Worse driving standards?

Information and questions about driving in Andalucia, buying or importing cars and motorbikes plus legal issues surrounding taxes and licenses.
olive
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Worse driving standards?

Postby olive » Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:19 pm

Putting aside a very very near miss on New Years eve ( Drunk driver barrelled up behind us and then overtook and ran straight into an oncoming car alongside us), we have noticed rural driving standards seem much worse. Oncoming drivers more often in the middle of the road, Dawdlers , people veering off the road.

Is this a by product of lockdowns with people drinking midday ish as bars closed after six? Anyone else noticed this?

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Wicksey
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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby Wicksey » Fri Jan 29, 2021 4:06 pm

Seems like normal to me! People always seem to drive in the middle of the road on roads without white lines for as long as I can remember. Many are too busy looking at their passenger to watch the road, or like to look at everything but the road as they drive, or are on the phone.

Someone drove down the wrong side of the road narrowly missing my OH the other week on the road down from the motorway where there is one lane down to the Costa but dual carriageway up. The main thing we've noticed more recently is that there's more people driving new cars at high speed (often Audis, VWs and BMWs - no intention to insult any ACommers with those cars, but it's nearly always a German make of car). I am sometimes the slowest thing on the motorway and I am doing 120kmph, and it never used to be like that down this end of the Costa. It used to be quite sedate but cars overtake me like I'm standing still. We always try to avoid going out in rush hours so this is when it is normally fairly quiet on the roads.

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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby Lavanda » Fri Jan 29, 2021 5:09 pm

If there is no white line in the middle of the road/lane people do drive in the centre. Sometimes following such a driver it is tempting to consider overtaking - but it is impossible. Any sign that we are moving to overtake and the car in front drives all the way over to the left and then back to the centre. Apparently, it’s ‘tradition’ here.

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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby El Cid » Fri Jan 29, 2021 6:55 pm

On a road with no lines and good visibility I always use the whole of the road. On country roads/tracks it’s safer as you are less likely to go over the edge. Remember, when they were driving donkeys, they rode on the middle!

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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby Lavanda » Fri Jan 29, 2021 7:49 pm

True, Sid, and some people here still have donkeys and ponies and traps.

olive
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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby olive » Fri Jan 29, 2021 9:00 pm

Agreed about the animals and driving in middle of road.

We are used to the oncoming Spanish in the middle of the road planning avoiding vector but what is disconcerting is on roads with ARMCO. I.e. nowhere for you to go if they don’t Get Over. I am convinced rural folk are drinking ( more ) at lunch.

Manchesteral
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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby Manchesteral » Sun Jan 31, 2021 1:06 pm

Ha ha, try Karachi central around 16.00 Friday afternoon

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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby Lavanda » Sun Jan 31, 2021 1:56 pm

Don’t forget Cairo at any time, day or night.

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spanish_lad
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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby spanish_lad » Sun Jan 31, 2021 3:35 pm

Try Scicaly, I worked in Sciacca for 3 months on the golf course, and we have video of us overtaking a tractor, while being overtaken by another car, with an oncoming lorry... properly butt clenching times.

As for people driving in spain, (i wont say "spaniards", cos its undistinguishable) ... why do they drive so close?!?!?! literally if theres nothing on the road, no cars for km´s either way.. you see two cars travelling towards you and the one behind will be glued to the rear of the one in front - it is happening more and more these days - or maybe i´m just noticing more because theres less traffic on the roads ?
Alhaurin el Grande since 99, working at the airport since 2011.

Lyric
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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby Lyric » Sun Jan 31, 2021 5:52 pm

Don’t forget Cairo at any time, day or night.
Berlitz Pocket Guide on Cairo. "Traffic lights were introduced in 1955 but have not gained wide acceptance" :lolno:

elusive
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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby elusive » Sun Jan 31, 2021 6:55 pm

Tailgating at high speed on the motorway is horrendous here and frankly scary to see. The amount of near misses ive seen,well ive lost count. Seen to many aftermaths in the last 5 years aswell.tbh surprised i havnt seen more. Good ole fatalism. Maybe they are desperare to meet jesus and no i dont mean the footballer!!

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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby Beachcomber » Mon Feb 01, 2021 7:07 am

I asked the Spaniard in front of me who made a sudden turn almost causing an accident why he hadn't signalled. "Why should I?" he said "It's nobody else's business where I'm going."

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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby Lavanda » Mon Feb 01, 2021 7:22 am

:lol: :lol: :lol:

pensure1988
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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby pensure1988 » Mon Feb 01, 2021 10:00 am

Good Morning

I have been reading all the comments on this Forum. Quite informative. I have come across this article below which makes amusing reading. Obviously the Spanish Highway Code does not apply to Spaniards only Foreigners in Spain.

https://www.spanishhomezone.es/download ... aycode.pdf


David

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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby BENIDORM » Mon Feb 01, 2021 11:23 am

''I asked the Spaniard in front of me who made a sudden turn almost causing an accident why he hadn't signalled. "Why should I?" he said "It's nobody else's business where I'm going''.......

BC.....That's funny but I can understand his thought process ... :think:

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Gordon

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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby Beachcomber » Mon Feb 01, 2021 12:37 pm

Yes, quite logical really!

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Wicksey
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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby Wicksey » Mon Feb 01, 2021 1:09 pm

elusive wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 6:55 pm Tailgating at high speed on the motorway is horrendous here and frankly scary to see. The amount of near misses ive seen,well ive lost count. Seen to many aftermaths in the last 5 years aswell.tbh surprised i havnt seen more. Good ole fatalism. Maybe they are desperare to meet jesus and no i dont mean the footballer!!
That's what I mean nowadays. It used to be like that in Malaga city and to the west but here east of Malaga it used to be pretty sedate. Now cars come along so fast when you're trying to overtake a lorry for instance, it's like they would just knock you off the road if you didn't move over and get out of their way. As I say, I'm no dawdler when I drive, so they must be doing 160kmph judging by the speed they arrive up behind me.

People also drive inappropriately fast along some of the narrow back roads on the Costa. Knowing how people step out in front of you from often hidden crossings that are tucked in between parked cars, they would never stop in time. We've seen a lot of near misses on the crossings on the Torrox Costa coast road, even when the lights are red, cars still go sailing through :shock:

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spanish_lad
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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby spanish_lad » Mon Feb 01, 2021 1:14 pm

Beachcomber wrote: Mon Feb 01, 2021 7:07 am I asked the Spaniard in front of me who made a sudden turn almost causing an accident why he hadn't signalled. "Why should I?" he said "It's nobody else's business where I'm going."
You could then argue, that you shouldnt of been close enough to him that it affected you?

As signalling is a 'courtasy' not a 'law' as such, could it be said that people only need to indicate when it could affect someone else? Crossing lanes, comong off a roundabout etc.. If they are 50m in front and theres no other traffic, why indicate?

I try and indicate all the time, i prefer to do it that way, so that i dont forget when its actually needed.
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Beachcomber
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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby Beachcomber » Mon Feb 01, 2021 1:20 pm

Well, it was actually a joke but it may not have been me with whom he nearly had the accident!

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Re: Worse driving standards?

Postby markwilding » Mon Feb 01, 2021 3:33 pm

In my opinion there have been vast improvements in the way the Spanish drive. Having said that, some are still driving badly. Tailgating is something that still occurs on a regular basis.

One guy recently tried to get past me on a motorway even though I was overtaking on the inside lane and there wasn't enough room to get by.

It's difficult to understand why they can't wait for the car i front to finish overtaking and then move over to let them by.


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