Is the TRNC the most dangerous place to drive on the planet ?

PMF68


Joined: 13/07/2008
Posts: 130

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 18:23

Gotta to be the craziest place to drive, your experiences of driving here would be interesting reading, to start things rolling



Just come down the Nicosia to Famagusta road, sat as the lights which is 3 wide, car comes up the inside on the dirt track to the front where he decides to go straight over on red and this is a huge junction amazing!





Paul

dublinderm


Joined: 26/09/2009
Posts: 538

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 18:25

Hi Paul,



Sounds pretty normal to me!



You just haven't got the hang of things yet. Imagine stopping at red lights??? Whatever next.



DD

EddyWaa


Joined: 28/04/2010
Posts: 46

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 18:28

Hi

Have just come back from India. Compared to them the driving in TRNC is BRILLIANT.

A five min drive had me sitting on eadg of seat waiting for the crash while in the taxi.

a 2 lane road (up and down) was traversed by 3 wide of cars.



And yes the roundabout was the most interesting..... it appears who can toot the horn the loadest gets right of way.

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 18:32

I remember driving up to the Karpaz a couple of years ago. We were on that long stretch of road that wide enough for one car on each side of the road. Anyway going along doing about 60 and I saw this car in my rearview mirror who was 'storming' it. I slowed down to about 45 and kept my eye on the mirror and then 'whoosh', he went by me in a flash doing about 90. He disapeared ahead, going round a bend in the distance. A minute or so later I came to the point he had disapeared and hey presto as I got round the bend there were two policemen there.One had the driver of the car by the side of the road and the other one was poiinting a camera at me. Suffice to say that I was not speeding and smiled at the policeman as I drove by.

Jeannie


Joined: 04/08/2009
Posts: 3283

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 18:54

Stopping at red lights! You'll be suggesting using indicators next.



Got to agree with post 3 - the driving in India does make the TRNC driving look good.

Rocker



Joined: 24/09/2008
Posts: 384

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 19:41

All you need is mud flaps and a hooter (optional extra) and its fine. Remember they hit you its your fault because you were there !!!!!!!

Rocker

dublinderm


Joined: 26/09/2009
Posts: 538

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 19:59

Remeber North or South....





Cypriots have the right of way!!!!





DD

Krin52


Joined: 25/08/2008
Posts: 419

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 20:17

You should try Riyadh in Saudi Arabia .... or Cairo!

Traffic lights are merely advisory!

phylray



Joined: 21/09/2007
Posts: 1727

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 20:40

Try driving U.A.E. where they just come out of side roads and locals always have right of way

and Bahrein, which is made worse by the above mentioned Saudi's who don't know how to

negotiate roundabouts and drive over the Causeway at weekends for the booze and girls/boys.

Didn't drive in Istanbul as it looks an absolute nightmare. Wouldn't fancy Italy either with all those

motorbikes whizzing around the small side streets. In fact, I find driving in N.Cyprus very easy and

have only had one idiot bumping into the back of my hired car when I stopped at roundabout. But

that also happened back home!

newlad



Joined: 02/03/2008
Posts: 7819

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 20:56

Holderness Road East Hull is a proper death trap,

Paul.

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 21:02

TRNC Motto

Keep death off the roads, drive on the pavement!



Richard

jamestalbot


Joined: 20/12/2009
Posts: 958

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 21:15

Having driven in Greece for many years, they are to mind the worse drivers in the world, they are crazy, coming at you from all directions, lights and road signs what are they? the Greeks don't seem to know, total nightmare.





James

deputydawg


Joined: 30/03/2010
Posts: 1727

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 21:45

When encountering the worst of the many drivers here who pull out from a nearside road without stopping, or wait until your vehicle is closer than is safe before doing so, before stopping their vehicles halfway across the carriageway I deliberately do not stop my vehicle until it is just inches from the drivers door. Even if the traffic travelling in the opposite direction stops for them they cannot complete their act of turning right as there is no room left for them to lock the steering to the right to complete their selfish act and can only reverse back to where they came from and usually incurr rude signals from other inconvenienced drivers. My Wildebeest (bless her) thinks I should cease from doing this but I tell her that those who went to St Dunstan's driving school qualify for a free lesson. Perhaps not the right way but I think the way they will learn is to show them what it is like to be similarly subjected to selfishness but without putting others at risk.

deputydawg


Joined: 30/03/2010
Posts: 1727

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 21:46

When encountering the worst of the many drivers here who pull out from a nearside road without stopping, or wait until your vehicle is closer than is safe before doing so, before stopping their vehicles halfway across the carriageway I deliberately do not stop my vehicle until it is just inches from the drivers door. Even if the traffic travelling in the opposite direction stops for them they cannot complete their act of turning right as there is no room left for them to lock the steering to the right to complete their selfish act and can only reverse back to where they came from and usually incurr rude signals from other inconvenienced drivers. My Wildebeest (bless her) thinks I should cease from doing this but I tell her that those who went to St Dunstan's driving school qualify for a free lesson. Perhaps not the right way but I think the way they will learn is to show them what it is like to be similarly subjected to selfishness but without putting others at risk.

Deniz1


Joined: 28/07/2009
Posts: 3829

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 21:52

The worst place i have driven was in Italy. I think the best thing here is children standing in the front of a motor cycle or scooter while dad is steering where are the police then? The kids dont stand a chance.

Blackbird



Joined: 11/08/2009
Posts: 1432

Message Posted:
14/05/2010 22:49

We were quite horrified on our first trip to North Cyprus when the driver went through the lights when they were on red.

When questioned about this, he looked mystified, and said it was OK because there were no police about!

the butler


Joined: 22/06/2007
Posts: 1958

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 00:44

Hi all,



As I have stated on a previous thread, I don't find driving in the TRNC that bad, it is not as bad as London and certainly not as bad as Italy. The only place you really have to have your wits about you, is what I call the mad mile. From the Lefkosia roundabout to Karaoglanoglu This stretch of road is bad and I avoid it if at all possible, I am hoping when the new road is open it will be much better to travel to Lapta from East of Kyrenia.



The butlers wife

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 00:56

Try driving around the 'Arc de Triomphe' Paris, during rush hour! I lost my nerve after four years and took the 'chicken run', the outer ring road controlled by traffic lights!



Richard

dublinderm


Joined: 26/09/2009
Posts: 538

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 01:05

I drove through Beirut once .....during an Israeli air strike.





Does that count as dangerous?



I seemed to have the road to myself though.



DD

zerochlor


Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 4024

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 02:11

paris ring road on a monday around 2.45 pm or china ,shanghai ,or thailand all on a monday morning or a friday afternoon.



TRNC is tame..kids stuff!!

Geoff


Joined: 25/06/2008
Posts: 1370

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 08:29

The worst place to drive is Tehran. The only place I have seen expats have car tyres tied onto their cars to minimise damage from shunts, and where they always park with the handbrake off. Iranians drive like didgems for real! After that and after Beirut (a close second to Tehran) the TRNC is a doddle.



Geoff

Famagusta City.

Carndi


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 613

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 09:51

Brinsley ' keep death of the road,drive on the pavement '.



I was in Adana enjoying the day walking along the pavement, which was quite wide, when I was knocked down by a motor scooter.

The young driver must have read your comment.

Glorybee


Joined: 30/04/2010
Posts: 132

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 13:29

The road outside our house is a death trap. There are no speed humps and, as it is a long straight road, the cars go down it at 90 mph. We live in a built up are so not a major road - just an ordinary street. Crazy speeds. Last night, someone hit our old dog as she was heading home after her bedtime walk. They didn't stop and I guess they didn't even realize they had hit her. She died instantly.



Does anyone know what you have to do to ask for speed humps to be installed? They seem to be lots around.

loulou



Joined: 14/05/2008
Posts: 785

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 14:34

all a set of ****,just let them kill them selves

just watched what looked like an 18 year old do hand brake turns

on a main road idiots ???





Post edited due to inappropriate language.

AJ

deputydawg


Joined: 30/03/2010
Posts: 1727

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 16:33

Not sure that safety aids such as speed cameras, speed bumps, safety awareness campaigns, etc bring any improvements to road accident statistics. It seems that at last the experts in this field acknowledge that when there are technical advances in braking systems for example drivers simply travel faster. Thats a surprise then ! I once learned of an Irish gentleman who followed the advice to "wear something white at night" and was killed by a snowplow.

deputydawg


Joined: 30/03/2010
Posts: 1727

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 16:35

Sorry, ref last "snowplough"

yorgozlu



Joined: 16/06/2009
Posts: 4437

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 16:37

msg 24;

How boring your life must have been when you were 18 in order to come up with comments like that.



I didnt do those things when I was 18,then again we didnt have a car.

denizen



Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 388

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 17:08

Post deleted - Off topic and against be polite rule.

denizen



Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 388

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 17:13

The worst advice I was given was in Malta. " you that are from England, drive on the left, rest of Europe drive on the right, in Malta, Drive in the shade" and they do.



D

Woodspeckie


Joined: 25/01/2009
Posts: 2263

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 17:15

I suggest you take a good look at yourself before you call anyone else, For a start learn how to spell and type before you post.

Lilli



Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 13081

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 17:39

i think its strange how motor cyclists protect thier elbows here.Tme motorists cant even think, fag in one hand mobile glued to thier ears and they try to steer.

Tootie


Joined: 28/08/2008
Posts: 2037

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 17:47

I agree lilli, also how you can get a fine for no seat belt but its ok NOT to wear a crash helmet?

westender


Joined: 14/05/2009
Posts: 328

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 17:51

The only place my husband said he wouldn't drive is Istanbul and he's driven in quite a few countries.

nurseawful



Joined: 06/02/2009
Posts: 5934

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 17:52

message 28



Where did that lot come from the thread was about drivers!!!! What did Hans ever do to you I wonder, probably nothing you just thought you would have a rant anyway!!! Grow up.



Chris

Woodspeckie


Joined: 25/01/2009
Posts: 2263

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 17:59

Msg 34. Because she is a follower of the banned person who caused Hans to go off the forum.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 18:42

I don't have any problems with the driving habits of TC's, or GC's, for that matter.



'When in Rome, do as the Romans do!'



Works for me as far as ALL Cyprus goes!



Learn some real TRNC driving 'skills' - you'll be glad you did!

waddo


Joined: 29/11/2008
Posts: 1966

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 19:23

No! We from the UK are such perfect drivers though it must be very difficult for the rest of the world to understand why we drive the way we do. Hand on the horn, everyone is wrong, never make a mistake, try out new swear words everyday, make sure we don't give way to anyone, attempt to run people down on crossings because that is the way it is done here, rule the road and drive the biggest fastest thing we can get our hands on - yeah, its great being a Great British Driver!!!!!



Of course when you are perfect it must be everyone else that is wrong. For myself, never had a problem with driving anywhere in the world, just fit in with local ways and never loose your cool, that's the way to live longer.



Being retired helps I must admit, so if it takes me an extra 10 minutes to get there, I always look on it as having had an extra 10 minutes of life - can't be bad.

laptarunner



Joined: 02/11/2009
Posts: 217

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 19:38

We had a weekend in the Bay of Naples, the traffic through Naples had to be seen to be believed. We were on a bus great fun, watching it. Bgs of hooting, scoters and motorbikes weaving in and out. loads of hand waving, all good natured.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
15/05/2010 20:59

waddoMsg 37: 'Being retired helps I must admit, so if it takes me an extra 10 minutes to get there, I always look on it as having had an extra 10 minutes of life - can't be bad.'



Much better than being 'dead on time'!

eastendjoker


Joined: 24/04/2008
Posts: 166

Message Posted:
16/05/2010 02:45

Dhaka, Bangladesh this place is a real eye opener !

simbas



Joined: 16/07/2007
Posts: 5943

Message Posted:
16/05/2010 05:18

Accra in Ghana takes some beating

Geoff


Joined: 25/06/2008
Posts: 1370

Message Posted:
16/05/2010 09:06

Well from the posts so far on this topic, including mine about Tehran, it seems to me that driving skills are really bad everywhere in the world, ncl TRNC, except for the UK.

Yeah - right!

Geoff

Famagusta City

phylray



Joined: 21/09/2007
Posts: 1727

Message Posted:
16/05/2010 20:50

And they're not perfect in UK either! I see dangerous driving every day: turning corners while on

mobile, constantly ignoring one-way system (in my wee town) overtaking without proper care etc. etc.

My eldest son says it's a lot worse down South, where he lived for many years.

zookeeper


Joined: 17/03/2010
Posts: 168

Message Posted:
16/05/2010 22:53

The worst place for driving through is Central Cairo expecially the area around the souq, Khan Al Khalil. It's best to drive through with the car doors locked and the windows fully up. For most of the middle east the most dangerous time to be on the roads is just before iftar during ramadan when those fasting speed home to break the fast with their families.

jimchris09


Joined: 13/02/2009
Posts: 547

Message Posted:
16/05/2010 23:25

Agree with you Zookeeper (44). The only serious accident I had was in Oman in 97 at the time you mention. Since then I don't drive around Iftar time!



I think TRNC is OK for driving...having been in Africa for 11 years between 1976 and 1987 and Oman since 1988, it's a dream!



I agree with all comments re Cairo and Istanbul...would never even consider trying to drive there!