Italian Drivers

They are a breed unto themselves. They are crazy. They take mad risks. But does it work? Surprisingly, yes it does.

The reason most people end up where they were heading for without any nasty disasters on the way is probably because they know they are crazy. This means that they know what to look out for and how to avoid getting into difficulties. They know that other drivers will take mad risks, such as overtaking on a narrow road with oncoming traffic, and that those drivers won't be overtaking one car at a time like most sensible drivers would, but will be passing several at once. So they know to watch out for that car coming towards them on their side of the road because they know it will happen. This anticipation saves lives several times a journey - every journey.

They also know that the other drivers won't be watching the road but will be looking at their passenger, and that the other drivers won't be guiding the car using the steering wheel as they will be waving their hands in the air when replying to that passenger.

They know that the young men won't be concentrating on the road as their heads will be twisting as they eye up the pretty girls, and that the young women also won't be as their heads will be twisting looking at the latest fashionable bag in the shop window.

They know that red lights and stop lines on the road are going to be just guidelines to the other drivers, and that one car lanes really will mean two three or HoweverManyCanBeSqueezedIn lanes. And that those lanes they are driving along might suddenly have obstacles in the way in the shape of double, even triple parked cars that they will need to maneuver around.

The main thing they know to avoid is that most of this will be happening at twice the speed the speed signs have given for wherever they are at the time.

All this anticipation means that the average Italian driver knows what dangers to anticipate so is always ready to avoid them and so will get from where they started to where they were going with barely a scratch added to their, already previously scratched, car's paintwork and none on their perfectly attired and stylish clothing or bodies.

Of course, whilst they are doing the avoiding they are being avoided doing exactly the same by all those other drivers in their turn, too.