Driving in Poland

20.04.06, 20:19
I am driving to work everyday from Bielany to Żabia Wola - meaning I cross the
whole of Warsaw every day in both directions - enjoying the pleasures of
Raszyn and Janki and cursing the traffic lights at the Marynarska viaduct...
But the absolute egoistic and maniac behaviour of the Warsaw drivers amazes me
every day..
Red lights are purely a decoration, cutting three lanes in front of other cars
to turn is no exception, rather prefering to crash than to give way...
What is your experience with Polish (and Warsaw) driving?
Am I the only one who think they are absolutely mad?
    • firemouse Re: Driving in Poland 21.04.06, 11:38
      Locating Warsaw car drivers geografically on the basis of ther style of drive,
      we would fit somewhere between Sicilly and Africa, so we should all drown in
      Mediterranean Sea smile))

      Franly I think that lot of this counts for the company cars (why bother, not
      mine) and guest drivers, who can't understand that they can drive through whole
      home town in less than 10 minutes, but here this means 3 intersections smile

      And 500 meters...

      OK, the locals do their best too, but IMO they are more friendly to others.
    • usenetposts Re: Driving in Poland 22.04.06, 19:41
      My suggestion is that you go and drive around for 15 months in Moscow like I
      did, and like me when you come back you'll think that the Polish drivers are as
      sound as a pound, considerate, and circumspect.

      Once I was in Moscow driving a Polish Prezes who had come out to visit his
      subsidiary. he said "I don't know how you manage in this traffic I wouldn't
      dare to drive in this". I just said you have to think of yourself in your car
      as like a fish in a school of fishes, then it works. The minute you look at the
      lane markings and try to follow them and not the shoal, then you've had it.

      Oddly that didn't encourage him to take the wheel.
      • sobieski010 Re: Driving in Poland 22.04.06, 19:49
        Well... Today I saw an ambulance clearly marked "KREW" trying to pass the
        intersection of Andersa and Anielowicza and some brainless gits did not care
        one*** (sorry ladies) for that. Where I come from, if you do that - they put you
        in jail and throw the key away. (although a very slow beheading and quartering
        should be much better, if possible in public on Bankowy).
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