Driving Etiquette: Greece
Created | Updated Mar 5, 2002
Driving in Greece is often one of the most memorable aspects of any visit to the country. Traffic in the larger cities, particularly Athens, is heavy and chaotic. Speed limits, though posted, are regarded as irrelevant to the actual speed of traffic. Traffic speed is determined entirely by the speed of the nearest police car. The police average 20kph above the posted limit, and everyone else stays behind them. If you pass them then, by logical deduction, they KNOW that you're are speeding, will pull you over and ticket you.
Turn signals are used seemingly at random, and high speed collissions are common. Telephone poles and streetlights are made from rebar enforced cement, to save the cost of replacing them every time they get rammed. Scrapes of auto paint make telephone poles a colorful addition to any neighborhood.
The more timid driver may opt for taxis or the bus system, though these have their drawbacks as well. Taxi drivers are typically the most aggressive drivers on the road, and the backseats of taxicabs are equipped with rollercoaster style safety bars for the passengers to cling to.
Buses are typically crowded. Greek men do not believe in deoderant, feeling that perfume is only for women. Sweat is considered to be a very masculine odor, and garlic is prevalent in the Greek diet.
In the outlying countryside, traffic is much lighter. Many of the villages in the Greek countryside are completely devoid of autos, and contain streets intended for donkey and pedestrian traffic. These straits are narrow, winding, often steep and may contain stairs. Stick to the main road through these small towns and drive very slowly.
Turn signals are used seemingly at random, and high speed collissions are common. Telephone poles and streetlights are made from rebar enforced cement, to save the cost of replacing them every time they get rammed. Scrapes of auto paint make telephone poles a colorful addition to any neighborhood.
The more timid driver may opt for taxis or the bus system, though these have their drawbacks as well. Taxi drivers are typically the most aggressive drivers on the road, and the backseats of taxicabs are equipped with rollercoaster style safety bars for the passengers to cling to.
Buses are typically crowded. Greek men do not believe in deoderant, feeling that perfume is only for women. Sweat is considered to be a very masculine odor, and garlic is prevalent in the Greek diet.
In the outlying countryside, traffic is much lighter. Many of the villages in the Greek countryside are completely devoid of autos, and contain streets intended for donkey and pedestrian traffic. These straits are narrow, winding, often steep and may contain stairs. Stick to the main road through these small towns and drive very slowly.
