A.Spencer3

"Deep Frayed Morgues" <deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
    > On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 14:01:55 +0100, [email protected] wrote:
    > >On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 12:52:30 GMT, "a.spencer3"
    > ><[email protected]> wrote:
    > >
    > >>
    > >>
    > >>I've long maintained that the worst drivers I've seen are in the Hague -
and
    > >>that includes Cairo, Rome, Paris et al!
    > >
    > >I don't know about Cairo, but the Dutch drivers are worse than
    > >anywhere else I have driven. NL is the only country I have driven in
    > >where drivers consistently close the gap between them and the car in
    > >front, when people try to join a motorway, finish an overtaking
    > >manoeuvre etc.
    > >I found driving in Rome pleasant compared to what goes on in these
    > >parts.
    > >Nearly all Schiphol taxi drivers drive way over the speed limit, up to
    > >160 km/hour in a 100km/hour speed limit, trucks drive 20% over the
    > >speed limit or faster and seem to get away with it. There is little
    > >sign of any sort of policing, although I did see somebody taking
    > >photos of cars taking short cuts through a petrol filling station in a
    > >traffic jam on the A4 this week.
    > It's always a tough call as to where on earth has the worst drivers,
    > but (having spent lots of time in Italy, Russia, and around Asia)
    > would unequivocally say Albania's driving is the worst on earth by a
    > long mile, mostly due to a lack of experience by the local (they have
    > only had cars for a few years), high powered cars (stolen from western
    > Europe), and utterly shocking roads. Add to that the low value of
    > human life, and it's a spicy mix!

And just wait until they have 2 cars there! :-))

Surreyman

B Vaughan

On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 20:08:16 GMT, Deep Frayed Morgues
<deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote:

    >It's always a tough call as to where on earth has the worst drivers,
    >but (having spent lots of time in Italy, Russia, and around Asia)
    >would unequivocally say Albania's driving is the worst on earth by a
    >long mile, mostly due to a lack of experience by the local (they have
    >only had cars for a few years), high powered cars (stolen from western
    >Europe), and utterly shocking roads. Add to that the low value of
    >human life, and it's a spicy mix!

The worst I've ever seen was in Beijing (around 15 years ago, so it
may have changed by now). I was part of an official delegation, and
our driver seemed to think that our importance somehow demanded that
he assert his power over the other drivers. The rule of the road
seemed to be that the most important car had the right of way, just as
the law of the queue seemed to be that the most important person went
to the front of the line.

One of my colleagues was so traumatized that she normally crouched on
the floor in the back, in the airline crash position. Once,
encountering heavy traffic on a divided highway, our driver crossed
the median strip and drove at high speed up the opposite carriageway,
blasting his horn to warn people out of his way.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

A.Spencer3

"B Vaughan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 20:08:16 GMT, Deep Frayed Morgues
    > <deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote:
    > >It's always a tough call as to where on earth has the worst drivers,
    > >but (having spent lots of time in Italy, Russia, and around Asia)
    > >would unequivocally say Albania's driving is the worst on earth by a
    > >long mile, mostly due to a lack of experience by the local (they have
    > >only had cars for a few years), high powered cars (stolen from western
    > >Europe), and utterly shocking roads. Add to that the low value of
    > >human life, and it's a spicy mix!
    > The worst I've ever seen was in Beijing (around 15 years ago, so it
    > may have changed by now). I was part of an official delegation, and
    > our driver seemed to think that our importance somehow demanded that
    > he assert his power over the other drivers. The rule of the road
    > seemed to be that the most important car had the right of way, just as
    > the law of the queue seemed to be that the most important person went
    > to the front of the line.
    > One of my colleagues was so traumatized that she normally crouched on
    > the floor in the back, in the airline crash position. Once,
    > encountering heavy traffic on a divided highway, our driver crossed
    > the median strip and drove at high speed up the opposite carriageway,
    > blasting his horn to warn people out of his way.
    > --

Sounds like when my Nigerian driver reversed back along a dual carriageway!!

Surreyman

nitram

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 11:04:33 GMT, "a.spencer3"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >"B Vaughan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >news:[email protected].. .

<snip>
    >> One of my colleagues was so traumatized that she normally crouched on
    >> the floor in the back, in the airline crash position. Once,
    >> encountering heavy traffic on a divided highway, our driver crossed
    >> the median strip and drove at high speed up the opposite carriageway,
    >> blasting his horn to warn people out of his way.

    >Sounds like when my Nigerian driver reversed back along a dual carriageway!!


He probably learnt to drive in the Hague area. :-(((

A colleague taking a taxi from Schiphol towards the Hague complained
about the taxi drivers driving. The taxi driver stopped at the Shell
service station near the restaurant over the autoweg. The colleague
refused to pay, the taxi driver called the police, which was a bad
move, as the driver had no insurance and a had large number of unpaid
fines
--
Martin

Devil

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 11:27:42 +0100, B Vaughan wrote:


    > The worst I've ever seen was in Beijing (around 15 years ago, so it
    > may have changed by now). I was part of an official delegation, and
    > our driver seemed to think that our importance somehow demanded that
    > he assert his power over the other drivers. The rule of the road
    > seemed to be that the most important car had the right of way, just as
    > the law of the queue seemed to be that the most important person went
    > to the front of the line.

It has improved quite a bit. Still chaotic, but a good part is
pedestrians and bikers who don't feel they are concerned with traffic
lights.

nitram

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 16:04:53 GMT, devil <[email protected]> wrote:

    >On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 11:27:42 +0100, B Vaughan wrote:
    >> The worst I've ever seen was in Beijing (around 15 years ago, so it
    >> may have changed by now). I was part of an official delegation, and
    >> our driver seemed to think that our importance somehow demanded that
    >> he assert his power over the other drivers. The rule of the road
    >> seemed to be that the most important car had the right of way, just as
    >> the law of the queue seemed to be that the most important person went
    >> to the front of the line.
    >It has improved quite a bit. Still chaotic, but a good part is
    >pedestrians and bikers who don't feel they are concerned with traffic
    >lights.

In NL and China.

--
Martin