Crash course participating in Italian traffic

Do you have plans for next year by car to Italy to go? Then brace yourself because in the land of la dolce vita every Italian forgets the basics of civilization as soon as he gets in the car and it's every man for himself.

Forget all the traffic rules you've learned so far and practice at home hand gestures and using the horn. You will need both here. 

My biggest fear

Driving in Italy was my biggest fear until I moved to Italy. I am now also fully established in traffic and I like to share my knowledge with future holidaymakers so that they know what to expect. So here's a crash course in 'participating in Italian traffic'.

turn signals

Let's start at the beginning, because even the cars in Italy differ from those in the Netherlands. The direction indicators in Italy are a Optional and are therefore not standard on every car.

So you can't blame the Italians for not indicating a direction when turning. Here, therefore, you must rely on your judgment to determine which exit the oncoming car is planning to take at the roundabout.

Motorist: at the top of the food chain

As a car driver in Italy you have the highest rank in the hierarchy of road users. You can easily overtake cyclists at any time and pedestrians crossing the road you will not encounter much because they do not get the chance to do so. Stopping in front of the zebra crossing is not done and is only done if the pedestrian in question cannot be avoided with an artful bend or can not be deterred in such a way that they refrain from crossing altogether.

Red is secretly a little orange

Signs with road signs and speed limits serve only as a suggestion and road markings like shark's teeth and even zebra crossings are purely decorative. A completely gray road surface is also so boring of course. A red traffic light in Italy is not really red but secretly still a little bit orange while orange is just another shade of green.

However, once that traffic light turns green, you have to make sure you accelerate within one second, otherwise you can expect a horn concert from impatient Italians who are now all late thanks to you.

Merge on the highway

On the highway, after you have merged at an average speed of sixty kilometers per hour, you must immediately shift to the middle lane. The lane on the far right is only intended for freight traffic and the elderly. Once on the middle lane, it is important to drive stiffly here and if necessary move another lane to the left to overtake an obstacle in front of you.

hand gestures

Above all, just keep driving at your own speed, also on the leftmost lane while overtaking and don't mind the car behind you that starts to throw with high beam. After you have made room for this piece of impatience, you can wish him something with some hand gestures as soon as he drives past you. Overtaking on the highway is also possible via the right lane, it is often a lot less busy there.

Use the hard shoulder

Are you stuck in a traffic jam and have to take the exit in a few kilometers or two? Then feel free to drive over the hard shoulder, but watch out; traffic jams can also arise there!

Italian traffic: you have to be able to deal with it

So much for this brief lesson 'taking part in Italian traffic'. You will understand that the stereotypical character traits above should be taken with a grain of salt. But there is a kernel of truth in it. Italy may seem very unsafe and indeed it does not have the best position in European statistics.

Nevertheless, it is not much less safe than in France and there are even relatively fewer fatal car crashes in Italy than in Belgium. Keep your cool, expect the unexpected and the car trip to Italy will be fine.