How easy is it to drive overseas?

[PhillyB]

Go to glasgow and see the William william wallace monument. I've always wanted to check it out

[Davidson Deac II]

Italy is the only country in Europe I wouldn't drive in. They all drive like they are on speed. :)

I was in the Philippines in April, and I wouldn't drive there unless absolutely necessary. And by absolutely necessary, I mean someone is chasing your a$$ with a gun and driving is the only way you can get away from them. Main traffic rule in the philippines is "blame the foreign guy cause he has money and can afford to pay".

[PhillyB]

Italy is the only country in Europe I wouldn't drive in. They all drive like they are on speed. :)

I was in the Philippines in April, and I wouldn't drive there unless absolutely necessary. And by absolutely necessary, I mean someone is chasing your a$$ with a gun and driving is the only way you can get away from them. Main traffic rule in the philippines is "blame the foreign guy cause he has money and can afford to pay".

Manila is the one place in the world I don't think I'd attempt to drive in. Nine lanes of traffic on normal highways, crossing the road is like playing frogger. Traffic is so congested that the government assigns license plates with specified days of the week they are allowed to be on the road so as to cut down on the number of vehicles traveling at any given point. All the buses with eardrum-wrecking air horns don't help anything either.

Where in the Philippines were you?

[Montsta]

You ever run out of desk space and have to put your mousepad and mouse on the left side of your keyboard?

Yeah, it's like that, but at 50 MPH. Or should I say kilometers?

[Montsta]

Go to glasgow and see the William william wallace monument. I've always wanted to check it out

Is it true that guy was a Scottish noble and pretty much none of Braveheart went down that way the movie shows? I've always wondered that.

[PhillyB]

Is it true that guy was a Scottish noble and pretty much none of Braveheart went down that way the movie shows? I've always wondered that.

I don't know if he was a noble. I've heard he actually just sneaked around and stole poo from the english to piss them off. All the poo at the beginning with the girl was made up.

The sack of York and all that did happen though, as did his capture and drawing and quartering

[Chimera]

Italy is the only country in Europe I wouldn't drive in. They all drive like they are on speed. :)

I never drove south of Venice. I forget what the Italian version of the Autobahn is called, but up north in the mountains, you might have one exit every 30 miles or so, and there's a toll booth at every entrance and exit. Go the wrong way and backtrack 30 miles only to pay to drive the same stretch of road again. Yeah, I took a flight next time I went. :(

[jb_online]

A couple of older friends of mine went to Australia and New Zealand. They had a hard time learning the traffic patterns and signs, let alone trying to keep in mind which side to be on... it took a lot of effort for them. One thing that was difficult to keep in mind for them was getting into the correct lane before, during and after turns. But from what they said, the signs are probably the most difficult problem because you don't have a lot of time to figure out what they are supposed to mean before whatever they are indicating is apparent. I would suggest you do some online research on them, too.

[Davidson Deac II]

Manila is the one place in the world I don't think I'd attempt to drive in. Nine lanes of traffic on normal highways, crossing the road is like playing frogger. Traffic is so congested that the government assigns license plates with specified days of the week they are allowed to be on the road so as to cut down on the number of vehicles traveling at any given point. All the buses with eardrum-wrecking air horns don't help anything either.

Where in the Philippines were you?

Spent a couple of days in Metro Manila, and the the rest of the time, I was in Isabela province in Northern Luzon.

Other than the crazy driving patterns, they have some strange rules regarding responsibility for accidents and insurance. Basically, if you are in a accident, you pay for it, and if you can't afford to pay for it right then and there, they put you in jail until you do.

[Chimera]

A couple of older friends of mine went to Australia and New Zealand. They had a hard time learning the traffic patterns and signs, let alone trying to keep in mind which side to be on... it took a lot of effort for them. One thing that was difficult to keep in mind for them was getting into the correct lane before, during and after turns. But from what they said, the signs are probably the most difficult problem because you don't have a lot of time to figure out what they are supposed to mean before whatever they are indicating is apparent. I would suggest you do some online research on them, too.

Yes - the road signs can be confusing if you don't get an understanding of them first.

Here is a list of road signs in the UK. http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_070644.pdf

and a link to where you can find more information (like speed limits within city limits, etc) http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070202

If you want a little more detail and explanation on how priority roads work (they're in the UK, too) here is the handbook that US troops use to pass their European drivers license test.

www.hqusareur.army.mil/rmv/regulations/aep190-34.pdf

The road signs start on page 58 and you can find explanations on differing laws. UK and German laws aren't exactly the same, but you'll have an idea what to expect and how to spot the differences.

They are more geared towards Germany, but the signs are very similar throughout Europe.

[adub2b23]

Lol I like the one sign that says "no cars with explosives"

[Chimera]

Lol I like the one sign that says "no cars with explosives"

we have them here too

[Scrumtrilescent]

Bring your own rickshaw. Problem: solved.