# Motorway accidents with foreigners involved



## scharlack (Nov 21, 2008)

Read on the newspaper last night that aprox 15% of the motorway (carretera) accidents with dead people have foreigners involved. 1st Rumanians, 2nd Moroccans, 3rd Portuguese/Brits.

I don´t drive here and I have not been here long enough to think of possible reasons for the Portuguese and Brits to be high on the top of the list. I believe Rumanians and Moroccans are used to more "laid back" traffic laws back home and the lack of severe punishment as well.

Ideas?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I dont think its that high for the Brits, but I would put it down to the fact that driving in the UK is very "safe", orderly and you can trust other drivers in the main and it takes a while to realise that the Spanish tend to drive by the "seat of their pants", until you accept that, you´re possibly more at risk of an accident. "always expect the unexpected" and "dont trust the spanish to do what you think they willl or should". Those are my mottos for driving over here.


Also the road signs and markings arent as clear in Spain as they are in the UK and I suspect other eurpeans are used to that??


Jo


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

Could it be because 15% of road users here are foreigners?


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

It's more awkward

Romanians I dont know enough to have an opinion - BUT A SHEDLOAD of the Morrocans will be in summer when they drive nonstop from other EU countries to the ferries to cross to home. They drive over tired. I've seen them drive off motorways. 

Portuguese may well be due to huge numbers that WORK here and drive home each weekend - again tired.

Brits - Well I know one or two that think it's quite OK to do HULL to MIJAS(Costa) non stop. Ermm right. I'm also guilty of this (in the past anyway) - Duesseldorf-Madrid nonstop. 20hours at the wheel!

Plus many are in RHD cars that frankly are at a MAJOR disadvantage once off the motorways - and to no small extent on them too. Also I know a fair few Brits that have "issues" with understanding Kms. Many simply underestimate how far (for example) 840kms really is. They'll quite happily set off to cross Spain with haff a tank of fuel - ask them to the same disance in teh UK and they look at you with alarm.

Personally I dont think the Spanish are ANY worse than many others. And I've driven in most of Europe. Africa - now that is different - so was Thailand.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

chris(madrid) said:


> Plus many are in RHD cars that frankly are at a MAJOR disadvantage once off the motorways - and to no small extent on them too. Also I know a fair few Brits that have "issues" with understanding Kms. Many simply underestimate how far (for example) 840kms really is. They'll quite happily set off to cross Spain with haff a tank of fuel - ask them to the same disance in teh UK and they look at you with alarm.



I guess thats a good reason why Brits may be involved in more accidents, we´re used to driving on the wrong side of the road!


Jo


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## chris(madrid) (Mar 23, 2008)

jojo said:


> I guess thats a good reason why Brits may be involved in more accidents, we´re used to driving on the wrong side of the road! Jo


 Has more to do with the fact you have FAR less visibility if you're not sat near the middle of the road, Jo. - I'm aware of it in EU cars driven in the UK too. I think that bikers have more awareness of the issues as we're able to be more flexible on road position.

It's one reason TRAFICO is so anti RHD commercial vehicles - add the fact that most of these have little or no rear/side vision and they're down right dangerous.


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