One third of British adults regard the Italians as the biggest European road pests
29th March 2011 – British holiday makers believe Italians to be the worst drivers in Europe, according to a survey commissioned by leading car hire comparison site carhiremarket.com. With 34% of the votes for worst Europeans behind the wheel, the Italians topped the table, followed by the French (20%) and the Spanish (8%).
The confident driving style of the Italians, who undergo much stricter driver training than the rest of Europe, could be contributing to our reticence to driving abroad. This was also highlighted through the same survey of 2000 British adults, which found that 49% of us don’t like driving abroad, with 62% of women in particular admitting to feeling scared or uncomfortable in the driver’s seat when overseas.
However, not all the votes for worst drivers went to our European cousins. Interestingly, 5% of Britons surveyed by carhiremarket.com thought we were in fact the most reckless driving nation, putting Britain in fourth position.
With many Brits looking forward to a fly-drive holiday overseas this year, Anel Bruns, Product Manager at leading car rental price comparison site carhiremarket.com, advises drivers to do their homework before embarking on a journey: “Hiring a car is one of the best and easiest ways to explore new destinations, but before you jump into your rental car, research specific traffic rules and local driving etiquette to help boost your confidence and avoid unpleasant surprises.”
Driving in Italy – Top tips to know before you go!
Here are some top tips for arriving at your destinations safely and on time
Pay attention – It is very difficult to get a driving licence in Italy, the training is much more complex and Italians are much more confident in their manoeuvres so pay particular attention when you are behind the wheel in this country
Watch out for the little ones - Did you know that Italian teenagers can ride anything that is 50cc or lower from the age of 14? There are a vast amount of young drivers around Italy on mopeds and Vespa’s, so always double check your blind spots
Smaller is Better - In many of the historical towns and cities in Italy, the roads were simply not built for cars to travel on so if possible, hire a smaller car so you can get around more easily
Be wary of different laws - Since 1st January 2003, the motorway and carriageway speed in Italy has been increased to 93mph. Take care, as many cars will be driving faster than you are used to. Also, Italian law dictates that you must always keep your headlights on and dipped when driving on dual carriageways and motorways, even during the day
Watch the vino - The alcohol consumption limit in Italy for drivers is 0.05%. Anything over this and you could face fines or even imprisonment! So if you are taken in by the beautiful rural vineyards and want to take a pit stop - be careful not to exceed the limit!
For more information on driving regulations at the destination you are travelling to, plus great value car rental, car hire comparison or for more information on car hire destinations or airport car hire, visit www.carhiremarket.com
Survey Methodology
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2104 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 8th and 11th October 2010 and was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
About carhiremarket.com
carhiremarket.com is an independent price comparison website whereby customers can choose a car hire out of 24,000,000 offers from 130 suppliers and 90,000 stations in 178 countries and book directly.
carhiremarket.com is connected with the most reputable car hire suppliers worldwide over an XML-reservation interface. The customers can reserve their desired car hire with only two steps and can specify their offer by filtering through price, car category, equipment, doors / passenger and supplier. In addition, the customer can immediately see which services are included in the offer. Another advantage: Bookings can be made directly on the site.
By exclusively negotiated rates with the car rental companies carhiremarket.com also guarantees special terms and prices. Furthermore, our trained call centre provides support to our customers with their online reservations and also with any other questions around the subject rental car. They are available by phone from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – for free. The team care about concerns and booking procedures. From England you dial the toll free service-hotline 0800 098 82 20 and from USA and Canada the toll free number 001 888 816 5478. Short news also on Twitter: http://twitter.com/carhiremarket.
PR contact
Claire Barber / Aine Fitzsimons
Wildfire PR
carhiremarket@wildfirepr.co.uk
0208 339 4420