Despite the fact that traffic rules and road signs tend to be the same in most countries, driving in an unfamiliar environment requires additional skills and can cause serious stress for the motorist, especially at the beginning of the journey. AWHelp24s International Service Information Department collected tips from experienced drivers on how to prepare for a trip by car. The levels of stress caused by driving a car in an unfamiliar country can be compared to the stress of a driver at the very beginning of driving. We develop habits at home. We learn to look towards where we expect danger to occur, we react when changing lanes and bends, and make way for other motorists. But in a foreign country, these habits may not help to avoid an accident. “An experienced driver will quickly get used to the differences if he monitors how other drivers behave on the road,” experts say. However, there is a difference in the driving culture in the north and south of Europe. It is especially evident in the way they follow the rules and make way for other drivers. In the northern countries of Europe they obediently follow the rules, while in countries such as Italy, Spain and France, the traffic is more intense, the driving pace is higher. At the same time, the driving discipline is very strict in Finland and Germany. If the car owner does not pay a fine, the official services of the EU countries can send it to the Legal Registration Center, and the latter will collect it from the motorist. But if the driver refuses to pay the fine even then, he goes to the tax collection center. The Center receives about thousands of fines every year. Most of the fines, in come from Holland, Germany, Italy and Estonia. All EU countries, except for Ireland and Greece, participate in this system. Let's take a closer look at the peculiarities of road traffic in the Baltic countries, Germany and Italy, especially noting the driving psychology of local motorists and the state of the roads.
About the roads of the Baltic states.
So, speaking about the Baltics, we would like to turn the attention towards the low quality of the streets and underdeveloped road infrastructure. Although recently the situation has begun to improve, the tracks in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are not that easy to cross, given the abundance of cracks and potholes. “There are roads to pass by the big cities, but many streets still go through villages and small towns. This slows the traffic down. Therefore, the average speed on long journeys is usually only 70 kilometers per hour.”, experts say. Since many local drivers are in a hurry, overtaking is common here. Therefore on roads with two lanes, cars usually line up in four rows. Meanwhile in Germany: high-speed autobahns and a ban on studded tires. Speaking of Germany, one has to stop separately on the German autobahn. It used to be possible to drive on them at the highest possible speeds a car could reach, now however, many places implemented a limit of 120 or 130 kilometers per hour. Autobahns usually have three or four lanes in one direction. You are always required to drive on the far right lane, unless you´re trying to overtake a car in front of you if there isn´t enough space for that. Autobahns can also be used at low speeds, for example, by camping busses and vans, which are very popular here. In the summer, a car enthusiast in Germany must be prepared for hours of traffic jams. Meanwhile Italians tend to pay less attention to the rules of the road. Note the high speed of cars in Italy and the unpredictable actions of drivers who are not accustomed to using turn signals. Traffic rules are rarely followed in cities, so driving a car in the Apennines requires some getting used to, especially for novice motorists. Therefore, it is vital for all drivers to have a personal road assistant ready at any time to help deal with every situation on the road.