Eeeh, you must separate between the Europeans, their style if driving is sometimes different. For the most countries you have your prejudices. Some we had presented in our "European"-thread.

Yes, people from Spain, Italy and France are driving different than Germans, Dutch or Scandinavians. The British drivers are often much politer and relaxter than Europeans from the continent. Otherwise I'd seen British drivers, driving like idiots on German or Durch streets. Perhaps they were young soldiers, stationated somewhere over here.

Germans have the reputation to drive fast, agressive and bossily. But sometimes Dutch ones aren't better...

Sorry Antoine , but Belgians does really have a bad reputation in their neighbour-countries. So in the meaning of chaotic and anarchistic drivers, which don't think further. Indeed, I'd seen several very strange drivers, when I'd been there. My uncle, who live since over 15 years close to Brussels is still mad about the "Native drivers" over there. He live close to the invisible inner-Belgian "border" between the Flemish (Dutch speaking) and the Wallonish (French speaking) parts. Really, if a Flemish Belgian is entering the Wallonie, he drives different than "at home". The behaviour of drivers from Brussels is similar to the Parisien ones - but a bit more aggressive. so my uncle uses the train daily to avoid damages of his car.
He told me, when I was driving over there "On country roads, especially the narrower, drive always in the middle! Belgians are always make the wildest tries to pass you. Avoid the crash with the passing car, if you blocade it's way."
I've done so - because it was neccessary. Yes, on a very small country road to his village, less than 1 km long, the drivers behind me had tried to passing me. This could have been bad, because at the half distance I had to stop and turn left in a real small private road.

I've also heard the rumour, that in Belgian you can drive as you want, because there aren nearly no police-controls. But this is not really correct, am I right, Antoine?


It's a fact, that in Germany several drivers are breaking the traffic-laws, because the fines over here were mostly much lower than in the neighbour-countries. Even if you are catched by the police, you just need a tricky lawyer to survive the court hearing with only some payment, but no harder punishment. Yes, sometiems you can read in the newspaper about really hard punishments by traffic-delicts, but these are mostly exceptions.

Swedish friends have told me, that the rules in Norway ar extremely strict. More than 30 km/h over the speed limit (only 90 km/h on highways) and you'll go in prison without any discussion.