Much Maligned Portuguese Drivers

I had a great deal of fun driving 1500 miles in Portugal the last couple of weeks. Tales of “dangerous drivers” were told when folks heard we were going there. I loved the drivers. Sure, they drove fast and got really close before passing (overtaking), and cut in quickly. They really knew what they were doing. In the time I drove there was maybe only one or two close calls, but close may just mean a driver with really good instincts and reflexes. They know lane discipline. Many drive very fast but they don’t weave around. They get on your tail until you move over. All I really had to do was keep in the lane where my speed was expected, that would be mostly the inside lane, and let the speed demons fly by.
We spent quite a bit of time on “wiggley” and narrow mountain roads. Here, defensive driving is the key to survival. The middle of the road is the favored “lane” for native car and truck drivers. With a little care, and anticipating someone in the middle of the road on every curve, we got where we were going with a minimum of “squeaks” from the passengers.
I had a ball!!! Can’t wait to get back to Italy and try those guys again. In 5 minutes of looking I couldn’t find a single photo of an accident in Portugal, so the tragic results of one in Holland must suffice. It really is tragic: hundreds of cases of Grolsch beer on the road, most smashed.
Image: http://www.johnmariani.com/archive/2005/050828/index.html