt, but I hear that's even crazier than Italy." The reason for this is simple, Sahib! In the UK, they drive to the left. In Italy, to the right. Well, Effendi, in the two sunny scenic countries you mention, people drive IN THE SHADE! Makes sense, no? :-)
"I've found this to be true of drivers everywhere. At least male ones." Correction: half of male drivers want to go fast to impreess their girlfriends. The other half want to go slowly to apease their wife. This incompatibility (caused, I assure you, by those pesky oestrogens!) is the main cause of road accidents.
"It might be sort of like how testosterone levels spike in a guy when he holds a gun (even anti-gun dudes). Maybe just being in a car causes that too." Naah! Couldn't be. After all, remember, to a guy a car is just a symbol of his dick. So your "hormonal grabbing" theory is clearly ludicrous!
11 comments:
The totalled car at the bottom has a different license plate than the one being unveiled at the top, so at least they had a backup when they trashed it :-)
I've been to Italy a few times, have been in cars driven by Italians, and they drive like madmen, even the women. I wouldn't give their policeforce a Lamborghini in a million years. In fact, they shouldn't be allowed to drive anything that can go faster than a Segway.
All Europeans drive like madmen.
I’ve heard of chase cars, but this is a bit extreme! :-)
I have driven a variety of vehicles in many European countries (including those juggernauts you curse that brought you almost everything you purchased in the last fifty years) and the drivers in each country/region adapt to their particular conditions.
The trick to coping with driving in Italy is to understand that the driver behind you always wants to be in front of you.
You may be dawdling along and the driver behind may risk life, limb, and property to get past. Having achieved that goal the other driver will then proceed at his chosen speed: that may be anything from the speed you are doing to as fast as the other vehicle will go... faster sometimes, as the pictures show.
In Italy I have been honked at for failing to go through a traffic light on red. In Switzerland the traffic stopped to allow me to proceed safely through a red light. The French just honk for no particular reason. The world's best drivers come from your country, wherever you live.
I like diversity.
"(including those juggernauts you curse that brought you almost everything you purchased in the last fifty years)"
What??
The world's best drivers come from your country
Ha ha ha, not likely. I learned to drive in Spain, and while they're better than the Italians (or less crazy), I wouldn't defend them as the best.
I've driven a bit in the UK, and they seemed quite civilised.
Now I live and drive in the Boston area of the US, and drivers here are notorious for been obnoxious with their honking and for making U turns (bang a U-ee) wherever they want.
I've never driven in India or Egypt, but I hear that's even crazier than Italy.
I do like your explanation about the Italian driver's mentality; it makes sense now that I look back :-)
The trick to coping with driving in Italy is to understand that the driver behind you always wants to be in front of you.
I've found this to be true of drivers everywhere. At least male ones. It might be sort of like how testosterone levels spike in a guy when he holds a gun (even anti-gun dudes). Maybe just being in a car causes that too.
The world's best drivers come from your country, wherever you live.
I'd say the worst are Egyptian.
I meant to add: "And the best are definitely not in my country (the U.S.). Most there are pretty bad. Especially in New York."
"What??
Yes!
"Captain Luigi Mario Corleone liked his women colleagues and his cars to be the same way: hot, and fast.
But he hated the position where he wasn't on top! (woopsie!)
Italians..."
"The world's best drivers come from your country, wherever you live."
I beg to differ. I believe the world's best drivers are those in Lebenon, where I live, and that this is objective fact.
Why? Well... have you seen our roads? AND our traffic?
They ough to make a Grand Theft Auto themed after Lebanon, then the traffic would REALLY be intense and driving in it a genuine damn challenge!
Why do I believe Lebenon has the best drivers? Two words: intensive training.
You've got to be so careful and constantly alert, it's like taking a daily goddamn combat course! Therefore I am POSITIVE we have the best reflexes and reaction time to any driving hazards we might encounter.
You'd be surprised at how relatively FEW grave/fatal traffic accidents we have, in this merry automotive anarchy of ours. Probably no more, relatively, than in, oh, say... ITALY? :-D
"I've never driven in India or Egypt, but I hear that's even crazier than Italy."
The reason for this is simple, Sahib! In the UK, they drive to the left. In Italy, to the right. Well, Effendi, in the two sunny scenic countries you mention, people drive IN THE SHADE!
Makes sense, no? :-)
"I've found this to be true of drivers everywhere. At least male ones."
Correction: half of male drivers want to go fast to impreess their girlfriends. The other half want to go slowly to apease their wife. This incompatibility (caused, I assure you, by those pesky oestrogens!) is the main cause of road accidents.
"It might be sort of like how testosterone levels spike in a guy when he holds a gun (even anti-gun dudes). Maybe just being in a car causes that too."
Naah! Couldn't be.
After all, remember, to a guy a car is just a symbol of his dick.
So your "hormonal grabbing" theory is clearly ludicrous!
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