Car Hire North West

So what is the latest regarding French drivers? Well, the moment your Madame or Monsieur gets behind the steering wheel, they morph into cut throat, speedy and wild road hogs. Forget the Louvre, forget French cuisine. The French driver believes that they will never, ever experience a road accident. That they are true immortals. That road accidents happen to crazy Italians and "stick in the mud" Brits. But the truth is the French driver, "il est impossible!" They yearn to get from A to B as ruthlessly as possible. They cut corners, drive down the middle of white lines, leave little distance between cars before overtaking and curse at French lorry drivers, who, by the way are convinced they are the Kings of the Road. Horn honking had to be banned in the fifties because of the unadultered noise in Paris. Parisian drivers are not romantic and chic at all, they are hard nosed and shrewd, and woe betide if you get in their way! . Anyway, if you are thinking of delivering merchandise to Aunty Maime's shoe outlet on the "Champs", keep the aforementioned in mind when you pop into the VAN HIRE NORTHWEST outlet. They should have the situation fairly under control, and will give you relevant warnings and more advice on driving in France also.,

CAR RENTAL ATHERTON would also advise you on Driving in Italy. "Uno, due tre andiamo!" Planning to take in the gorgeous Amalfi coastline? What a buzz it will be, making your way along one of the most scenic roads in the western world. Car rental Atherton will make sure you hire a solid vehicle. You don't want to find yourself stuck in a pint sized banger on the edge of a 30 metre plunge to nowhere. Driving in Italy can be explained in one word "Anarchy!" What do traffic lights mean to the average Italian? Tick as follows, a) red and green style Christmas lights b) the Italian Government's attempt at creating order out of chaos? The answer is both a) and b). Your "bello" will honk his horn even when you are standing stationary at a red light. Italians are known to overtake at traffic lights! Neopolitan drivers are known to speed down walkways, and Sicilians always drive the wrong way up "one way streets". Nutty driving is accompanied by a series of finger waving, cursing and yelling, especially in Rome, where people getting out of their vehicles and kick at each other's bumpers as a daily occurrence. These are the folks who invented Ravioli, Tuscan red, and Leonardo da Vinci. Who is complaining?

CAR RENTAL WARRINGTON

They would certainly recommend a driving holiday in Germany. CAR RENTAL ATHERTON folks will tell you order is the name of the game, efficiency is the outcome in Berlin. You can be sure that German roads will take you where you want to go with the least amount of fuss. You can also be sure that people will obey traffic rules and regulations, and you do not have to worry about speed limits on Autobahns, you can just go" hell for leather". It is strongly advised you always wear a seat belt, and avoid long conversations with aunt Nelly on your mobile whilst driving - talking on mobiles in cars is strictly forbidden in Germany. Make sure all kids under twelve sit in the back with their seat belts well fastened. If you obey, obey and obey again you should have no trouble getting along with the average German traffic cop and motorist. Just make sure you do not smile too much if a German traffic cop asks you to pull up. Smiling is akin to superficiality in Germany. Get Car Rental Atherton to provide you with a couple of German motoring maps. Make sure you swill a beer or two in Munich, and get some nice "sauerkraut" to take home to granny, and all will be well.

CAR AND VAN HIRE MANCHESTER will be only too happy to provide you with information about driving in Madrid. Think controlled hysteria, think bumper to bumper car style, think many Spaniards have a subconscious death wish, think rather than giving way to a road hog, a Spaniard would prefer to wait an eternity. Once you find yourself at a red light, have that foot placed readily on the accelerator and be prepared to push hard when the light turns green. You only have about three minutes to get through, and you don't want to be the one left behind now do you? When parking your vehicle in Spain, don't worry about niceties, double park, triple park, park on the zebra crossing, park outside the hospital, park in private areas. Does not matter where, just park. Basically, what you need to remember whilst driving in Spain, is that these are the people who invented the Fandango and the bull fight.

CAR HIRE STOCKPORT will inform you that Belgium drivers have a tendency to drive according to moon phases. Full moon phases make them especially unpredictable. Unlike the Italian who does not know how to drive at a reasonable pace, the Belgium will just drive how they "feel". Amazingly, as courteous, kind and organised as these people are their darker persona seem to emerge on the road. So to stay alive in Belgium synchronise with moon phases and you should be fairly okay. Speeding down motorways is done with flair, but try to avoid any red tape like parking tickets etc. Or you could find yourself having to deal with Belgium "officialdom" and you could feel that you are caught up in a sinister web of spies, or involved in a government plot to overthrow the Ministry of Transport. You might feel very picked on. So just keep yourself to yourself, as you watch the moon, and things should be okay.

VAN HIRE STOCKPORT will tell you that Mr Dutch is Mr Tolerant, kind hearted, self reliant, free thinking and hard working. So do not arrive in Holland and drop your suitcases in the hotel lobby with too much of an "attitude". Cool is the name of their game. Please be aware that the Dutch Driving test is very hard indeed, but does this mean that the Dutch are good drivers? Think again. The Dutch are like almost every other European on the road, impatient. So if you are thinking of a quick escape to Amsterdam be prepared to be laid back in the cake shop, but also be prepared to hire a bike. Otherwise you could find yourself leaning on the horn, making rude gestures out of your window, and dealing with aggressive drivers yelling at you from behind in a traffic jam. Surprised? Well, the Dutch need for personal space stretches to the high street, therefore traffic jams are a nightmare for the Dutch psyche. However, "keeping to your lane" is not that popular either, the driving style is aggressive. Avoid traffic jams, if you want a peaceful break. And as we said "get on your bike!"

CAR HIRE MANCHESTER, will tell you to read that article in the New York Times, when it comes to Portuguese drivers. The opening line of the article by Robert D Kaplan, the author of "Soldiers of God; With the Mujahidin in Afghanistan" goes, "When I moved to Portugal last year, after covering guerrilla wars in Ethiopia, Iraq and Afghanistan, I assumed I was putting the dangerous part of my life behind me. I couldn't have been more wrong!" Mr Kaplan was referring to the high death toll on Portuguese roads. He goes on to say "Worse than their habit of passing in the midst of oncoming traffic is the delight the Portuguese take in high speed tail gating. I use my blinking lights to let a driver know he is following too close. .... It is hard to fathom just what is in the mind of a Portuguese driver when he is tail gating and passing you in his new car on a blind, uphill bend with the possibility of a truck rumbling down in the opposite direction?" Needless to say you need to have faith in the Creator when you drive in Portugal and a strong dose of common sense.

VAN HIRE MANCHESTER will inform you with very grave intonations that Greece have the second worst drivers' reputation in Europe, after Portugal that is, and we are talking road conditions as well as driving protocol! So watch out! There are few motorways, and the country is mountainous. The worst accidents are along main roads used by lorries. If you find yourself stuck behind a agricultural vehicle piled high with straw, going at a snail's pace, expect a lot of noise from behind you. These are the Greek drivers swearing, yelling, cursing and gesticulating. Lucky you don't understand what they are saying. Greek drivers tend to morph into Greek monsters "alla Medusa", one look and they could turn you to stone, that is if you try to overtake at the wrong time, and in the wrong place. Remember road signs might not be that easy to understand either since they are in Greek. Just keep that Greek Island in mind, and keep driving towards the bluest of blue seas, and the sweetest of gentle beaches where you can forget your car and go around on a bike.

COOKE BROS CAR HIRE will tell you that if you are planning a delivery to the land of the faires, the emerald isle, that green and pleasant Ireland, you will need some sort of spiritual belief system, otherwise you could start using words you never thought you were capable of uttering! The Irish have a similar attitude to the Italians, a sort of inbuilt anarchism and a "free for all" style. "Italian" aggressively is mixed with chronic impatience, especially when slow agricultural machinery means much horn blowing and pushing on the accelerator, risking the "world and his wife" in the process. The streets are very badly lit at nights and other liabilities include driving on the wrong side of the road, excessive speeding, boy races, parking dangerously around schools, parking in disabled bays, and generalised speeding problems, which are all on top of the Irish Drivers'" Lists of "Things to Do" . To put it mildly, Irish drivers are amongst the worst in the world. Please be aware that Irish drivers do not tend to use an indicator. So when you are on a country road, realise they will slow down for no apparent reason when they about to turn right or left. You have been warned!

COOKE BROS VAN HIRE will tell you that Sweden has the strictest drink and driving laws in Europe. So don't get stuck into that bottle of creme de menthe. In fact, in Sweden the limit is 0.2 mg/ml. But also be aware that driving in Sweden is for nature lovers, and "great outdoors" enthusiasts. Sweden is "into the wild" in more ways than one, and therefore it is better to walk and hike, rather than drive. In fact you will find that it is also better to just park your car and forget it as you explore wonderful vistas, and stunning hiking trails. Things are well organised in Sweden. Driving is seen as a necessity and the good driving is left to the racing contingent, who do well on the international tracks. Driving in Sweden is a fairly orderly procedure, with the usual traffic hogs, but in general it is a civilised place to let loose in. Enjoy your Swedish driving holiday, because you will walk more than sit behind the wheel, stressing out is forbidden. So get in your van, car or lorry for you have a lot of international negotiation to do,.

VAN HIRE NORTH WEST will tell you straight up mate. The Brits are the best drivers in the world. Okay, they get impatient, okay they speed, okay, the overtake on the wrong side. Okay they drive through the red lights. Okay they double park. Okay they are road hogs. Okay they are risky drivers. Okay they are impatient, Okay they are pushy, Okay the do not always deliver a car hire deal back unscratched. But basically they are good sorts, and when it comes to driving down the motorway anywhere in the world, it is best to be a good sort. But the fact is, the Van Hire Northwest's opinion may be biased and even worse, the fact is most drivers are road hogs, impatient and rude. Now that gives us something to mull over as we sign the hire car contract on the dotted line!