OT (sort of) UK Drivers are the best IMHO

No flames, I tend to agree on most points.

Never driven is S. France, but I drove a bit in Italy this year and would disagree that they're bad drivers. It's just that they all drive according to a set of rules only known to themselves.

These include driving very close to each other and darting in and out of traffic lanes apparently at random. Both of these are done at insane speeds since they mostly seem to ignore speed limits as well.

Another assumption seems to be that everyone has the right of way at all times unless actively forced to give way.

Remarkably, they all seem to do this very skilfully and with remarkably few accidents. It's just a bit brown-trouser inducing for outsiders.

Nick

I just got back to NZ after a couple of weeks in Australia and I've got to say that Queensland drivers are *way* better than NZ drivers when it comes to common sense and being polite. Driving there was a lot less stressful than driving here.

I'll also support your views on the Poms being good drivers and the Italians being insane beyond belief.

Driven a lot in France the best move they have is to exit a junction on the motorway from the outside lane.Deadly!. They seem to clear away accidents quicker and better than we do in UK.

I have driven a lot in both France and Italy, and I would agree that they seem to drive to a secret set of rules. From the behaviour (overtakes on blind bends, kamikaze lane-changes and the rest) you would expect no-one to survive a trip to the shops, and yet accidents are relatively few. And yet, to be fair, both Italy and France have a death-rate far higher than the UK's, so it can't be as inocuous as you say.

FWIW, I blame Italian driving on the Fiat 500. Theory goes: most Italians learned to drive in a tiny car with the power of a small vacuum cleaner. Once you reach cruising speed (which may take several minutes), you ain't gonna give it up for nobody - hence the preference for swerves, high-speed passes and shut-your-eyes-and-go-for-it junction techniques, rather than braking and assessing, and speeding up later if it's appropriate. This behaviour is hard-wired into the new driver's brain, and when he gets his Alfa or Ferrari, he just can't forget.

I used to drive a 2CV as my only car, so I'm familiar with the need to conserve momentum.

Rich

Roger, you could have helped by saying from which State you come. We NSW drivers give way to no-one.

My wife reckons I was a bloody awful driver after I returned from a 3 month stint in Saudi Arabia. My view was that one needed to keep in front of the bloody Arabs.

Ron Beckett Emu Plains, Australia

Tell you what if we contact Eurotrash; the mothers farting, and fighting dogs in the pub would make a fortune in fees :-))

As far as driving is concerned I guess local conditions apply; if I remember correctly Oz was just as good/ bad as UK. Mind you when in South Africa I did see minibuses in Cape Town with mole grips for steering wheels. Also a new approach to breakers yards; go for a wheel and make it fit .... ie only four studs.. no problem just drill another hole or two to make it fit. All with mine own eyes, no kidding.

It's not exactly unknown here either! 'Great fun' if you are towing a light caravan behind a Range Rover and have just pressed the loud pedal when they shoot across your bow.

So Adrian Ford was, like

That's cos they get more practice :-)