self drive or transfer from Airport

[alantj]

A couple of years ago I saw a report that put the dangers of driving in Turkey in context, it calculated that a car driver in Turkey had about the same chance of being killed or seriously injured on the road as a motorcyclist in the UK.



 

[kalcamp]

Hi Lantana,
  Do you have any idea why Turkish drivers are 11 times more like to be involved in serious road traffic accidents? Does it have anything to do with the level of competance they have to achieve to get a drivers license?

[Em1]

Hi

Reading your latest post Lantana, I decided to see if I could find any research to prove further what you said that "drivers in Turkey are 11 times more likely to be involved in serious road traffic accidents than drivers in any other country in Europe, including the UK".

I looked at the published data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), who I knew did large statistical surveys on this topic.

It advised (in the 2007 edition) that Turkey had a couple more road traffic accidents per thousand motor vehicles than the UK, however less than other European countries eg Austria, Belgium and Liechtenstein etc.

Luckily it also advised that Turkey and the UK had fewer persons killed in road traffic accidents per million population than many of our European neighbours eg Germany, Italy, France and Portugal etc.

Therefore maybe ''''it''''s no worse than anywhere else in Euroland'''' has some merit after all??

Am I right in saying there is ''statistics, more statistics and damn lies''??

For anyone who would like to look at the data in more detail (160 pages), to gather a more complete picture of this issue, here is the website address http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp6/transstatpub.html

I wondered if we can now stop worrying visitors to Turkey, and suggest that if you feel confident to drive, then do. If you don''t feel confident to drive, perhaps consider taking a transfer?

Em

[alantj]

I cannot believe Turkey has less accidents than Belguim, I lived in Belguim for a few years and was amazed at how well everone drove there compared to the UK. very orderly, relaxed and no middle lane hogging. 

From a quick look at the report and the huge variations between countries, I suspect the data on accidents per thousand vehicles tells you more about how well different countries report and record accidents than your chances of having an accident.





     

[kalcamp]

Wouldn''t it be better to say to people by all means drive, but.....
 The roads are not always adequately lit
 Turkish drivers are unpredictable
 You can get a full license in Turkey without being a fully competant driver
 The roads are often poorly constructed
 many roads are poorly maintained and often areas of maintenance are left with inadequate warning overnight
Road signs, sometimes
 Unpredictable debris strewn across the road
 Headlights, sometimes dipped, sometimes full beam, sometimes flashing you for no apparent reason and sometimes not at all
 tractors that crawl along without any lights at all
 giving way on the roundabouts
turning left, do you turn left as you do in Uk or do you pull over to the side of the road allow traffic to pass then turn left, this is hotly debated along with other road positioning rules
 In the event of an accident do British drivers know how to call the jandarme or fill out the accident report sheet
 And I''m sure there''s one or two more differences from driving in the UK
 I don''t care how good a driver you are you will not be prepared for the Turkish roads

[Rosie]

Having just read through this thread, I would like to add one aspect that nobody has so far mentioned with regard to using a transfer vehicle, which is also related to the earlier comment about the recent accidents that have occurred.

It is to do with the use of mobile phones whilst driving.

When I''m staying at my villa I use a very good local transfer company, very reliable, very good vehicles etc. I have also used other companies from time to time (when using hotel accommodation, it is included) and noticed that all drivers use their mobile phones whilst driving. Some have even texted whilst driving. I don''t think there are any laws in Turkey making it illegal to use them whilst driving.

The accident that happened killing the local restauranteur last week was due to him using his mobile phone. His relatives are almost 100% sure of this. (I was reliably informed by his cousin and a very close friend of his).

I will still continue to use transfers especially my own tried and tested company, but like everything in this world, we pays our money and we takes our choice.

In summary, I don''t think driving in Turkey is any worse than some other european countries and in the UK we''re not particularly brilliant with our road rage driving! Education is the key thing to progress.

Rosie

[headroom]

Well said Em. If anyone is so nervous about driving then they should not hold a licence anyway, some of these replies seem to suggest that Turkish drivers are all psycopaths or morons! They are not! I too am an ex copper and have dealt with and witnessed the aftermath of moronic driving many times in the good old U.K. Truth is there is bad driving anywhere and as for unlit, poorly maintained roads?  . . . . loads of them in North West England (and narrow!). 100% concentration required where ever you drive, if that is applied you may be able to avoid "the disaster" that awaits all of us everytime we get behind the wheel,  or? . . .  maybe go to Morecambe instead.

[foreverkalkan]

Rosie, who was the local restauranteur killed?

[Lougie]

I too would like to know who the person was that was killed as I have many Friends in Kalkan who I am now concerned about.

[DRBD]

At the end of the day, if you want to drive then go ahead and drive, just watch your speed, be aware of the differences (in more ways than one) in driving habits, concentrate, and be CONFIDENT also watch the road conditions/surfaces.

 Make sure the vehicle you have if capable of making the hills, as some of them seem to get steeper & steeper (just take Kalkan, roads where the goats used to graze !!!).  But then again would you not think of all these things just driving around the UK or any other country.  Oh & make sure your documents are to hand incase of any RTA''''''''s and in Turkey if unfortunate to be involved in one DO NOT move your vehicle until police etc arrive.

 Why just last week here in the UK, whilst driving home down a good old country lane, sun shining, clear skies, I was nearly wiped out by a english driver trying to overtake on the narrow part with oncoming traffic, thankfully no damage or injury to myself or other vehicle, but the idiot did write his off after it went up the bank - now thats justice.

[MartynE]

I''d like to add my own cautionary tale to this.

I was waiting patiently in a slow moving traffic queue with the kids in the back (strapped safely in, of course)  and looked in my mirror to see a car racing up behind me. He obviously wasn''t going to stop in time but I managed to yell to the kids to brace themselves. He hit us and pushed my car into the car in front, writing off my car. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt but it was very frightening. Afterwards he said, in very bad English, that he hadn''''t realised I was moving so slow - like it was my fault!

Then, in another incident, Grace (my stepdaughter) was the front seat passenger in a car driven by her friend late at night on a poorly lit (well, unlit actually) and very bendy road.  Suddenly, round the corner in front of them some idiot came towards them at high speed on the wrong side of the road - luckily Kelly (Grace''s friend) had the presence of mind to swerve over the other side of the road. The other car glanced off the side of their car and spun around, crashing against a wall. The police said he died instantly.  Grace ended up with just whiplash and a broken foot but was obviously very traumatised and it totally ruined her holiday.

So you really do need to be careful as you just don''t know what these unpredictable and stupid drivers will do.

Even in England, where both of these incidents occurred.

[kalcamp]

That''s a great tale Martyn, I love the way you make a joke out of car accidents and at the same time distract people from the dangers of driving in Turkey, great I wish we could have more of that kind of humour on this forum!

[Chris18648]

Ouch..... Martyn.....don''t rise to this.

[fidimax]

If you want to hire a car,hire one,but be careful and very aware like any decent driver would at home.
If you would rather have a transfer and have no need  for a hire care, take a transfer,no worries.
                                             Nuff said !!!!!!!!

                                              Neil.

[kalkan4eva]

Kalcamp, I don''t see how you think Martyn was making a joke...quite the opposite!!

You shouldn''t confuse irony with humour.

[MartynE]

**Warning**Irony Alert**Warning**Irony Alert**

I have decided I should put this alert at the top of any posts that might confuse some of the less... err... switched-on members of the forum.

Kalkan4eva and Chris18643, thanks for getting my point. Enough said! No rising to the bait is necessary, but perhaps a simple explanation might help...

Kalcamp - I don''t find a 19 year old boy''s death funny either, but - explanation follows, no irony alert necessary here - I was trying to point out in a rather dignified  and subtle way (I thought) that there are awful drivers in England just as there are in Turkey and every other country you can think of.

The world is indeed a dangerous place, made more dangerous by idiots.

Did you see what I did there?

[Enişte]

My father was a driving examiner for years and always taught me to work on the basis that every other driver on the road is an idiot and will probably do something daft and to plan for any eventuality.  I have seen eccentric driving in many parts of the world and would suggest, despite the statistics helpfully provided by the UN, that Turkey is far from the worst place in the world to drive.  That said, sad to hear of the accident involving a Kalkan restaurateur mentioned earlier - any more news would be most welcome.

I am finding this forum extremely depressing this week - deadly roads, crime waves, fires.  I think I saw a locust just before we left!.....  Best stay indoors.  Any chance that we continue to try to keep things in proportion?  I have said over and over that I fully appreciate how serious these events are and how distressing to those involved, but can we all calm down?

OK, off to do some irony.... sorry, ironing. 

[Blackpool]

Funnily enough I drive when in Turkey. How can you have a proper holiday without a car?

Thanks to the guys at Enes tourism, their Fiat Albea is faster than a Veyron. Fethiye in 50 minutes. Get on down!! 

[Mrs B]

We manage to have a proper holiday without a car, but i imagine we all have a different idea of what a proper holiday is. 

On the subject of driving in Turkey, i''m unable to comment as i have never done so.
We both drive so much at home and we like to use our holiday as a break from driving, healthy eating, moderation, clocks etc. 
The airport transfers we use from Abi are A1, as i have said before.
We have never felt unsafe when being driven by our transfer drivers.

[sunlover]

i certainly have a lot of different answers.  I suppose it is like anything in life, different people have different views.  I guess we will just have to make our own mind up from our experience and hope that we do not come into direct contact with  any of the mad drivers on the road.  I know i have been in other countries and been scared stiff sitting in the back of a Taxi and having no control over what they are doing, often holding phone in one hand cigarette in other and speeding and overtaking on bends.  On one occasion in Gran Canaria on a coast road with a sheer drop, we were going fast, then there was a car in front of us so I thought "Good he Will have to slow down now" but instead he overtook it right on a bend, I thought that was it and we would be over the edge.  So I guess there are crazy drivers everywhere and we will have to hope for best when we drive in Turkey.

Thanks for all the comments
Will report back hopefully when we return.