Vol. 1, No. 12 — I can’t remember how long I lived in Germany before piloting a car on the infamous Autobahn. But I do remember the one visual I had my eye out for: the legendary no-speed-limit sign. Once I saw it, the expectations were clear. It had to push this sled to its absolute limit. I floored it. My rental car’s 3-cylinder, 61-cubic-inch diesel engine gasped as if I had just told an off-color joke.
The standard interstate/Autobahn speed is 120 km/h (~75 mph) in Europe. When you hit one of those unlimited sections and aren’t in an appropriately equipped car, move over. You will soon have very proud Audi, Porsche, and Mercedes Benz owners overtaking you at well north of 100 mph. In Europe, it is always illegal to pass on the right, so if you’re dawdling in the left lane, you will see ever more urgent headlight flashes from approaching cars sending you the message to get out of the way.
One oddity in Europe that you don’t first notice is that traffic lights are located on the same side of the intersection as your car when you stop. In the US they are across the intersection. Because most intersections in the US are grids, it is easy to pick out your light. Urban European intersections are much more… organic, let’s say. Because the light is on your side and directly above your car, it’s now clear which one to pay attention to. However, it is also tough to see. There will usually be a small version of the light lower on the pole so you can see it without craning your neck.
In some European countries, the traffic light pattern is ever so slightly different but in a delightful way. When the light is about to turn from red to green, it illuminates the yellow indicator in addition to red for a second. This way if you’re approaching an intersection at speed, you will see it is about to cycle back to green and can avoid braking unnecessarily.
Roundabouts are probably the biggest hurdle to American drivers over here. I promise you though, it only takes a couple dozen hundred practice runs to feel the flow. Oh, and each country treats them a little differently. Some yield on entrance, some on exit, some on both, some on none. I mean, the laws are identical as far as I can tell, but driving culture is all over the place. Jokes aside, they aren’t really that tricky and keep traffic flowing more efficiently than any other junction.
Do you know the one thing that Europeans are jealous of when I explain it to them? Right on red. It doesn’t exist over here save for at the rarest of rare, specially marked intersections. Right on red is fantastic. Don’t take it for granted.
The other thing they are dumbfounded by is how cheap driver’s licenses are in the US. In Europe, the license process borders on racketeering. Long story short, it usually costs €1400- €1900 (~$1500-$2000) to get a license over here. When the locals found out that I had converted my $8 South Dakota license into a European one for a €35 (~$37) fee, I saw some involuntary eye twitches.
England is famous for driving on the “wrong” side of the road. Unfortunately, I don’t trust myself to drive there because of a traumatic experience I had while visiting South Africa in 2008, another left-hand traffic country. (Fun fact: they call traffic lights “robots” in South Africa.) I had very little non-US driving experience under my belt at this point and suddenly found myself tossed into a two-lane roundabout connecting a half-dozen streets. With everything in reverse, all of your instincts are wrong. I pulled over, froze wide-eyed, and admitted defeat. We fire-drilled around the car and I swapped spots with my chuckling navigator. Limits were met that day.
As with most differences between the US and Europe, driving here is not decidedly better or worse, just different. It takes a while to get an intuitive feel for the roads and traffic culture, but it’s not different enough that you should shy away from taking a nice European road trip yourself.
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I can assure you right on red was a thing in Lower Saxony for a solid 6 months. Also, the way drivers signal their displeasure varies slightly if memory serves. 😆