American reacts to WHY Driving in Europe is BETTER than America
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
- Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to WHY Driving in Europe is BETTER than America
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Of course the trees are trimmed. That's part of the road maintenance. Greatly reduces the risk of falling branches. And trucks can drive by without hitting branches.
The trees and bushes along the Belgian motorways are always species that don't lose their leaves or need much maintenance.
@@flitsertheoYes, Belgium roads are better 😂
@@RealConstructorAll the budget obviously went to the trees & bushes next to the roads 😂
I think theres also laws that requires landowners to take care of trees etc
Those trees are meant to be like that, welcome to the Netherlands
My English cousin married an American woman, and moved over there.
The driving in Florida terrified him.
No rules, the cars dont have an equivalent of a yearly MOT test, so many are falling apart.
He said it was like being on the film set of "Mad Max" 😂😂
😂😂😂
Another reason to hate america
(As a driver from the UK) I can say that driving in parts of Brazil sounds very similar
23:13 "i don't see any pickup trucks, NONE!"
This is the Netherlands, where heavier cars get taxed more because of the damage to all that asphalt you appreciate being so smooth. Only if a pickup truck is truly an advantage, you'll see them and to my knowledge it is mostly only farmers that have em.
There are some people that drive an imported Ford F-150 for the status of it. There's one just up the street from where I live, the owner is a jackass and he can't park his car anywhere, which is hilarious to me. But they're indeed far and few between.
@@MarceldeJong I have a neighbor who sold his freshly imported F150 after two weeks because it didn't fit in his garage, he didn't want it in his drive because "it blocked the view", and when he parked it on the side of the street he got ticketed for not leaving the legal minimum width (for emergency vehicles)
Also Europe gets cars like the Sprinter and Ducato (in waaaaay more versions than the US), and we get tow-ratings for all cars, not just for pickups and large SUVs.
Wrong total wrong.
@@renekuipers4563 what exactly is wrong?
Hi, German here.. did he mention the „Probationary period“ of 2 yrs when you get your license? You have to drive really carefully, if you don’t want to risk your license. Most accidents happens due to newbies, you’ll be a much better driver after these two years. To me this regulation makes sense…🇺🇸🇩🇪
Over here in The Netherlands, that "starters license" is even 5 years (or 7 when you start with a license for mopeds at the age of 15/16).
Same in Italy, 2 years where if you do any infractions you'll get double points detracted from your License, making it way easier to have it suspended.
You start with 20 points, I lost half of those getting in an accident, and had to spend 2 more years with pristine behaviour to get them all back.
@scarlett8895 Interesting, in Germany, it's the opposite. You get points and everything above 6 is bad
@@maximkovac2000
Here you start with 20 points, and every 2 years without infractions you get 2 bonus points, till a maximum of 30.
Every infraction will detract points and when you get to 0 you essentially have to get your license again, do the exam and everything.
@@maximkovac2000 The Dutch starters license is suspended when you get 2 (or more) points in 5 years. You get only points for big offences like 30+ kph speeding, DUI or causing an accident. Other offences don't get you points but the fines are pretty high over here. Like €300 for a red light, €420 holding your phone while driving or €240 for speeding 20 kph (like 50 in a 30 zone).
I started driving when I was 28. On the first lesson the instructor asked me if I had ever driven before. When I said unfortunately no his heartfelt response was, Good, so I have nothing to correct!
yep my buddy was driving since basically the age of 7. it took him 8 or 9 attempts to get the license.
I'm Danish (adopted, just mentioning it in case you think I don't look Danish in my profile pic) but I learnt to drive in the U.S. when I was 19. Sadly, my first instructor over there, gave me hell for having no driving experience.😟He wasn't very good, so my next instructor first had to help me unlearn everything the other teacher had taught me wrong.🙄
I had a similar situation. Started learning to drive, when I was 24 (which is considered quite late in general as most people start in their teens), and had no previous experience, which the instructor was really happy about.
@@momof3plusdsg Nobody has to "look" like any country here to be from there in my eyes :)
Yup, I second that experience - I was 19, no prior driving experience, my instructor told me that he teaches me how to pass a test, learning to drive will come later 😂
Passed at my 1st try!
What also is remarkable is the fact that in the whole drive he filmed (a little out of Amsterdam) you didn't see one billboard, or any sort of huge advertising at the roadside. I think that this would also add to more road safety because drivers then are not busy reading the billboards.
Where I live there’s 1 low standing billboard that sometimes isn’t there
The occasional MC Donalds sign is there near highways. That's really about it. Maybe a car dealership visible at some point.
But yeah, we don't really do billboard advertisements on highways, most people wouldn't even actively see/read those. They're more effective near city centers where people walk by at slow speeds & are able to read the advertisement at their leisure.
In Germany and Austria you only will see billboards for road safety and sometimes smaller ones for museums and such.
Never thought about that but there are no billboards on motorways in Ireland
Whilst billboards are not banned across a lot of European countries, Advertising Billboards are banned or require council approval (which is nigh-on impossible to acquire) McDonalds get away with it by using their massive "sky-signs" which you can see from the motorways / highways. but generally speaking you see very few advertisement boards.... one notable exception to this is highway / motorway rest areas or service areas, these will have a billboard usually roughly a mile before the exit to them telling you to take a break and they are allowed to advertise what services they provide at the complex. Which is kind of advertising for the business in there.
Fun fact: American news channels often call the German Autobahn a dangerous road (some parts don't have speed restrictions). But the American highway is significantly more dangerous based on kill and accident numbers...
Because they don't know what they are talking about.
I doubt that any of them have ever been on a German freeway.
In the UK, police cameras can take pictures of licence plates and instantly can tell if the vehicle is properly licensed, has an MoT certificate (safety) and insurance - and yes, whether the driver is using a phone!
Some police forces have an unmarked truck or two so that they can see what the other truck drivers are doing.
Annual road traffic fatalities per capita (100,000) - UK 2.9, Germany 3.7, USA 12.9. Stats say it all.
And that doesn't even take non-fatal accidents into account. I wonder what the number are for ALL accidents. Or lets say, accidents with more than €500 damage or injury. Because that really reflects driving skills. The fatal accidents are only a tiny fraction of all.
Yes that’s interesting statistics. And what’s the percent of active drivers? Is it 3-4x more people drive in US or drives 3-4x longer than average European? And mind you US cars are not that safe in crashes.
4.8 in Australia. Distracted drivers, driving tired on predominantly unlit roads and radom trees popping up for drivers to crash into.
Considering, that Germans often drive like maniacs that really speaks for the quality of the drivers license XD
@@Tomasmoravia One of the major differences is that the US relies on traffic light intersections whereas Europe has far more roundabouts, which are vastly safer. This accounts for about a quarter of US fatalities.
I’m German live in Switzerland and have been all over Europe. You can’t generalize. The quality of drivers - and roads - in Europe varies greatly between countries… in my experience Central Europe has the best drivers - southern Europe not so good
and we all still better drivers than the average american
me German, me confirm
True, but its nowwhere near as bad as the US..
True...as an italian who has driven all over Europe and also overseas I can say that Italy has the worst roads and drivers...
Yeah because you live in countries that have camera radars everywhere so it forces everyone to drive 50 kmph and 30 in villages so it will vary
23:12 There are very few pickup trucks. If you see one, it's usually from some enthusiast or from some company, that needs to haul things around while having some off road capabilities - landscapers for example.
For anyone else, they are too big, won't fit in most parking spaces, are difficult to drive on narrow roads, are really expensive, are taxed extremely high, use insane amounts of fuel and you have to secure everything you load, so it doesn't slide around. And when it rains, your stuff gets wet in the back. And everyone assumes, you need the truck to compensate... other things.
That last sentence made me laugh the most
Where America has pickups, Europe has vans. :-D
Heck, they won't fit into some streets. In my hometown in Hungary there are roads that are as wide as an american pickup truck.
I have 2 daughters,- here in Denmark.
One just took drivers license,- very fast. I spends around 3.500 dollars. Can't be done faster or cheaper. 4 months, quite intensive training and theory (rules and first aid).
The other girl,- not as fast learner, many training hours, failed the drivers test 2 times - I guess it's closing in on 9.000 dollars now.
Much more driver training (with licensed instructor), new test middle March. I hope, I hope. :)
The test is very tough, here in Copenhagen the "failed percentage" is almost 50.
30 min driver test. Everything must be spot on. How the student behaves, orientation, safety, parking drills like backing the car in between 2 other cars.
Just one lane shift or turn without perfect orientation, using mirrors and turning the head = failed.
Yes,- everything with manual gear and clutch. (this license allows driving in all types of cars - manual, automatic and electric)
I know a medical doctor,- having worked in USA for decades, 40 years of driving experience. He had to take a Danish driver license. Failed 9 times :)
In the Netherlands many fail the test first time, I wouldn´t know the fail rate but I guess it's fairly high as I don´t know any people who has passed the test the first time besides me and my father. My sister and my brother got it after a second time and so many of my friends. It's not easy and it's quite expensive.
What do you mean by "turning the head"? Ofc using mirrors is mandatory but turning your head as well, you have to check blind spots sometimes and if you don't do that then you fail on the test in most countries in europe.
@@cosmopolitanussum485 It's all about what, when and how.
As mentioned,- I know an very experienced driver +40 years of driving all over the world. Failed the test 9 times. Bad habits.
A test is not just a test. My guess,- only 1% of people passing a US test could pass the Danish test. Perhaps none.
Even before allowed taking the test, a full day of training on a closed track must be taken, low-friction road driving (such as ice and snow), critical braking techniques and evasive maneuvers in critical situations.
RUclips is filled with US citizens telling that european drivers are much more skilled than US drivers. Rules, rigorous training and testing before getting the license.
We hear of people giving up getting the license,- after countless hours of training with certified instruktors, years of training, spend huge money - they still fail the test. They are not considered "safe drivers".
And the instructors in Denmark needs to master every other vehicle on the road so even if you only instruct in driving cars or motorcycles you have to master truck and trailer as well. So every instructor has A, B, C+E.
In Croatia it's about 1000euro for the auto school
Honestly as a Belgian, we might have bad roads, but the driving situation in the US really scares me. 15 year olds driving, broken cars driving on the highway and agressive drivers? It's like in The Fast & The Furious movies
Its genuinely worse than in F&F
In Belgium we have bad roads, in the Netherlands they have bad food. It's a choice we had to make.
Besides, part of those bad roads are caused by Dutch cars dragging an overloaded caravan through Belgium on their way to the south.
Az a dutchman i agree
@@flitsertheoNiemand disrespect mijn stroopwafel. Volgens mij zouden onze overvolle campers die we eens in het decennia gebruiken wel op een weg kunnen rijden. Gewoon goed onderhouden, komt het vast goed :P.
Ow YOU are scared of driving in the US? You do know that your country's idea of a safe traffic barrier is a literal slab of concrete right next to the inside lane?
For me, giving a driving licene to 15 yo KIDS is insane. Some are better drivers than adults but mostly they have no idea how to operate a small electric tools so what about huge machine, moving at a speed of 120km/h?
Get a drinving licence at 15, get an assault rifle at 18, get a beer at 21 😵😵
Well, some 16ers drive better then some grannies with 50 years of experience
I personally don't think that even that is the worst thing. Personally the worst thing is that it is way too easy to get your license in US for example. The requirements to pass are so low and you barely have to even study for them. At least here on Finland you can be on the roads as early as 15. At 15 years you can get license for moped or micro car (basically called moped car here) that is limited to 50cc motor and top speed of 45km/h, tho it is incredibly common to have them modified to go over that speed witch is illegal. At 16 years old you can get licence for light motorcycle up to 125cc without any speed limitation other than road limits.
You can't drink, you're too young; you can't vote, you're too young; you can't live by yourself, you're too young; you can't decide most things for yourself, you're too young. Oh, you want to drive a 1ton metal box at 120Km/h in the middle of other people? sure, no problem!
As you get older you realise you were still a kid at 25, so 15 year olds are like toddlers
Europeans ARE better drivers because there is better driving education!
Certainly in the UK I have noticed the majority of truckers are impeccable drivers..... they are considerate and keep to the rules of the road and are generally highly respected by other road users.
Probably the only rule they break seems to be the speed limit. They tend to go at about 65mph most of the time it seems, instead of the mandated 56. But given that everyone else on the motorway is going at about 75 to 85mph when they're meant to be going 70, I wouldn't really call it breaking the rules.
@@charliecharliewhiskey9403 the taco does recoded speed , overspeed is also recorded at 60 + mph for more then one minute . all the trucks i have drove are maxed at 90kmh.
@@charliecharliewhiskey9403 More likely that your speedo is overreading (which is allowed, up to 10%) - there are serious penalties for truckers who tamper with the limiter.
Although I am German, I can tell you why my neighbour's in the Netherlands have a speed restriction during the day: it is for environmental reasons, not for safety.
Good English but no need for an apostrophe if a word is just plural. It would be neighbours.
@@fionagregory9147 thanks for the advice
@@fionagregory9147 Your totally right, Amazing how many people don't know that the apostrophe is only used for a possessive noun. If they are not sure they just put it in anyway just in case!
@@annfrancoole34Well, sort of. An apostrophe is not needed for plurals but it is not just for possessive nouns either, it is also for contractions. Not to be pedantic, but you probably meant to write "You're totally right" (contraction of "you are") instead of "Your totally right" (with the possessive "your").
@@capmss Oops forgot about that. Touché
as a european, I feel like in general the more you go north the better the drivers are, and the more you go south the more the drivers are careless
Taking into account that adding the entire population of all the Nordic countries, they do not reach the population of a single countrie like Spain or Italy for example... You should still take into account the density of drivers per km that there are in the northern countries vs. the southern ones. ...
Furthermore, Spain, being a country of 48 million inhabitants, has been receiving more than 80 million tourists per year. Something similar happens in Italy, Portugal, Greece and other southern countries.
I think there is a similarlity with the US there. I've never driven in Florida (crazytown USA) but have driven in New York State and Vermont. Up there, I found people to be pretty good on the whole (admittedly this was a few years ago though).
@@Floren_Andro sure but like even in France there’s a difference between the drivers in the north of France who drive okay, and in the south where its a mess
Definitely. Parisian driving is something to behold but Italians are well known for being terrible drivers.
My dad is like both somewhat careless and very good
I sometimes call him a professional maniac
These things that look like glass walls alongside the motorway are sound - barriers to keep traffic noise away from residential areas. Cool.
That is true. They are required by contruction law depending on the usage of the land. (E.g. no sound barriers alongside agricultural areas, as that would be waste of tax payer money)
Funny, how the language is interconnected with habits, views and opinions. You use that signal mainly to indicate turning, therefore you call it a turn(ing) signal, therefore the new drivers use the signal mainly to indicate turning... In my language we call it literally "direction light" (smerové svetlo, or a shortening: smerovka) and we associate it with a change of direction, so it's natural for us to use it in any situation where the driver is about to change the direction of the ride 😇
Same here in the Netherlands: 'richtingaanwijzer' (direction indicator).
Not really the same in german tbh. While the official name is "Fahrtrichtungsanzeiger" (drive direction indicator), we all just call it "Blinker" (same as it would be in english, since it‘s a blinking light lol).
In Australia, we generally just call it an Indicator since turning it on indicates your intention. be it turning or switching lanes 🙂
(Blinker is also used by some)
@@Buphido same in french : "clignotant", "cligno" in short. Translates as "blinker"
During your talk you mentioned that water stays on the asphalt, and therefore may lead to potholes. However the asphalt in the Netherlands is often made from an open structure which lets water flow through(ZOAB --> Zeer Open Asfalt Beton --> Very Open Asphalt Concrete). This also leads to less water being thrown up from our tires.
Even if you’re using traditional asphalt the road surface should be cambered to allow water to run off into drains. If water is sitting on it, it’s been built wrong.
Thats the point in US the roads are built really badly (cheap) and in Europe pretty good way. That means that the average road in Europe is a lot better than in US. Ihave driven in many countries and can say that this is true.
We need it too 😢 so much rain here
@@sannevandenheuvel5635 In the Netherlands? Ha! Try Ireland. We get nearly twice as much rain per year.
Not forgetting that in the Netherlands we rarely use or even see those giant American death trap cars that rip up roads so much faster.
I’ve driven in the US on a few occasions. Most recently across New England. It always shocks me how ‘third world’ the standard of driving in the US is 😐
I've heard USA be described as a crackwh#¤re in Gucci clothes
The condition of the cars is the same
America is just a luxurious third world country overall
Exactly, seeing from Europe, USA is a rich third world country.
@@salembejaoui1880someone said: USA is just third world country wearing a Gucci belt.
And I've never looked at USA the same after reading that.
Living in England, we got rid of our car 5 years ago. We simply didn't need it most of the time. All the shops, movies, theatre, public swimming pool, restaurants, are within a 10 minute walk. Yes it's one of those 15 minutes cities Americans a so terrified of. We took the car out once a week to keep the battery charged up. So in the end we simply got rid of it. When we do need a car for long journeys with lots of luggage, like going camping at a music concert, we hire a car.
I'm also in England. I used to commute 45 miles each way by car (and generally enjoyed it), but then I re-organised my life to make it more like yours. After a while I got rid of my car because I found that I was mostly using it to store things in until I was ready to take them to the tip for recycling! (The battery was taken care of by a photo-electric panel plugged into the diagnostics socket, so I didn't even need to "exercise" it if I didn't feel like it.)
I'm close to the secondary centre of my conurbation, so most things are an easy walk. For anything more distant, my English city has a great bus service -- a seven-minutely service terminates just around the corner from my house, just three minutes' walk away. Several more services, generally with similar frequencies, serve another bus-stop about a further minute's walk beyond that. It seems silly not to get a season ticket, and once you have, each extra journey feels as if it's free. And it's generally far more convenient than finding somewhere to park.
Carrying heavy things the fifteen minutes' walk to the tip is the one downside, but you don't need to do that often.
@johnSmall: dont be a stupid European who copy-paste nonsense. Most Americans are not terrified about 15 mins cities. most Americans just use the infrastructure they have just like Europeans do. Apart from that: too many Europeans permanently dont get into their fucking stupid brain (I say that as a German) that most nice urban areas are from the 19./early 20. century whereas from the second half of the 20. century Europeans tend to build the SAME non-urban structures or suburbs like in America. How many NEW urban districts like the classics in Berlin, London, Paris or Amsterdam are built? The correct answer is: almost ZERO!
Access to good public transport is what allows stricter licensing requirements. In NYC metro for example the minimum age to get a license is 18, highest in the USA. That works because of the subway /transit system.
About the trees (here in Germany and probably most of Europe): They are all regularly trimmed and they make sure that they do not block any of the streetlights.
True.
ye, trees arent allowed to overhang so that branches might break of in high winds
My girlfriend struggled with getting her driver's license, so she paid close to 10,000 euros. She's a really good driver now, but it was a steep investment. 😂
How many hour did she take?
@@bzs187 I have no idea. I think she paid around 50 per lesson, but there were other costs as well.
@@JustSomeTommy 10k still a loot of hours she did take though.
I failed it in my attempt when I was 18, then when I attempted again at 27 to try remove a downside from my CV, not because I need a car. Would just be a waste of space and money.
Now I just look at places like the US, imagine they'd let me drive and am glad that I'm nowhere near there...
A lot of people have issues due to stress during the exam and fail due to it. And the more you spend, the more you stress, the more you fail.
You can use your phone if it is mounted and connected to a handsfree system, and if you have voice control of the phone, or physical button input on the steering wheel or car stereo unit.
Hi Ryan, here in the Netherlands there are less potholes a) because most fast roads are national roads and b) we have a sea climate so also in little roads you hardly find them.
The fast roads in the video are very wide to our standards; also it is not rush hour because then many roads are jammed with moving/standing traffic. Which is the moment the bad drivers manifest themselves most. Another mooment is when two well-filled roads/lanes are merging. The Dutch do not know how to merge. Very glad that we have a thorough driving-lessons system though!
Also because we spend more money on the roads. The asphalt is thicker, which costs more money while constructing them, but means they stay in good condition for longer. It's long-term thinking.
as a truck driver in the Netherlands... we deffinetly do know how to merge its just that you have idiots who try to get in front of 2 more cars just before the zipper. We have less potholes because we have less heavy vehicles and the roads that have high usage get maintained more often and if there is a pothole there is a quick repair to fill it up before the next maintanence.
And we have less traffic jams in comparison to certain states in the US with about the same population/road density. and most traffic jams take 15min at most during rush, unless there has been an heavy accident which doesnt happen that often, so its not a given that you are stuck on every road for a long period of time and if that is the case there will always be a detour.
I was so shocked when I found out that an annual roadworthy test (MOT in the UK where I am) isn't mandatory in every US state and depending on the state you're in you may never see a speed camera! It was also odd hearing you not know if/how you'd get banned from driving in the US. In the UK all drivers know that you get points on your licence for everything you get caught doing wrong, speeding, using a mobile phone when driving, drunk driving, dangerous driving etc. If you get to 12 points it can be an automatic ban from 6 months up to 2 years and you may have to retake your driving test to get your licence back. From what I've heard, driving sounds like it could be pretty unsafe in the US.
Nice, here in Denmark, you loose 3 points, and you will get banned from driving, depending on the severity of your mistake, you might have to wait several years to take it again. ;)
Do not believe everything he says, we have to take a drivers tests every 3 years in the US and we do get points on our driver’s license for DUI’s , going thru red lights etc and we do have speed cameras.
It is, that's why we watch all the crazy road crashes videos they have,
In Germany it's the same. And i was myself demoted to Pedastrian for 1 Month for speeding. Two times in a years a one point speeding ticket. When you want to know how it feels to drive in the US i came up lately with a good analogy. When you drive in Europe near a big City you have once or twice a moment when your Spidersenses goes up, when you see an unsafe driver on the highway, and you maybe in an unsafe situation about twice a year. I was commuting a very busy Autobahn Cross for 8 years Daily. I can say the same about Denmark, Italy, France, Austria and the Swiss as personal driving experience other countries i visited by Plane or Train.
In my 6 Weeks driving in the US it was nearly everytime on the Highway that you saw unsafe drivers and i had 2-3 dangerous Situations. That is my experience.
Same in Germany. And I was shocked as well when I heard the things you mentioned.😳
In portugal, in order to have a driving license, you have to go to a driving school, have 30 hours of driving code, then go to an independent exam center and answer correctly at least 27 out of 30 questions. After passing, then you can begin 30 hours of driving lessons. After you complete the 30 hours, you can go to the driving exam at the independent exam center. If you pass, congratulations, you have your 3 year temporary driving license. During those 3 years, if you do a major infraction, you lose your license, and you need to do a new exam. Also, you need to be 18 years old.
And yet we manage to be the most savage and uncivilized drivers in western Europe.
@@miguelsacramento4416 perhaps they need to tighten those rules a bit more. ;)
In czech republic you're not bound by answering set amount of answers correctly. You're bound by point system. At least 43 points out of 50.
"Can you lose your license easily ?"
Yes, for instance going 105km/h in a 70km/h here in Sweden will have you lose your license, depending on circumstances might get suspended for a certain amount of time.
To be fair, going 105 in a 70 is also pretty reckless. thats 1.5 times the speed limit
In France, we have a fun one. Going 50km/h above the limited speed would land you directly in jail. But those example are extreme. You can lose points on your license with small infractions. Once you lose all your points, you lose your license.
@@DenshinIshin same in germany, but we dont have a point system here in the Netherlands
but if there is alcohol usage that is almost guaranteed a license gone, due to most people that drive drunk are already far over the allowed promille... if the speed difference between your speed and maximum allowed speed is more than 50kmh that is a license gone, if you dont want to perform a breathalyzer test or blood test than that can be a reason too(if you dont cooporate) and obviously reckless driving. but also if you dont pay your fines
in Germany and I believe in most western Europe countries the truck drivers are only allowed to drive a set number of hours on a day and when the time is over, they MUST take a break of again a minimun set of hours
Yep. One short rest every two hours, one big rest after five hours, and night stop after ten hours.
in Europe there are driving rest time rules, a truck driver may not drive more than 8 hours and must then take a break for at least 4 hours before continuing.
Uh, where did you get those numbers from? They're complete nonsense 🤣
The times for the actual _driving_ (there also are work time laws that need to be obeyed) are:
- at most 4.5 hours of driving in one go, then there needs to be at least a 45 minute long break (that can be split up in 15min+30min)
- usually, at most 9 hours of driving per day, then there needs to be a break of at least 11 hours
--- up to two times per week, that can be extended to 10 hours (the 4.5-hours rule still applies, so another 45 minute break is necessary)
--- up to three times per week, that 11 hour break can be shortened to 9 hours (there is also another exception that allows a 9 hour break without counting towards the 3x per week limit, but that'd get a bit too detailed here I guess)
There are a few more rules (about what counts as a "day" or "week"; how long the breaks between "weeks" need to be; that under certain conditions, just before a weekend, it _can_ be legal to drive up to 12 hours in one day; ...), but that'd also be a bit much here.
@@Wolf-ln1ml You beat me to it ;)
I remember the howls of complaint when those rules were introduced in the UK as they were enforced by "tachographs" which lorry drivers called a "spy in the cab."
As a German I can say something about eating or drinking while driving.
It is forbidden but a lot of people do it. (Edit: it isn't forbidden as another person said, but you can be determined as responsible for any accidents happening when eating while driving.)
What they do however is really interesting.
The co-driver hands them the drink or feeds them so they never have to take their eyes off the road while driving and can still have some snacks or a Red Bull during a long drive.
If I drive I just eat small snacks like Gummibears, cherries or small pieces of chocolate, which I can grab out of a bag blindly with out taking my eyes of the road. For drinks a bottle/mug/jar with a screwable lit which already has a straw incorperated. But yeah still most of the times I get of the road and stop at a restarea to get some food and drinks
No that is not correct. It is not forbidden to eat or drink in the car while driving. You shouldn't do it if you have to take both your hands off the wheel or have to concentrate on how you eat. But taking fingerfood or a coffee thermos or something like that is no problem as long as you can use it with one hand and don't have to take your eyes of the road.
Technically you could even drink alcohol as long as you keep in the limits of blood alcohol (which is 0.5 promille for anyone above 21 and not a new driver).
Same in the Netherlands! I'm always super nervous when quickly eating a small bite behind the wheel. But it's necessary sometimes 🫣
I mostly drive alone. So I know how to open a bottle fast or with one hand and drink without taking the eyes off the road. But I only do that on roads with low traffic and good conditions.
@@StefanSalowsky I honestly didn't know it isn't forbidden.
My dad always said it was.
I looked it up and you are right.
However: If you have an accident and you ate while driving you can be determined to be responsible because of the distraction.
In France, we have an alternative course with driving schools. 15 years old children can drive with a 5 years experimented person in the car, but they can only pass the practical exam at 17 as the rest of learners.
For the more classical course, the cost is approximately of 1300-1500€ (1400-1600$) with theory and practical. We have a first exam for theory (40 QCM type questions with photos and videos, 5 faults maximum to pass the exam) before we go on the road with the tutor. For manual cars (the majority of old cars are like that), it's 20h minimum of driving. For automatic cars, 13h minimum (to explain the difference of hours, with a manual shift licence, we can drive automatic cars, but not the opposite).
If the tutor thinks we need more practice, it's extra hours we must pay. After that, we must pass the practical exam with a driving test examiner. Generally, it takes someone 2-4 attempts, because there are some faults which are eleminatory.
After the final test, for 3 years we have a "junior licence" with some conditions as some restrictions of speed on fast roads and less points on our licences (in France, if we lose all our points with accidents or faults on the road, the licence is canceled).
15y old driving with an adult with 5y of experience are only allowed on the road after they pass a license too. "Permis de conduite accompagnée", "AAC" or whatever it's named nowadays. They still requires 20h at minimum of driving courses with a driving teacher just like the traditional license and the supervising adult has to be there for the exam too.
This is why I love living in the Hage, Netherlands. Never had the need to get my licencse or a car. I literally have to to walk for five minutes, and I’m at the biggest open air market in Europe. I do everything walking, sometimes public transportation.
"they're all well disciplined"
He's saying as the pov car is not driving well.
It's not just the most left lane that's for passing, you need to be in the rightmost possible lane AT ALL TIMES except for when passing and during traffic jams
The car holding the camera was not passing anyone in that one lane to the right, he was passing someone 2 lanes to the right. He should have gone 1 lane to the right and driven there until passing that one car.
Now it could be different, but I'm like 95% sure the Netherlands have the same regulations on that as Belgium
Thank you! I was looking for this comment.
The car with the cam is driven by an American. So he still has some bad habits, including coasting on the second lane. To be fair. I see a lot of cars in France coasting on the second lane because their drivers are lazy and don't want toi change lanes for each truck they overtake. So while his behaviour is a bit annoying, that's not the worst.
I was also looking for this comment. I see quite a lot of ppl doing this actually, going on the mid lane in a highway of 3 lanes, even when there are no trucks in sight to overtake. An ex-dutch boyfriend of mine used to do that and when I'd point it out he'd say "the right lane is for the trucks" and I was like "is that what u were taught in school?". Some relatives of mine like mother, uncle, etc, also stick to the midlane, I reckon that's because ppl prefer to avoid driving close to the edge of the road, like if smth happens they have room to dodge or smth. That, some ppl not using signal turns and some ppl suddenly changing lanes which could easily cause accidents (like it happen with the biker on the video), that's pretty much the most common mistakes I see on the road, but indeed nothing crazy like ppl describe from places like US or Asia.
@@christianbarnay2499 I think it is more likely because they know their destination. You only ever see that many (5? or was that 6?) lanes for the same direction when they are going to diverge *_not_* with only the rightmost lane, but actually diverges somewhere more in the center (so both branches are their own highways). Overall, people who know the map also tend to stay to second lane even when there's only 3, because they know the upcoming exit is not theirs and will cut off the lane (or simply is a busy one so it is better to stay out of it). And generally stick to the second because they know the series of exits will be the same.
Usually exits are clearly marked as an exit way early (particularly if it terminates), making it technically that the second lane _is_ the rightmost lane (and the rightmost lane is an "exit lane"), but this is not true for all places - hence why some people that know the area still act as if it had been marked as an exit-lane, even when it isn't.
@@feha92 There are no split markings. So this is not a splitting road situation. And the traffic density is low so there is no reason to stick to the second lane in anticipation for a crowded entrance ahead.
Truck drivers need to take brakes where they are not allowed to start the engine. So you rarely see a truck driver on the road longer than 5 hours in one go. If you get caught not doing your brakes you get instantly your drivers license suspended, depending on how long thats going on, or a very very hefty fine.Often in the thousands.
Edit: i dont know how you guys do it but in austria its a small box you need to insert your drivers license, this box trackes your miles and time. Its like a blackbox, trust me they will find out if you do. Even one minute can get you fired and or a suspended license.
and the overweight fines hit hard too. not only do the driver get a hefty fine but the owner of the company gets one twice the size of what the driver gets to prevent greedy companys sending drivers out with overloaded trucks.
breaks, not brakes
Tachograph, you insert your drivers card into it, not drivers licence. It's kind of a black box, records your driving/resting time and driving speed.
@ yes maybe idk my father was a driver so probably. But i know theres a card where you can combine driving license and driving card.
People always find ways to break the rules, especially from eastern Europe. Romanian /Turkish truck drivers are infamous and you pray to not meet them /die horribly because of them
The Europian Pride is rising. It makes me smile and think about how good we live
It's called a TUF, ITV, MOT depending on the country and it's done YEARLY. SO YOU CAN HAVE A REALLY OLD CAR AND BEING ROADWORTHY BECAUSE the car has passed it's test.
Yes we have cars from the 60’s… but they are gems, like in a museum 😍
13:08 you can drive a 2000 euro car in the Netherlands also, as long as it passed the annual inspection (APK). 😉
Indeed. Also a 700 euro car.
or a 300 euro car... mine is still working after 5 years. @@VoidedVoidedVoidedVoid
In spain even a 500 car. But you are lucky if it passes de inspection hahahahah. Btw in spain that inspection is called ITV
@@DavidMartinez-ht8pp Passing the inspection isn't that hard, but it will need another 500 for necessary fixing :D
An american girlfriend that moved to Spain hired an automatic car and police stoped her once and told her that she could not drive there with the American driving licence. They did not arrest her or give her a ticket. Police are real human beings with certain flexibility in Europe, crime is very low, so they act in good faith in most occasions. She just needed some classes to get issued a permit that would make the licence compatible with EU standards. She even learned to drive manual, and she loved it!!
Some times the police will just hit you with a ticket for nothing, it all depends on who they are, and there mood. (I do not live in Spain, but Denmark.)
@@klausknudsen106 Don't worry, I live on Spain and you are right. If the police was a Man, a good looking woman with a smile is much less like to get a ticket.
@@SHEagleYT That is not true
@@mermaidsoy Que no es verdad? Me da a mi que no has salido mucho de fiesta con chicas guapas, incluso es mas fácil que un hombre se libre de una multa si va acompañado de una señorita guapa y simpática
I still use an American license for over a decade in Europe but I have to enter American military bases for work. They want to see an American license at the gate. There are a lot of elderly drivers here that come down from the villages and think they are still in the village. They do not bother looking where they are going, failing to stop at signs and double parking. Use of signal lights is rare in this country. The big problem people face in Europe in the drivers test is the signage section. What I do not understand is why member countries of the Schengen zone they have not adopted a universal signage but there can be up to ten varieties of "Do Not Enter", one way, No Parking, wet road, speed limit signage. They expect you to learn the signage of most every country in Europe.
One of my pet peeves is that idiots are on the phone when driving! Even pedestrians who enter cross walks are too concerned with their call instead of watching for cars. Pedestrians entering a crosswalk controlled by electronic signage and against the light while walking or even on the phone. Then they bitch at the drivers who almost run over them.
Here in the country I live in a new car is exempt for six years before it needs to go through an inspection, after that it is every two years. Now the ironical issue is that every years you must get an emissions test done at either a dealer of test station BUT if you are stopped and the police find your vehicle failed even when you just had the E test. I. This instance I demand to see the the certification papers for the equipment they are using. Having worked with LE equipment in the past, all manufacturers have informed the purchasers of their equipment that they are required to have the equipment recertified at least once a year. How do I know if the emissions testing equipment has fallen out of calibration.
Also my trips back to the states they want to see an American issued drivers license. Those coming to the states are required to obtain an international permit to supplement their license. I keep an up to date International permit when driving. There is nothing that says I have to give up the American license to obtain a license in the country I live in. Also my license is of the Federally approved ID licenses.
On a recent trip to the states I have encountered round abouts and knew how to enter them and exit them. Now the most suicidal roundabout is the one that circles the Arc de Triumph in Paris. For that roundabout if anyone has an accident in that circle they must pay their own damages and not the other car they may have hit or hit them. Basically like a no fault insurance. Don’t know how they handle points and tickets in this area, don’t have a desire to find out.
I'm german... I learned driving in Germany... shortly afterwards I moved to Paris, then to Rome - and learnes how to get along with crazy people changing lanes without using turn signals in super-narrow roads... I drove in South America, Africa and when living in China..
I really adored how people in eg Mumbai or Karachi were managing with super crazy traffic...
Driving skills are not only when you stick to rules - the best drivers are those getting along without an accident even if a goat steps into yr way unexpectedly
The best drivers in the world are probably found somewhere between Switzerland and Norway.
There you have the lowest fatalities in road accidents anywhere in the world. Both in terms of "fatalities per 100k inhabitants" and in terms of "fatalities per million km driven"
It's the way you are taught to drive in America is the main difference.If your parents teach you to drive you pick up all their bad habits
They drive a lot of pickups
It is not about who teaches. It is about how they teach. I live in Europe and have teached both my children to drive, I am not a teacher in any driving school. They have zero insidents on the road and know how to drive safely.
@@omatjalisvideot9734 When i was younger, i had a friend, he had no incidents, non at all according to his insurance, he was an elite++ driver, so he told me, yet he still had 8 accidents in one year, yes they were minor, but still.
Here in Sweden you don't have to take mandatory driving lessons in a driving school but they do have a mandatory lesson on how to handle driving in slippery conditions called riskettan and risktvåan
About the bike lanes on the two-lane road: If there was a bicycle to your right, you'd have to slow down and stay behind it. Then you let the oncoming traffic pass and get back in the middle, leaving enough space for the cyclist while you overtake them.
If there is no oncoming car, you can overtake right away. More flexible this way, but bikers come first on the bikelane.
A lot of judging the situation and making proper decisions. You basically have to think when driving.
@@HappyBeezerStudios That's basically why it's safer for cyclists, because its a bit less intuitive for the drivers and gets them more involved. But of course, it's less comfortable for them.
We are starting to see some of them in France.
@@noefillon1749 I'd need to see some actual statistics about the safety for cyclists... Ideally statistics that take "harrassment" (cars driving too closely behind them while they're waiting for an opportunity to pass, cars passing with far too little distance, ...) into account.
The main reason I know of so far for those types of "bike lanes" is to make it more of a hassle for cars - it's a measure to get people to drive less and take the bus or bicycle instead.
@@Wolf-ln1ml If the width stays the same, there is no apparent reason for cars to pass cyclists closer than before. From what I know it has been existing in the Netherlands for a while and has been recommended by the Cerema in France (usually when the Cerema recommends something it means they have tested it before). But I didn't look into the details about this
@@Wolf-ln1ml One other theoretical reason I think it would be safer is that it feels smaller so drivers drive slower and are more careful.
About the trees maintenence. The lowest branches of a tree above a bike lane have to be more or less then 2 meters above the road. The branches above a road have to be 4 or 5 meters. This is to make sure that traffic can get past without getting side swiped by the trees.
In France we got inspection every 2year (4years the first time if your vehicule is brand new) where a professional check every important part of your car and if something is broken and can endanger you or people on the road you have 3 months to fix it and if after that delay its still not settled, u cant drive your car until its resolved. Our licence cost a lot and we got a point system where you loose point depending on what offense comtited. So if you drive your car drunk, or you are speeding you can actually loose your licence AND your car. 20:30 the camera make the road look tiny but there is enough space for 2 cars.
A couple of information about your driver's license in France :
- You start with a probationary permit with 6 points on it.
- After 2 years, you get your "full" permit with 12 points.
Speeding can "cost" you between 1 and 12 points on your permit depending on how faster you were above the speed limit.
Red traffic light ? 6 points.
Forcing your way while pedestrians are crossing on a designated crossing ? 6 points.
Drunk ? Depending on your blood alcohol level, it's between 3 and 12 points.
Fidgeting with your phone or anything else than being focused on driving ? 6 points.
Etc ...
Once your 12 points are gone, and depending on the reason why you lost them, you could get a couple points back with a specific course. Otherwise, once the 12 points are gone, you no longer have a driver's license.
Also getting your license is a real test, not a formality, it is not infrequent for people to have to take the test 2 or 3 times. I remember a candidate failing when I got mine because she did not drive fast enough on a small bidirectional road. This generated dangerous behavior as other cars tried to bypass her.
"you no longer have a driver's license." But only for 1-36 months (1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36)... not FOREVER
More or less equal to Portugal
Depends on what you did. I know at least 2 people who ended up loosing their license for good. Granted, they got caught 4 times driving while drunk in a span of a year. The process is twofold: First your license is suspended by the Police up to 6 months, then a tribunal confirm that you have indeed lost your license for x,y z reasons. @@SuperHawk0413
"Permit point" shouldn't exist, one of the worsts ideas that could be
15:28 The reason why the rule was put in place to reduce the speed between 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. was it to reduce the CO2 emissions from cars, as there are more people on the road during that time. It is also the start of peak time traffic in the morning and the end of peak time traffic in the afternoon. The speed limit is 100 km/h from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 120 km/h (some can even go 130 km/h) from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
12:50 (or so) My first car war a $1000 car (actually 2000 DM at the time). You can find them (except maybe today with the used car market crunch). They're still more roadworthy than a lot of American cars, due to mandatory inspections every two years.
When you buy your first car in Germany, you frequently look for a cheap car with "TUeV neu" ("freshly inspected"). They might be rusty, they might have dents, damaged seats, etc. but the safety relevant things were checked and found to be in working order (and likely to stay that way for the next two years according to the inspection engineer's opinion).
The inspection doesn't mean your engine won't blow up two days later, but it means your brakes are in good working order, the suspension too worn out to last another two years, the lights work and are pointed where they're supposed to, etc.
Sharing the road ! I love that ! Sharing any space would be nice too...
In the UK you get fines and points on your licence for minor things. Once you get to 12 points you loose your licence. Speeding normally starts at 3 points unless your going really fast. Using a mobile phone is also 3 points. If you decide to take it court rather than just accepting the fine and you loose you can end up with more points and a higher fine or even loosing your licence.
The yearly MOT which is the vehicle check is compulsory for cars over 3 years old. It covers general things like lights, wipers, windscreen cracks and mirrors etc. It also covers brakes, emissions and rust.
Phone use is 6 points. Caught twice and you're walking.
If it’s less than 2 years since you got your full licence, you only need to get 6 points and your licence is revoked. That means you have to reapply for your provisional licence and pass both theory and practical driving tests before you can drive again. So two minor speeding offences and bye bye licence.
It has been 6 points for using a mobile (cell) phone + £200 ($254) fine for several years now.
What if you're caught watching TV without a TV license? How many points is that?
@@antonioarellano2125 I believe the sanction for that is an experimental death penalty. Plus some points, depending on the audience score.
Dutch highways are well lit at night, it used to get rid off excess elektricity at night without have to shut down powerplants entirely. You can clearly see the Netherlands and Belgium from space at night. But also with less lighting there is little distraction, just red rear lights and white lines to concentrate on. You don't have to watch out for potholes either.
Finns are probably the best drivers, they are trained for difficult icy conditions and have to be able to control skids. In Southern Europe and Eastern Europe it gets more chaotic, the richer a society is historically the more risk averse it tends to be.
A lot of people moan about Belgian roads, but just put on a kidney belt, step on it and your through in 3 hours.
In terms of stats the UK has the best drivers. Them having very strict driving exams is probably one of the reasons.
@@KoeiNL what stats have you been watching?
also: there are lies, damned lies and then there are STATISTICS
Adjusted for distances driven, amount of road, amount of cars, amount of people per km squared and the accidents, injured and fatalities, the Netherlands consistently has been in the top 3, where i didn't see UK
Usually, highways are paved with frost resistant cement and not with asphalt, which costs more, but makes them last longer!
You can lose your license, here in Northern Spain, the road is filled with restrictions to velocity, there are radars that instantly fine you, the police gets sent often to stay in the corners of the road to check no one is overspeeding, and sometimes they can remove points from your license which can lead you to lose it and have to retake the exam to recover it.
"I am surprised how trimmed the trees are"
In most of Europe, any tree, Bush or Grass in or near a public place... must be seasonally (every different season) inspected, maintained and trimmed by the local authority for public safety. That's right, in most countries here, Civilians/Residents are not responsible for trimming the off property agriculture like in the States. That is what our governments are paid to do.
"No tax without representation" = Always Funny to a European whenever it comes from a American this day and age.
At pet peeve of mine in the UK is that the roadside trees are NOT trimmed enough so that it becomes difficult or impossible to read roadside direction signs during the summer. Sat-Nav compensates for that: it's a lot safer than having a road atlas in one hand. The branches normally brush against double-decker buses too.
Re losing your driving license: for example, here in Czechia, we have a "point system". Each year, you get 12 points. Whenever you break the rules (like you're caught speeding, you park where you shouldn't, and so on), you may lose some of your points (obviously, not having your lights on will cost you much less than running a traffic light). And if you manage to lose all your 12 points---say goodbye to your license...
(DUI means immediate loss of license of course. And, BTW, it may also mean loss of your gun license if you have one---as having gun license is conditioned (among other things) by being legally _reliable_, which you aren't if you DUI.)
UPDATE: In Europe (in the EU I should say), truck drivers are not allowed to drive more than 4.5 hours in a row, they must then have at least 45 min. break. Each day, they must have a rest period of at least 11 consecutive hours. They also must not exceed total of 56 driving hours per week or 90 hours in a fortnight.
In Poland we also have points system, but the other way round. Every time you break the rules and police give you a ticket, you get some points. It depends on how serious your fault was. 21 points a year and you lose your driving licence and have to take an exam again, if you still want to drive.
In Norway we only have 8 points within 3 years. Driving while on your phone gets you 3 points, speeding a little can give you 2 or 3 depending on the speed. We luckily don't get points for parking, only a ticket😅
@@smileyfacejunior Hmm, that’s pretty strict. Tough.
And I’ve heard that your police takes speeding very seriously too. Just a couple km/h over the limit is already too many, correct? In Czechia, 3 km/h over is considered within the error of the radar. And unless you’re at least 10km/h over the limit, the police won’t bother even stopping you-well, mostly.
@@vaclavkrpec2879 to get points you have to be 10 km/h over, but yes you get a ticket for less. We also have the 3 km/h error though so many people have been lucky with that one😅
In my state in Australia, we have the same 12-point system. You regain the points after a certain amount of time, but if you lose all 12 your license is suspended. The loss of points is in addition to any automatic fines, and a DUI means automatic loss of licence. If police see you on your phone, even if stopped at a red light, they will pull you over, give you a fine and you will lose points. Parking fines don't cost you points, just money. 12 points sounds like a lot, but penalties are often 4 points, or 6 for more serious things, so you only really have two or three chances.
We also have mandatory insurance for third-party property and personal injury damages, and a yearly vehicle inspection, both as requirements for registration of a vehicle. If you get caught driving while suspended, or driving an unregistered and therefore uninsured vehicle, it goes straight to court and you'll probably get one chance where they just restart or extend the suspension and fine you, after which if you do it again, they will lock you up.
My father used to commute from Hanover (towards the north of Germany) to Munich (the very South) nearly everyday when I was younger (~600+km iirc). Took about 2-3 hours via the Autobahn. Never had an accident due to smooth driving between 4-7am. One of the things I miss from Germany.
In France, as in other european countries, light vehicles must pass a technical inspection regularly. In France, the first inspection occurs when the car is 4 years old. Then you must pass an inspection every 2 years. Inspection is pretty advanced. Most inspection items are about security (brakes, lights, tires, shock absorbers, body panels) and emission levels of exhaust gases.
In Britain, the car inspection is called 'the MOT' from Ministry of Transport test (the Ministry of Transport is now subsumed into the Department of the Environment, but it is still called 'the MOT', as in 'Has your car been MOT'd yet?').
The driving test is very strict. The official speed limit is 70 mph. The alcohol limit is low - I don't know what it is now, it keeps getting lower.
In Scotland it’s been zero tolerance in regards to alcohol in your system when driving, for somewhere around a decade now.
It's zero tolerance in theory but not zero tolerance in actuality. The amount of blood alcohol level is much stricter than the rest of the UK now. You could technically be over the limit in Scotland from one drink so I don't know anyone who's prepared to take the risk. My workmate will ask for a lift to work on a Monday morning if she's had a drink on a Sunday night.
@@Jinty92 I get where you’re coming from and can only presume that it isn’t legally zero due to technicalities like alcohol in mouthwash and how certain foods may metabolise to show a little alcohol in the bloodstream but that there wasn’t actually anything consumed that would impair cognitive abilities. Didn’t Angela Rippon display a similar risk of false positives by eating a lot of bread that contained poppyseeds and subsequently failing a drug test?
If there is one thing I learned about driving in the UK it is that there are roads where you might be legally allowed to drive 60 or 70 mph, but only if you dare to do so. Or rather, the road conditions suggest not to drive that fast and common sense and proper judgement are expected.
14:39 'I'm gonna write that down. _passing the TUV inspection_ , actually, it might be more helpful to look up the word _TÜV_
"Probably a wide variety of road conditions" Absolutely correct! And also a wide variety of European drivers as well. Romanian drivers (I'm Romanian) are in general absolutely crazy and treat the rules of the road as more of a vague suggestion. This guy from the video you're watching falls into the classic trap of extrapolating the whole of Europe from a few countries. South and East Europe is very different.
EDIT: He mentions truckers. Truckers are a very special case. You need a huge amount of training and accreditation to become a trucker in the EU, and they're paid extremely well. It's a lonely, repetitive life, but very well paid and is kind of an elite profession (not on the level of a doctor or engineer, but definitely skilled labor).
Belgian drivers are fearless. You need to experience Belgian traffic to understand what I mean.
Pretty much everyone thinks people in their countries are the worst. So you saying people in your country are the worst is a prime example of that. That's just because you drive most of the time in your country so you have obviously a much higher chance of meeting crazy drivers.
Haha, i don't think my fellow Belgians are that bad, even if the ring of Brussels at rush hours is filled with monkeys 🐵@@flitsertheo
The driving culture improves with wealth.
Polish drivers used to be crazy.
@@elchartps3I don't recall Belgian drivers being bad.
Another American from Florida confided no-one ever pointed out the parking brake or explained when to use it until after she moved to the UK.
An officer once explained to me that the left lane on a lot of roads needs to be kept clear for emergency vehicles, although it seems to be applied inconsistently.
The narrow road shown has two bicycle lanes, but they can be shared with cars (hence the dotted lines), however, a car has lower priority in those lanes than bicycles. So if there is a bicycle there, the car will have to stay behind it until it's safe to overtake it.
Also, I mentioned this on the original video too: His assumption that most people don't use a car to commute is based on living in Amsterdam and is quite wrong in large parts of the country.
Almost everyone I work with commutes by car, even if the office is right next to a train and tram station with very good connections. So it really depends on the area and the type of work.
Curious fact, Ireland had some of the highest rates of road fatalities in Europe until a few decades ago, then imposed a number of stricter regulations for drivers and cars, full annual car inspection for cars over 10y old (suspension, wheels, brakes, engine, emissions, fault codes, lights, etc), biannual for newer cars, less forgiving penalty points, more comprehensive theory testing, mandatory practical test (not easy), etc. Ireland is now on the top 5 list of countries with the lowest fatalities per capita in Europe.
In the UK, you have your inspection annually regardless of how old the car is.
It's called an 'MOT', and it checks over 100 different things related to the car and its parts, etc.
You can't drive your car legally without having your annual MOT.
@@chadUCSDIn Ireland your car is not tested until it’s four years old. It’s then test once every two years until it’s ten years old. Then it’s every year.
Garages do not test the cars. Special test centres run centrally test them to eliminate any dodgy practices.
@@Dreyno Here your first inspection is after the car is 3yrs old. After its 3yrs old its an annual test that covers like over 100 different aspects of the car, which is very wide ranging. Yiu can just take your car to any garage and pay to have it done and they'll offer to fix anything that needs fixed due to a fail. There's bo point in 'bad faith' garages and cheating the test as it'd be very costly for both the driver of the vehicle and especially for the garage and its owners. Can be quite costly having an MOT done, especially if you have a few fails in areas that need fixed that are major things. But you mostly find you pass no problem or you just have maybe a couple of minor things ending done to bring u to code. For example a light bulb needing replaced or something stupid like that.
@@chadUCSD Dodgy MOTs were absolutely rampant up until about a decade ago. The Irish system was set up to avoid letting garages do the testing because it was open to abuse. Either garages (or a corrupt employee) issuing MOTs to unsafe cars for a fee, or garages failing cars on things that they shouldn’t have and offering to fix them for unsuspecting customers.
While it’s been tightened up since then, it is still far from ideal. Obviously the vast majority of garages in the U.K. are above board but it only takes a small percentage to sully the system.
The tests themselves are pretty much the same.
@@Dreyno Oh I'm not saying thwre weren't dodgy MOTs in the past. But as you say they're not a thing at all now, no one would be willing to take that risk.
I'm from Poland. I bought my first car when I was 36 (almost 3 years ago). Before that most of my life I was living in a big city and was mostly walking. Then I moved to a small town 30 km from my work and I was using public buses and I was perfectly fine with it. But during the pandemic the buses were not driving hence I was forced to buy a car. And I use it now quite often but still I try to walk as much as possible. Probably in the US I would be forced to buy a car much sooner. (I got my driving license when I was 22 and since then I was using my parents car occasionally)
Edit: I can't believe it in the US you don't have cars inspections? In Poland every car has to have an inspection once a year. You can eat while driving but using a phone is forbidden and severely punished. And track drivers also have strict rules about how long they can drive (it's I think 9 hours per day but not in one go but breaks are required and after those 9 hours, 11 hours of continuous break is also required)
The technical checkup in Poland is every 3, or 2, or 1 year depending on the vehicle age. Polish drivers are by far the most aggressive in Europe.
@@andrzejostrowski5579 No, we are not. Not even close. That would be Southern Europe. Driving in Greece can be a life-changing experience...
@@yarzyn_5699 Poland was indeed a huge challenge some 20 years ago if you lived in Baltics and had to go to West Europe and vice versa - poor roads, crazy drivers, an hour at least to cross Warsaw alone. Now you've got one of the best road network in Europe and people drive adequately, really enjoy driving there.
There are inspections in the US, but probably some states take "freedum" too literally and don't check much.
@@yarzyn_5699 Well, I happen to live in Southern Europe, and the one thing I hate the most about visiting Poland is driving. You might be surprised, but people in the South are rather relaxed, and this extends to driving. The road rage is at an extreme level in Poland, at absolutely every corner.
In Belgium you can choose between your parents who teach you how to drive or paying for driving lessons. Like 20 hours driving lessons costs about €1200-€2000. But when your parents teach you they also have to go to an examcenter and take some tests before they're allowed to teach you. They need a certificate.
In australia, they are rolling out distraction cameras as well. So in 2 weeks you get your fine and demerit points added to your licence, which are on par with low range drink drving fines and points.
In the UK your vehicle has to pass the MOT (Ministry of Transport) inspection every 12 months and is very thorough. You can even fail if you car is not clean enough, inside and outside.
In Denmark, the period between MOT inspections is 2 years for cars in private use, and every year for all other vehicles. And the thoroughness is just as high. And while you won't fail an inspection if the vehicle is not clean, he will take one look at it, tell you to come back another day when the vehicle has been cleaned, and send you on your way.
And to give Americans a glimpse of just how thorough we are in the UK and Denmark, I had a truck through inspection last year. It was in perfect condition with one small exception. The truck had been hit by another truck and it had caused the back end of the wheel housing to be bent by about a few centimeters in towards the wheel. Not much. You could still ball your hand into a fist and clasp it with the other hand and place it between the housing and the wheel. But the truck nevertheless failed the inspection for that reason only, and I was told to call my boss and have him repair it at once and get a new inspection before he could approve the vehicle for driving on the roads. That is how strict they are here.
It's not like you can't have any dents or scrapes or rust or anything on any vehicle at all, but if they are on or near any vital part of the vehicle, they WILL throw the book at you. It is to the point that if you come in for inspection with a star shaped crack in the front window, it will be considered a weakening of the structural strength of the cabin in case of an accident, and your car will fail the inspection even if EVERYTHING else is in perfect condition. And it will fail even if you can show that you have an appointment to have the window changed in a day or 2. It needs to be repaired BEFORE you have the car inspected. And of worthy note is that even the police do not get special priviledges in that respect. I've seen an inspector failing a police cruiser because it had just one tire that had been worn too thin to meet the legal limit. It was nothing but an oversight, and the police have their own mechanics section that will take care of such trivials which would ensure that the tire was replaced immediately upon return to the police, yet it failed.
A car doesn't need an MOT until it's 3 years old, on the basis that a new car should still have everything in good working order.
I've never heard of a car failing the test because it's dirty (and given the state of my car, I'm sure I would have found out by now!)
@@stevieinselbyYour car can fail the MOT on account of being dirty because it can be caked all over so that the inspector can't check anything underside unless he is ready to scrape of the cakes of dirt. And cakes of dirt has the ability to creap in and effect brake capability negatively. So, you might just fail on that account. If it's just a thin layer of dust like in a dry summer, I don't think any inspector will fail it.
A car being new is no guarantee that it is ok. I've seen my uncle buy a brand new car, drive onto the freeway after delivery and we didn't even make it 10 miles down the road before a wheel suddenly came rolling in front of us with the brake system still attached to it. The only trouble from our perspective was that the nearest vehicle in sight was a motorbike and he was about a mile behind us, so the wheel could only come from our vehicle.
He of course got a brand new replacement car. The dealer didn't even argue that one. And a subsequent investigation showed that the assembly point was of faulty alloy and unable to hold up to working pressure, meaning that a lot of brand new opels had to be recalled and have the assembly points refitted after some other ones met the same kind of incident.
Also, A Japanese make, can't remember if it was Nissan or Toyota or what, had to recall cars after discovery that the fuel tank was badly constructed and could cause trouble. Luckily, the badge that was affected was not sold in Denmark or Scandinavia.
So you could get a brand new car and discover that it is not that ideal after all.
Hi Ryan,
The road with the red bicycle lanes is the standard road in the Netherlands for 60 km/h outside built-up areas. The bicycle lanes make the road visually narrower, which slows down speed. This also means that cars take cyclists more into account. These used to be roads with a center line, but that encourages faster driving and is less safe for cyclists.
Greetings, Mark from the Netherlands.
That's not a bicycle lane (it's missing the bicycle icon). It's a suggestion lane that suggests a narrow road & helps prevent speeding by making the road feel much narrower than it actually is.
Cyclists will however utilise that space on the road because it's the safest place on the road.
@@markjacobs1086 if it's red it's a cycle lane.
we do have roads with (kinda) the same layout but with the lanes on the sides of the road being the same colour as the rest of the road (black or gray, depending on the asphalt)
and on those roads they are (officially) suggestion lanes.
but cyclist don't only use that space because it's the safest space, they also use those "lanes" because it's the polity thing to do.
if you're cycling in the middle of the road you're being (pretty) selfish, if you cycle to the side of the road you leave enough space for others to pass you. it's just polite to give other road users some space, a bike doesn't need a 3 meter wide road.
That's right, the "bicycle suggestion lanes" are actually only an optical trick and have no further legal status. As a result, motorists drive more in the middle, while officially they still have to drive on the right as much as possible. I like this road design: it does what it's supposed to do.@@markjacobs1086
@@ChristiaanHW They're not bicycle lanes. If an accident were to occur there with a bicycle, the cyclist could be responsible since the space isn't a designated space for bicycles. With a bicycle lane other traffic isn't allowed on that space & will ALWAYS be held responsible in case of an accident.
We have those in Denmark, too. Here they are called “2 minus 1 roads”. We have to drive in the middle of the road (between the lines) when we’re alone on the road and cross the right line when opposite traffic occurs.
About truck and truck drivers, truck drivers are obligated to take rest periods. Even a long night sleep is mandatory. It's check with a tachograph and can be even inspected weeks after. This is also for bus-drivers. In Germany, trucks are not allowed to drive on Sundays if there is no permit to do so.
You can buy a 500-2000 euro 2nd hand car, but it needs to pass the APK (a yearly vehicle inspection) If you buy a car of that price-range, you ask if it passed the last APK and when was that,
We have cameras here in Queensland that can tell if your on your phone. We have mostly 100klm on open road. Parts of the M1 is 110klm. If you buy a used car it has to have a roadworthy before changing or getting it transferred to your name. My hubby's cattle truck has to be checked on a regular basis. The semi drivers have a logbook to show regular breaks in your day, because of fatigue.
People driving in the middle lane while the right lane is free gets me unreasonably mad!
edit: 10:00 He's absolutely right. Belgian roads, especially when you leave the city areas, can be badly maintained and worn out. And when they're doing constructionworks to improve/replace the tarmac it takes foreeever.
Every country has bad roads, it is what it is. Some just have little more.
Agreed. When you think that it took just over a year to build a 102 story Empire State Building back in the 1930's. Now a small stretch of road/under road pipe repair can take weeks! lol
speaking as a Belgian we are used to it that our roads arent op to snuff. We only feel the difference if we visit other countries and we say,: man these roads are quiet
@@steventheuns6256 Yes I remember the roads in Belgium when I was a child [60/70's] and the motorways were concrete slab sections. We used to go on the ferry from the South of England to Germany through Belgium [and sometimes with the North Seas Ferry from Hull to Rotterdam/Zeebrugge].
True, everytime I cross the border I tell the people I'm with how the roads in the Netherlands are so much nicer, better maintained and organised. They simply do it better than we do in Belgium 😊
In Germany you'll get a ticket for coasting in any lane left of the one free furthest to the right. You have to drive as far right as possible. Pass on the left (or 2nd lane from the right if there's more lanes) and get back furthest to the right as possible. It's super nice to get from A to B quickly if you don't mind the bad milage going 160mph.
You would think Germans would be wary of the far right 😐
You’re holding up traffic. Anything under 200 stays on the right!
Trucks are only allowed on the most right side or when overtaking they are allowed only in the second lane. There are situations when 2 highways merge that a truck might be in the 3rd ( example 2 +2 highway lanes) or the 4th lane ( 2 + 3 highway lanes) depending on what type of merging it is but they always try to get to the right as soon as possible
In au, we have a points system. You get 12 points on your license. Each fine is worth a certain amount of points. If you get fined enough that loses your 12 points , your license is suspended. You can get it back after a certain time period is up.
I was on vacation in Florida. They use there horn for everything. It’s not allowed in the Netherlands only for real danger.
Using a horn for... everything, not just safety? I'm speechless.
And Turkish weddings! They drive the whole family motorcade around honking. Never seen any of them get a ticket, which I think is fair, because marriage is a dangerous activity ;)
@@disklamer Dat is onzin er wordt vaak genoeg opgetreden tegen zulke dingen. & omdat er mensen zijn die als nog bepaalde dingen doen betekend niet dat het toegestaan is.
@@Papiedoetje Humor is moeiiiiilijkkk man
@@disklamermoet het wel grappig zijn. 😊
"they only pass on the left" - *motorcycle appearing on the right and passing on*
XD
And at 7:53 there's someone overtaking on the right...
Yep, while he is talking about lane discipline I was thinking that it was actually not that good. Why is the right lane empty? Very annoying. I used to drive for a while between Leiden en Amsterdam, for a part it is 5 lanes. Most of the time I moved faster on the right two lanes then when I tried to follow the rules. Jamming on the left two lanes because a lot of drivers don't move to the right lane(s).
I don't know about all of Europe, but here in Denmark it's illegal to pass on the right, unless
1) they are clearly indicating that they're going to turn left
Or
2) the traffic is really dense and slow
Do some idiots still do it? Of course!
In Australia we have overhead cameras to monitor if you’re on your phone, and in some states police will target those that maybe eating if they are doing things that may be compromising their driving. Recently a man eating while driving crashed his car because he burned his mouth and throat eating a very hot pie this caused a dramatic reaction enough to go off the road at 100 kmph.
so in the UK.
a full license has 12 points after when you receive a 3 year ban (or more depending)
when you pass your driving test for the first 2 years you while you have 12 points. if during the first 2 years you accumulate more that 6 points you license is revoked and you have to go through the driving test again, the points you have earned are still there so even if you pass your test immediately after you still have those points, and depending on the offence the points remain for a minimum of 3 years.
for speed offence you would gain unless egregious and taken to court 3 points, unless the area you did the offence in lets you take a speed aware course.
7:00 In the Netherlands you can lose you licence for at least 2 months when you get clocked going 50km/h too fast outside city limits and 30km\h inside city limits, so it's actually quite easy.
In Switzerland you loose Not Just the licenze but your Car when speeding 80 to much. - In Theory.
In the Netherlands the roads and high ways are designed by strict rules and very standardised, like joining and exits of highways. the curve of exits are so designed that you can enter the exit with normal speed and slowly the radius of the curve decreases so you natural slow down. also interchanges are very standardised .Just like all road signs and paving signs . About cameras, every 250 meter or something like that all highways have cameras which detect your license plate. When driving above the speed limit, just braking before the camera and accelerate after, won't help because a central computer calculates for each car the speed over a track ( by using the time your car passed each camera) Its all stored and when the police search someone, or a car they just get all data from the central computer and see when and where you (your car) has been
From the Netherlands, and actually, it isn't standardized. You have some organisations who do research to safest designs (I believe CROW and another one) and the people actually responsible for the road usually follow them. This is because they can be used heeft fines if a crash could've been avoided if a saver design would've been used.
Saw a video going in depth on this a few weeks ago.
@@fireshadowdark5462 Ontwerp van in en uitvoeg stroken,, de lengtes ervan , de weg markeringen van strepen,blokken pijlen en bebording. Het verloop van bochten... Dedwars helling van de rijstroken in bochten rekening houdend met de snelheid. etc etc is allemaal standaard. Waar van de standaard wordt afgeweken zie je extra borden. Zeker in vergelijking met andere landen is het sterk gestandaardiseerd. Ook constructief gezien zowel voor niewubouw als onderhoud zijn er (standaard) normen.
I started driving a manual ute (plus tractors) on the farm when I was 8 years old, finally got my L's at 16 and a half, then had my step mum (who was a local country cop) able to sign my logbook. Passed with flying colours when I was old enough to get my P's, on my driving test the first traffic I encountered was a B Double road train which scared the shit out of me because I didn't want to fail lol. 40 years later have driven millions of K's over my lifetime and never really had an issue. Got some amazing stories though like getting skull dragged through floods by a Semi from 3 ways to Mt Isa, but that's a story I'll keep for now. I drove for 2 weeks in Italy too which was easy to adapt to.
In the uk we all have driving instructors the advantage is they have there own peddles so can avoid accidents if you fail to act, also we have road tax and mot to see if your car is fit for the road if it fails you carnt drive it until you get it fixed. We also don't have to renew our licence. If you get 12 points you get banned from driving for 6months but can up your insurance by 86% .. heavy goods drivers can only drive for 12 hours they have tachometers, we have toucan crossing is the British term for a type of pedestrian crossing that also allows bicycles to be ridden across. Since “two can” cross together lol
Yes I second that anyone, who is afraid of driving or just sucks for variety of reasons is using public transportation. I’m lucky to live in a town where it’s faster to take tram than car especially in rush hour and through centre.
A lot of people dont get a license not because they are afraid or suck but because having it and then a car is expensive and less convenient. If you live in a big city in France, getting a license is hard, expensive, take time... and when you get it, you have to get a car, pay a monthly insurance, the maintenance and find a way to park. Plus dont forget the jam. Often is quicker to go by public transportation than car because of traffic jam. You can do way more interesting things with this money and time.
I also think getting lessons from an actual instructor (a stranger provides authority) is better than from someone close to you. When i got my license, the minimum age was 18. Changed a bit over the years. I was 20 when i got it, now 46. A month later i was a taxi driver, experience grew fast because of that 😂
next week i start learning for bus driver 🎉 that's going to be fun!
Yes, we can lose our license in Spain. We have license points that can be deducted by the autorities if you break the law. Too many speed tickets, a car without insurance, bad manteinance of the car, drug/alcohol positive tests...The police do random stops to ask for "papers" (your license, insurance, manteinance of the vehicle) and to make a drug or alcohol tests.
If the break of the law is too important, the police would deduct points, retain the car and you have to pay a fine too.
If you lose all points you have to retake your driver's license to be able to drive.
In Greece we have points system, 25 points in a span of two years and you get your license revoked. Passing a stop sign is 9 points, seatbelts are 5 points, drinking is 5-9 etc. You then have to give a written and driving test again and I think if your license get taken again you can't get it back anymore.
Hi Ryan!
Pickups aren't that popular in Europe. If you do see one it is probably someone's work vehicle. Very few have them as their private car. The most popular private cars, as you probably noticed from the video, are station wagons. Not bulky as in the US, but streamlined. They are small enough to not be in the way in more high traffic areas like the cities or at big shopping outlets (very popular in Sweden where I live), but large enough to handle the week's shopping of groceries, or to comfortably fit the family and all its luggage when going on a trip.
The most popular personal cars are Volkswagen Polo sized or smaller, those account for 60% of all car sales.
Currently in France, 45% of new véhicules sold are SUVs...
Station wagons are a thing of the past, more and more. Same for the monospaces and other great family cars popular in the 90s...
Pickup trucks are very very expensive for private owners in The Netherlands, because the car sales tax is calculated by the exhaust fumes effect on the environment (CO2 emission) and on top of the car sales tax there is BTW (or sales tax, or VAT) of 21%. A Dodge Ram 1500 TRX 6.2L V8 on petrol is about €130,000 without taxes, the sales tax BTW is €27,000 and the car emission tax is €247,000 (CO2 emission is 506gr x €488/gr) making a total of about €400,000. That’s why you don’t see any pickup truck on Dutch roads. For companies the taxes are lower and if you rebuild the truck from petrol to LPG, it is also cheaper. The road tax of a pickup truck is also high because it is calculated on the weight of the car, so road tax is about €2,225 a year (precise amount depends on the province you’re living in). And petrol isn’t cheap in our country and a pickup truck uses a lot of this stuff. A liter of petrol costs about €2.10 and a gallon is almost 3,8 liters, so about €8 a gallon. A €1,00 is about $1,10, so a gallon of petrol costs just below $9. That’s almost three times more than American pay for their petrol at this moment. And last but not least, a pickup truck doesn’t fit in a European park8ng spot.
@@etienne8110Because a lot of people wanted SUVs, manufacturers presumed everyone does. Many brands don’t even offer a station wagon anymore more. And many SUVs don’t even have as much space in the back as a Volvo wagon.
And things like the Renault Espace are now just another SUV.
@@Dreyno i believe it is the other way around.
Constructors made suv (because of american law on car taxes, suv fall under the trucks classification), and through commercials they created the demand.
Or at least they favored it clearly. There were 4x4 before and they weren t that popular until constructors decided to promote them.
Edit. The espace/monospaces is way lighter and has more space than an suv plus can transport up to seven people. It s more a minivan than an suv. Also more fuel efficient than suv (because of weight)
I drove in the US a couple times.. its a nightmare..
People cant drive FOR SHIT..
not surprising since there is essentially zero requirements to get a lcense there
the driving tests are a bad joke
Theres a reason why i dont have to take another test in the US when i move there with my german license.
meanwhile the US license is only valid in europe for 6 month. after that you have to take a new driving test..
I’m from Europe and I agree but there are huge differences between European countries too…. Very big
10:10
Sometimes they close half the road for maintenance and then there's temporary yellow lines to split the open half and that changes a bit of time later
17:35 You *are* allowed to eat when you're driving, as long as you do keep the focus on the road, ad at least one hand on the wheel.
Other thing: people *do* use the car to commute. This must have been filmed on a Sunday.
In Norway, one can start training at 16, with adults. And most driving schools don't accept you before the year you turn 18. We can get license for a light motorbike from 16. Heavy motorcycle from 18.
In Sweden they can drive an "Epa-tractor" from 15.
Epa-tractor are just a car that's been 'downgeared' so it can't go faster than 30 Kph.
But of course the petrol heads find ways to circumvent that rule.
You can drive these small cars or mopedbiler or what they are called as 16 years old, they have a topspeed at 45 tough. But they can be fixed to drive faster.
It have been quite popular up here in the North atleast, in Alta for example, there was also quite popular with these UTV's among the 16's and above.... as you can take licence for these.
In the UK a provisional car licence can be obtained on your 17th birthday. You cannot drive unaccompanied, but you don't have to pay for lessons. Anyone over 25 who has held a ;licence for two years can accompany you, and can teach you to drive. I got taught by my father, and passed the car test first time. I then did a five-day course with the training school of a bus operator that ended with the test on a double decker bus with a manual gearbox. I passed that first time, too, so I can't be that bad.
Ryan, thank you for your absolutely brilliant videos. Regards Tony Sadler South Wales UK 🏴
You Could Loose Your Licence through: Running Red Lights, Speeding, DUI, Street Racing, Tailgaiting, ignoring right of way. For each violation you get points to your account, after you hit a ceartain amount of points, you will loose your licence. Also its possible to get an driving ban for a few months, depending on the seriousness of violation. (e.g. exessive speeding inner city)
In Sweden you will lose your license in many cases.
- Not stopping at redlight or stopsign. The light turns red while your still in the intersection.
- Repeated traffic offences, such as not wearing seatbelt or speeding etc.
- not adjusted to the distance to the vehicle in front.
- overtaking at a pedestrian crossing
- If the police have taken you into custody for intoxication on a number of occasions or there is other information about the use of drugs and/or alcohol or other intoxicant. They can revoke your license, if they judge that you are unreliable in terms of sobriety.
- Illness, injury or the like can also get your license revoked.
etc, etc.
In Finland if you get 3 tickets within 12 months the Police takes away your driving license for 1 month. If you get tickets again they take it away for more and more every 3 tickets. Finally they can take it away permanently and you need to take another driving lessons and pass the exam to get it back.
Is it even parking tickets? Man I would be done there is it is so. Never got speeding or violation ticket except for ton of parking ones.
@@Tomasmoravia no. Parking tickets are not included. Tickets for speeding or bad driving.
...is there a rally stage on the test?
@@vallejomach6721 there wasn't when I was making my license in 2001. Who knows now. But if I remember correctly there are additional driving lessons for racing, driving in winter etc. Maybe there is.
@@Tomasmoravianot for parking tickets. But don‘t be too sure about it. Don‘t collect parking tickets in dozens.
road quality and standards for road legality of cars make a huge difference in accident rate for sure.
some highways in europe change the speed limit through digital signs during the day depending on the time. during rush hour, you turn it down a bit because there are just too many on the people on the road. when it's emptier, you let them drive faster. it's all about maintaining a good flow and order.
Also.. regarding the turn signals ( indicators) ..Ive seen this video where the policmen in the UK explained that its not nessesarry to indicate after you overtook someone and returning to your lane, simply because its obvious, that you gonna be returning back to your lane . It was a surprise for me, as Im not from the UK originally.
Another interesting thing is that if there are no cars right behind you or next to you, or close in front of you, you dont need indicate at all.. It kind of make sense if you think..
In other some other countries in EU you are required to indicate even if you are in the midle of night in a totally empty road
The best teaching I got from driving school is: using turning signals even YOU think they're not necessary is still useful exactly because it's redundant: you call the attention of others and make it even more clear what your next move will be