Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Other Local Resorts & Areas => Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum => Topic started by: usedbustickets on March 09, 2014, 17:29:55 PM
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For those of you living in Turkey and driving a car, can I ask has your driving gone native since you first arrived. I am not talking about the mad excesses of the lunatic fringe on the road, but do you, for example,:-
Only use your indicators when you knock the indicator stalk by accident? :-\
Never leave a gap any bigger than a fag paper between you and the car in front when waiting at traffic lights etc. or even when driving at 70KM/hr plus? :o
Make all your mobile calls when behind the wheel? :-X
Never .. EVER courteously acknowledge another driver, when for example they let you into the traffic or wait for you to go through a gap only wide enough for one vehicle? 8)
Believe that any of the car mirrors are only there for makeup or combing your hair? :-*
Take the attitude that every other person on the road is a muppet, and you should never give a sucker (or a muppet) and even break? :)
Are there any other items I have left off my list? I'd be interested to hear whether you have changed your style or standard of driving (i.e. gone native) or whether like me you continue to curse the bad driving and bad manners and drive in a safe and polite manner as you did in the UK.
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One of the first things I learnt was that you should never stop at a pedestrian crossing, otherwise you'd get hit up the ar5e by the following vehicle.
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Yep - I quite clearly remember stopping at the one outside the old Gima - the pedestrians started to cross and nearly got mowed down by the car behind me pulling out and round past me!!
The one thing I did adopt was the beeping the second the traffic light changed from red to green! One positive I took from the years of experience was that road rage is plain ridiculous - if someone wants to drive at 5 mph let them, just go past :)
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I regularly sit 10 vehicles back at the traffic lights and when the count down timer gets to 5 i start sounding my horn :)
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I have driven for all of 2 weeks in Turkey - to be resumed next week.
Everything you have said is true, UBT but can't say I have adopted any of them .... yet. It's safe to say (or unsafe ...) that you cannot maintain a wholly British driving style or driving from Ovacik into central Fethiye is going to take at least 3 hours.
I learnt about the horror of stopping at a pedestrian crossing to let the bent over old lady with her 6 bags of market shopping cross and the driver behind me nearly shunting into me. And I have learnt to have the revs going in readiness for amber.
I've never been that prone to road rage and having driven up the big hill from Tasyaka to Ovacik and have a lorry coming at you at god-knows-what-speed on your side of the road on several occasions as they overtake 2 lanes of traffic, means I never will. I'm just grateful to have survived.
To others who may not have driven in Turkey yet: do it - it opens up the whole area for you but if I have to warn you about anything, it's try to park somewhere where you can't possibly get blocked in. This happened to me twice - outside Aydem and again on a road that had loads of empty space for parking. Both drivers appeared within 15 minutes and grinned a sort of apology.
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Just remember that there's only one valid reason to scrap a vehicle in Turkey. That's when the horn doesn't work. ;)
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I've never come across any serious road rage in Turkey though. But at 80 I tend to try and keep out of trouble. :) :)
DonM
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I particularly like habit of approaching traffic junctions at about 40mph then at the very last second jamming on your brakes so only 75% of your vehicle protrudes into the oncoming traffic.
Opening car doors onto passing traffic.
Double or even triple parking.
We didn't have a car for our first two years here and only got one a few weeks ago, it's like driving in one of those xbox video games.
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Do you know the difference between red and green ?
F***all according to Turkish drivers !
;)
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Yes and when there is a lane on the right specifically to get in to turn right, everyone gets in it just to try and get past the the people in the correct lane who are going straight ahead.
Having said this, Phil, has become a Turkish driver when we are over. He no longer adopts the sedate British way to drive and is just as bad as the other drivers. He reckons this is the only way to drive in Turkey.
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I would agree with him, Jacqui. Polite British driving just gets you nowhere.
I'm looking forward to getting behind the wheel again in Fethiye - bring it on 8)
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Polite British driving what a load of tosh
UK someone driving slowly you try to overtake he speeds up
Turkey he moves over
UK you overtake on a road more than wide enough for three cars oncoming car flashes lights at you
Turkey they make room for you
Just a couple of examples but UK drivers are far from polite
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Must be just me then, Graham ???
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I remember pulling up at the traffic lights near the big market in town on my little scooter which was very shiny and always looking new (even after 3 years) and a car driver wound down his window and I thought he was going to compliment the scooter as had happened a few timed previously but said "hi - you English?" - "yes how do you know?" - he laughed and said "you are using your indicators"
That is honestly true !!!
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I have drıven over here for over 6 years and stıll drive the same way ı dıd ın UK ,calm and polıte and I use my ındıcators, I dont speed I wear a seat belt and never use my phone. I antıcıpate all the stupıd drıvers .There are some polıte good Turkısh drıvers as well. I love drıvıng over here.
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First couple of years we hired a car, but I found it stressful and not very enjoyable. Felt that I had to grow another pair of eyes to keep up with the drivers there.... Obviously, its the way they drive there, so everything is the norm, but when you drive in the UK most of the year, its difficult to adapt. One year we spent 12 weeks there and I've got to admit, when I got into my car back home, the driving felt so easy and relaxed. Confession........ near the end of the holiday, I was tentatively swaying towards the "native" driving. A kind of "I can drive like that too, you know!" :-[ Last year we opted for a scooter. Actually found it safer (you need to try it to believe it) and more fun. This will be my mode of transport in the future. Apart from the fact its so cheap. It costs 100tl per week and 20tl of petrol gets you out and about all week.
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My little motto for driving in Turkey: "It's your country: it is always your right of way".
Has anyone driven in Istanbul? Not something I would fancy.
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Has anyone driven in Istanbul? Not something I would fancy.
You don't drive in Istanbul - you join an amorphous car park and hope that eventually you'll be spat out roughly where you want to go.
JF
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First couple of years we hired a car, but I found it stressful and not very enjoyable. Felt that I had to grow another pair of eyes to keep up with the drivers there.... Obviously, its the way they drive there, so everything is the norm, but when you drive in the UK most of the year, its difficult to adapt. One year we spent 12 weeks there and I've got to admit, when I got into my car back home, the driving felt so easy and relaxed. Confession........ near the end of the holiday, I was tentatively swaying towards the "native" driving. A kind of "I can drive like that too, you know!" :-[ Last year we opted for a scooter. Actually found it safer (you need to try it to believe it) and more fun. This will be my mode of transport in the future. Apart from the fact its so cheap. It costs 100tl per week and 20tl of petrol gets you out and about all week.
I am sorry wild horse would not get me on a scooter. I think you could be the safest driver in the world, but there is always the idiot in the car that will cut in front of you or knock you off the road. We have seen many near misses with cars and scooters. As I see it, you have some protect around you in a car, in a scooter you have none, not even protective shoes or clothing and in most cases helmets. I don't care how cheap a scooter is, there is no putting a price on your life or your future health.
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If the oncoming vehicle flashes it's headlights at you it means ''get out the way i'm coming through'' and when turning left...
flashing your left indicator can mean that you intend to turn left, or pull out to your left. but here it can also be an indication to the vehicle
behind that it is safe to pass !!!! be carefull turning left...
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At first I was confused by the left indicator sign which means "I am going to pull to the right. This is so you can pass and then I can pull back over to the left and wait for the other lane to clear before making my left turn without you driving into the back of my car".
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On my scooter I realised very quickly to stay away from the main roads whenever possible - so much so that I know every side street in Fethiye & Calis and could become the towns cartographer !!! :-)
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Has anyone driven in Istanbul? Not something I would fancy.
Yep. Been there done that and on one occasion even towed a single-car transporter trailer through it. Piece of cake ! I really can't see what people get so wound-up about. There are several drivers that I work with who are scared of driving in London. Pussies ! ;)
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At first I was confused by the left indicator sign which means "I am going to pull to the right. This is so you can pass and then I can pull back over to the left and wait for the other lane to clear before making my left turn without you driving into the back of my car".
That's quite a common manoeuvre throughout Europe and the Balkans. Quite sensible in a way.
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If you think the standard of driving is poor in Turkey have a trip through Albania you will never complain about Turkey again.
DonM.
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I like the Bulgarians. Everthing on the road is there to be overtaken. It doesn't matter what they're driving, the road conditions or whether they're approaching a blind bend or junction.
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First couple of years we hired a car, but I found it stressful and not very enjoyable. Felt that I had to grow another pair of eyes to keep up with the drivers there.... Obviously, its the way they drive there, so everything is the norm, but when you drive in the UK most of the year, its difficult to adapt. One year we spent 12 weeks there and I've got to admit, when I got into my car back home, the driving felt so easy and relaxed. Confession........ near the end of the holiday, I was tentatively swaying towards the "native" driving. A kind of "I can drive like that too, you know!" :-[ Last year we opted for a scooter. Actually found it safer (you need to try it to believe it) and more fun. This will be my mode of transport in the future. Apart from the fact its so cheap. It costs 100tl per week and 20tl of petrol gets you out and about all week.
I am sorry wild horse would not get me on a scooter. I think you could be the safest driver in the world, but there is always the idiot in the car that will cut in front of you or knock you off the road. We have seen many near misses with cars and scooters. As I see it, you have some protect around you in a car, in a scooter you have none, not even protective shoes or clothing and in most cases helmets. I don't care how cheap a scooter is, there is no putting a price on your life or your future health.
I own a motorcycle back home and have been a biker for twenty years so I suppose its natural for me. :) But your right. I would not recommend it to anyone who doesn't have experience.
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If you intend to drive in Turkey there is only one GOLDEN RULE you must clearly understand and that is:
Under no circumstances whatsoever must you drive BEHIND the vehicle in front of you.
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No, you MUST drive ahead of the vehicle behind you though.
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Quite right Jacqui, when in Rome (ie Turkey) drive as the locals do, ignore the pedestrians, ignore the traffic lights, and above all ignore the local police!!
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When I moved to Turkey, the fact that your number plate showed that you were not Turkish (MA, MB plates etc) was a fantastic thing. You used to stop at a road block/speed check, they'd clock your plate and wave you on through without a word.
Then it soon changed when they realised that with the correct offenses and fines in place, what a money maker stopping non-nationals could be.
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There is a road sign on the road to the West Coast that reads "Allow car behind to overtake"
How stupid is that.... Assume two cars on the same stretch of road after the sign "car A" in front and "car B" behind.
"A" lets overtake "B" as requested by the sign.
"B" is now in front of "A"
"B" is now obliged to let "A" overtake if he/she obeys the sign.
"A" is now back in front of "B"
"A" is now obliged........
Brenda fetch we a tablet please........quickly
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Like the matrix signs around Glasgow telling you to "Check Your Tyres". There would even more chaos if every driver decided to stop and do that.
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We are always amazed at what can be carried on a scooter. Not just the usual things which are wife (side saddle of course)and all a couple of children. We have also seen a goat next to the driver's feet. One guy had a huge gas bottle balanced across his saddle and last time we saw guy on a scooter in front of us and we had great difficultly overtaking as he was carrying a couple of long pieces of wood across his lap that stuck out each side. We imagined if someone hit one piece of wood the scooter would spin around like a top
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It is definitely a case of anything goes with scooters. Like you Jacqui we have seen as well as the whole family, animals between the riders legs, a rear passenger carrying a sun bed, our local shop carries about 4 19ltr water bottles, crates of Efes etc. I think the most worrying was a man riding with young son standing between his legs, wife side saddle holding a baby travelling along going over all the speed bumps. I had to overtake as I could not bear to watch.
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My policy is think like an English driver but to a certain extent drive like a Turkish driver. I treat every road user other then EU plates as idiots (as far as road sense is concerned) and it seems to work. In 10 years I have had 2 accidents, one was in Hissy when this lorry could see he could not get past me but tried it, and scraped me, giving me a Doe faced look as an apology. The repair job to my car was 20TL, so no problem. The other was in Antalya, I stopped at the traffic lights and this idiot ran straight into my rear end (before any comments, of my car). No damage to me but I did strip her off a wee bit, (verbally).
I must admit I enjoy driving over here more than I do in UK with all their Big Brother Watching You restrictions.
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We've had our car for 2 years and I only started doing little trips on quiet roads after we'd had it a few months.
John drives like a Turk now, he says you have to and I'm a terrible passenger.
One day we had a huge row about it and as I paid for the car I told him that as he respected my fear so little he couldn't drive the car anymore.
The idea was that he would say sorry darling and promise to drive nicely, but he took me at my word and so I had to brave a couple of trips or would have missed out on things.
We needed something doing on the car so I had to drive round the Sanay trying to find the garage we used before.
I've never been so scared but had to put on this big air of being confident and in control.
Anyway, after that I can drive anywhere and have conquered my big fear of Fethiye one way system now and enjoy driving here now.
I will never be an aggressive driver and try and do battle with them, I'm more Miss Daisy and let them overtake.
The overtaking on the left side thing when you're indicating left is the weirdest, but now I'm watching for it it's ok.
It's scarier being a passenger than it is actually doing the driving.
John of course is back behind the wheel and just needs nagging from time to time.
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Well I'm picking up our new car today from the Nissan garage so no more driving the 1.1 Symbol hire car that feels like it needs a push up the hills.
It's cost an arm and a leg and I really don't feel like driving it on these 'roads' in Ovacik. But at least I hope not to be praying it makes it up from Tasyaka. Although the worst experience so far has been on our steep road leading up to the house which I have to fly up to ensure I get up it. Then I met a cement mixer doing 4mph and straining to get up. Meant I had to drop into first gear and try and find purchase again on the gravel ......... Nearly ended up in the ditch.
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What Nissan did you get
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The ubiquitous Qashquai. Grey. Refused to have white. Driven it back home tonight with fancy rosettes and ribbons on it. Everyone thinks I just got married.
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Petrol or diesel ?
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Diesel.
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What size engine
(I couldn't care less I just thought I'd join the inquisition :D )
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Its a great feeling driving it for the first time though huh ?
We've had ours a month next week and so far we've got stuck in the snow and had to turn around and come back the long way from Denizli so i guess it should be plan sailing from here on in lol.
Oh and its a 1.5 diesel Dacia.
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New car smell !
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Ours was second hand so no new car smell for us but thankfully its previous owner didnt have any animals lol
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Mines a little old 1999 banger, would be way to scared to drive anything posh here. But on the plus side it's a Toyota. I'm in my 13th year as a Toyota owner. Love them. And it has an air freshener and sometimes it smells new underneath all the dog hair.
Tax is a bit steep though, 135tl for the whole year!
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It's a 1.5 and everyone has stuck their heads in to smell that new smell :)
(http://s18.postimg.org/fc0df7dxx/image.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/fc0df7dxx/)
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Looks lovely all dished up like that.
One thing I found was it was not the first chp of the paintwork that worries you, cos it will come as a surprise, but it is when you'll get the second chip that worries you. Sorry to be a downer :( :(
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As someone who wanted a second hand Doblo or similar and as someone who has had several new vehicles in the past and watched them be deliberately damaged or accidentally damaged, I'm resigned to the fact that a car is something you need but can't worry about too much.
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Congratulations, it looks lovely. I wish you happy and trouble free driving.
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How exciting your life must be Menthol! Beautiful new house all ready to furnish at leisure, fab new car and the summer on its way! The world's your lobster! Enjoy enjoy enjoy - everything! ;D ;D ;D
PS I LOVE reading your posts.
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I don't intend ever to drive over there, bus and dolmus for me, I will have done my time behind the wheel
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(I couldn't care less I just thought I'd join the inquisition :D )
Nor me mate. But you know how these women are if you don't make-out you're just a little bit interested.
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How exciting your life must be Menthol! Beautiful new house all ready to furnish at leisure, fab new car and the summer on its way! The world's your lobster! Enjoy enjoy enjoy - everything! ;D ;D ;D
PS I LOVE reading your posts.
Lobster??????
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(c) Mr Derek Trotter, Peckham.
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Nor me mate. But you know how these women are if you don't make-out you're just a little bit interested.
Let's just hope she skips the "Does my bum look big in this?" question.
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(c) Mr Derek Trotter, Peckham.
Or even Arthur Daley in Minder !!!! ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCn7Kp2M8Cc
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If we move over, would probably opt for one of the welded hybrid cars on the industrial estate near Carrefoure.
Maybe a mini quashie
Or a peugotdiablo
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If we move over, would probably opt for one of the welded hybrid cars on the industrial estate near Carrefoure.
Maybe a mini quashie
Or a peugotdiablo
LOVE IT !!!!!! :D
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Wow nissan looks sexy
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Thank you, Jacqui and thank you Lotty, I am indeed very lucky to be in this position. People have been most helpful and generous with their time and at some stage I may just buy more than yet another kitchen implement or plastic bowl. *being so lazy*.
KKOB, my bum looks big in everything, so it's a question I NEVER ask.
Love the idea of a morphed car, suehugh!
We got rid of the ribbons today - some thought that we were going to a wedding and others thought we were campaigning for the CHP party .....
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;)
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Or even Arthur Daley in Minder !!!! ;)
Haha, I just returned to correct my error, it suddenly popped into my head that it was the great Arfur. On the ball Kevin I see :)
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Re colour of cars, there does seem to be an awful lot of white ones. I don't recall us ever hiring a car that was not any other colour, they are always white.
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White is the new black Jacqui! Looks great with blue and yellow trimmings - MOT ;-)
However I'm looking at second hand new shape focuses at the moment and every other one seems to be silver. Making a comeback?
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According to the trade, silver has had it's day and white is this year's colour.
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Well it's been "this year's colour" in Turkey for the passed nine years, that is how long we have been hiring white cars. ;D ;)
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Yes Ma'am, and the reason that they tend to stick to one colour in Turkey is to make it easier to swap body panels after accidents.
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Plus White reflects he heat!