Driving in Europe

Driving in Europe
By Alex Landels

I have made many trips to Europe. Some of my first trips were bike tours and my book Bike Guru Diaries: Travels in Europe will give you more details on that type of experience. While these trips were great fun and kept me in shape I really didn't get to see as much as I would have liked. You'll see much much more of Europe by taking trains, planes, buses, and/or by renting a car.

Trains, planes, and buses are a pleasure in Europe. Trains and buses are affordable and range from economy to deluxe. In comparison planes are expensive, although European governments have recently changed their regulations and made European air travel more affordable.

With any of these forms of transport you are at the whims of set schedules, destinations, logistical limitations, and possible labour disputes.

Driving in Europe

Owning and driving a car in Europe is an expensive proposition. Gas, insurance, and general maintenance costs are high. Regulations governing getting a driver's license and proper maintenance of vehicles make it more difficult to own a vehicle. You'll see few young drivers or 'beater' cars on Europe's highways. The majority of European cars are smaller and newer and get better gas mileage than North American vehicles.

Europeans love to drive fast; their whole road system is based on that fact. They do not understand, do not appreciated, and do get extremely annoyed with drivers that do not immediately yield to faster traffic. Speeds of 140 to 160 kmph (75 to 100 mph)are very common while anyone going 88 kmph (55 mph) is extremly rare.

In the European mind major roads are built to get people from A to B as qucikly as possible. Unlike North American drivers Europeans co-operate to ensure the flow of traffic doesn't slow down. Co-operation means staying out of the way of fast cars and never, never trying to hog the passing lanes--usually there is the fast passing lane, then the slower passing lane, and then 2 to 3 other 'slower lanes. This is genuine co-operation and has nothing to do with being 'macho' rather all to do with the efficiency of traffic flow, European roads, and European cars.

Most North Americans will find the highway speeds difficult to adapt to. They will get upset with drivers who tailgate, honk horns, and flash lights. They will have trouble understanding that they must get out of the way of speeding cars and not to impede the flow of traffic. Adapting is not difficult and once accomplished they will probably become 'converts'.