lipman@decwrl.UUCP (02/27/84)
From: turtle::bennison
___
You do not need an International Driving Permit to rent and drive a
car in western Europe anymore. A valid U.S. license from any state
is all that is needed. From personal experience I know this is true
in England, France, Belgium, Switzerland, (West) Germany, Luxembourg,
and the Netherlands. I understand that eastern European countries
are a different matter. If you have any doubts, check with your
car rental company. If you are particularly paranoid, get one anyway.
Check your white pages for the AAA office nearest you.
Vick Bennison
...decvax!decwrl!rhea!turtle!bennison
(603) 881-2165michael1@ihuxi.UUCP (fingers mcgee) (02/29/84)
QUESTION: Is European driving as fast and crazy as some say it is?
Having some very conservative friends who have been to
Europe, they suggest taking trains and such (esp. in
Switzerland). I get paranoid driving too fast in
unfamiliar territory!
THANXeric@aplvax.UUCP (02/29/84)
One more note on the "International" drivers license. A couple of years ago I was working in Europe, and rented several cars in various countries (France and Germany), The car rental firms always insisted on my US license, the International one was not only not necessary, it was not sufficient. Never did have cause to use the silly thing. -- eric ...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!eric
eric@aplvax.UUCP (02/29/84)
Motorists in Europe take their driving very seriously, and expect other drivers to do so also. The major roads are just like American highways, and if you stay in the right lane they will not particularly bother you. Cities are another matter. I had no trouble in Germany or Switzerland (other than finding parking), but watch out for Paris - be sure you have a good idea of where you are going, and be alert. European countries view driving as a priviledge, and not a right, and consequently the drivers tend to pay attention to what they are doing, fearing permanent loss of license if they screw up. This means you almost never see someone trying to put makeup on while driving, or combing their hair, or any of the thousands of other things that American drivers seem to think they can do while driving. (Sorry about that, touched a sore nerve). Anyway, driving offers you a much better chance to see the countryside, and can save you money. By driving, you can stay in the little towns on the outskirts of the large cities and get better lodging for less. It also makes trips much more relaxing, you can do what you want, when you want to. I have traveled Europe both ways, and much prefer the car. The train system is good, and is recommended if you have a long haul to make (say over the Alps, or Munich to Paris) in a short time, and can save you a nights lodging (just sleep on the train). To wrap this up, I found European driving to be very natural, and enjoyable. The only problem is a little culture shock - not over there, but when you come back and try to drive like you did in Europe. -- eric ...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!eric
dbb@fluke.UUCP (Dave Bartley) (03/01/84)
I don't know about "crazy" but it is fast. Most of my driving
experience was in Germany, France, England, and the Benelux area.
The speed limits and driving habits vary from country to country.
Germany is the only country with no speed limit on the autobahnen
(they recommmend 130 KPH, ~80 MPH), though there are speed limits on
other roads (100 KPH highway and 60 KPH in cities, I think).
I have fun explaining how comfortable it felt to drive at 100 MPH
(as fast as my Taunus/Ford Granada would go) on the autobahn. All
of the autobahns I drove traveled far superior to the freeways here:
broader lanes, better graded, better signed, more alert drivers.
Passing on the right being verboten is the crucial difference,
however. There is no other way for a 4-lane highway to handle cars
going anywhere from 50 to 150 MPH in the same place. Left-lane
speed-limit "enforcers" are happily driven off the roads.
The speed limits and average quality of driving diminish outside of
German-speaking regions, but remain above the Pacific Northwest
average, at least. I think the difference is part training (it's
not easy to get a driver's license over there) and part attitude.
When somebody drives over there, they drive -- they don't touch up
their makeup, or fumble with the cassette deck, or eat breakfast.
They DRIVE.
--
Dave Bartley John Fluke Mfg Co, Inc Everett,WA 98206 USA
{ sb1,allegra,sun,uw-beaver,lbl-csam,ssc-vax,microsoft }!fluke!dbbishizaki@saturn.UUCP (Audrey Ishizaki) (03/06/84)
Driving in Europe may seem more crazy, depending on what you are used to. I enjoyed myself; it was like driving like I always WISHED I could. I drove through Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy. You must be aggressive to drive through cities in Italy and Paris, France. Autobahns/ autoroutes/autostratas are all 4 lane (2 in each direction) and very well maintained. In Italy and France, tolls must be paid on the auto/route/strata. Also, there are tolls through the tunnels. The reason that cars look so good in Germany is that their cars must pass yearly inspections or they cannot be driven, plus German drivers take great pride in their cars. While Germany is the only country to not have a posted speed limit on their auto*, but most other countries don't monitor. Be careful off the auto*. audrey ishizaki hplabs!ishizaki