Italians: We’re Perfect Drivers

Milan traffic

They may drive Fiats as if they were Ferraris and consider red lights a reason to accelerate, but most Italian drivers say they are “perfect” behind the wheel.

A survey of over 2,000 Italian drivers conducted by Italian motor club Aci and insurance company Sara found that 65.4% consider themselves perfect drivers.

When faced with a yellow traffic light, 66% say they slow down, just 22% say they slow down while the remaining 12% considers the situation a quandary. (Following Italian road rules, they should stop unless the car is already in the intersection.)

An even higher number of Italian drivers, 79.9%, say they have a perfect driving record, while just 14.5% say they’ve had a few points taken off for traffic violations.

Nearly 60% say they always wear seatbelts, 11% say they are too uncomfortable and 26% say they don’t bother to make passengers buckle up, too.

These angelic drivers also slow down for pedestrians (67%), while the rest say they slow down if the person is already in the crosswalk.

If you’ve spent any time on Italian roads, it’s a little hard to believe, especially the part about crosswalks.

Photo used with a Creative Commons license, thanks to cruelgargle on flickr.

7 thoughts on “Italians: We’re Perfect Drivers

  1. Lol! The thing is, they believe it, whether it’s true or not, so I don’t know if it’s Pinocchio syndrome in final analysis…

  2. I spent about 3 months driving throughout Italy in 2005 with my wife and generally I had no problems. I concluded that Italian drivers were just more agressive that others.

    However we decided to walk the Via Francigena late last year and as pedestrians forced sometimes to walk along some of the busy SP and SS roads, I had a decidely different opinion.

    This said Italians were extremely hospitable when they were not in a car racing past you at 100km per hour!

    Much like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde I guess

  3. I’m studying for my italian license now. I have to say we need to know much more here than in the states. The test is no joke.

    So while the drivers are better educated about the rules of the road, many chose to ignore them or think they are just suggestions. ha.

  4. From what I’ve heard, that Italian drivers have to know a lot more about how cars work, engine wise etc., which is I guess fundamental if you’re gunning it at a stop sign…Let me know how your driver’s test goes!

  5. I have been coming to Italy for 12 years and I know that they are better drivers than we are in the states. I have watched a countless number of people parallel park in the states and in Italy. In the U.S. very few people can, compared to Italy. They also drive much faster, weave in and out of traffic with such skill and can anticipate people crossing streets and skooters. I have also been riding a motorcycle for 30 years and I am sorry to say that they are experts compared to me.

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