Driving in Hungary

[Lotsokids]

Well, I've been in Hungary for over 1 month now, and I'm trying to get used to the different driving procedures. I thought you might enjoy learning how different it is here than, let's say... Seattle.

1. You MUST drive with your headlights on - it's the law. The first week I was here it was so sunny I could barely see anything. I had my sunglasses on and everything. Then I noticed multiple people flashing their lights at me - warning me that I didn't have my headlights on! That's very strange to me. A couple guys I work with have been pulled over by police for not having their headlights on. Sunny or not.

2. Other drivers respect your desire to pass, and in fact help you out. If the coast is clear, the car you are behind will flash his right turn signal telling you it's clear to pass. NOT AT ALL like the U.S. where they speed up when you attempt to pass. It's like, "how dare you pass me. I want to be first!" Passing here is accepted and it keeps me happy.

3. In Hungary, you cannot drive with your fog lights on in town or when it's not foggy. If you do, you again will be flashed by other cars. It offends them for some reason. I verified this with a Hungarian friend here.

4. Speed limits are just known, not always posted.


Other notes: There is NO ice, free refills, peanut butter, Mountain Dew, zip-lock bags, or automatic transmissions here. You also must purchase bags at the grocery store.

Anyway, thought you might like to know this stuff if you come over here. My family is doing great. We got a NICE house and van. Everything is going well.

 

[gamorg02]

glad to hear everything is going well. would u have felt comfortable w/the max?

 

[satariel666]

Well, I've been in Hungary for over 1 month now, and I'm trying to get used to the different driving procedures. I thought you might enjoy learning how different it is here than, let's say... Seattle.

1. You MUST drive with your headlights on - it's the law. ..

2. Other drivers respect your desire to pass, and in fact help you out...

3. In Hungary, you cannot drive with your fog lights on in town or when it's not foggy. ..

4. Speed limits are just known, not always posted.


Other notes: There is NO ice, free refills, , zip-lock bags, or automatic transmissions here. You also must purchase bags at the grocery store.
Anyway, thought you might like to know this stuff if you come over here. My family is doing great. We got a NICE house and van. Everything is going well.

Well i should say that europe is little diffrent world

1. Yep, in Poland this law working by at least 2 years. For driving without your headlight you can get big fat ticket. You will get use to it.

2. Try to ride the german autoban, some guys with supercars flying there over 200mph and if you will not let him clearly and fast he may create big garage in your ass LOL :rofl_200:

No speed limit on autoban.

I can remember my autoban ride at july. Flying about 150mph and spoted the blinking with headlight in my mirror. I guees the driver shouted: Get tha **** out of my way LOL :rofl_200:

Some peaple will blink with indicator instead headlight.

3.Again big fat ticket. Like headlight also fog light laws are common and preatty the same in whole europe.

4. Typicaly is 50kmh in bulit-up area and 90kmh on no bulit-up areas.
About 130kmh on highway. Preatty the same in whole europe.

That nonsense with paying for bags in grocery is quite new idea created by EU bureaucrats. Some like this idea and some not.

As for the peanut butter and Mountain Dew you must go to bigger supermarket and im sure you will find them. Hard to get in small shops.

I was in HU once, couple years ago. Preatty the same like PL.

In most hunguriang retourances you will always find the big jug with the water on the table. You will know why, soon enough

Hope you'll enjoyed

 

[4gasem]

Glad to hear everything is well!

Good luck

 

[Geek_Law]

What a great experience! I always enjoy driving in EU much more than in the US. So many ******* drivers in the US, and I seem to have found the epicenter of ******* drivers right here in Oregon, where they are worse than anywhere else.

Having a fast bike or car makes passing them not a problem, but they do quite literally speed up and try to prevent my doing so. Pricks.

Ice in the EU is pretty funny. You get some strange looks when you ask for Ice with your coke. Give up the mountain dew, you'll find coke every where. Just learn to like it ... and without ice

Also, I suspect that you will quickly find the work/life balance and attitude and general quality of life to be better in EU compared with that of the US. You may not want to come back. I really miss spending time there myself.

I know that you said you were gonna try to learn to speak the language, but get same dang tapes to listen to in the car and try to start learning the fundamentals. There is no better and faster way to learn than total immersion, but you need the basics first. You could probably learn the basics in a month by listening to tapes in your car during your commute.

I'm very jealous.

 

[MDoe8]

Always interesting to hear all the little tidbits about living in places around the world! I went to Italy for 16 days a couple years ago....

1. Normal portions of food. Perfectly sized. Not like the massive portions you get here in the states

2. Food also does not contain a crap ton of garlic, which seems to be the only "italian" ingredient to some people here in the states.

3. You order a pizza as....a pizza. No sizes, just one personal portioned pizza. And they are MUCH better!

4. Guys wear capri pants and that is the norm

5. Bidet's are in every hotel rooms bathroom!

6. Venice rocks!

 

[Lotsokids]

glad to hear everything is going well. would u have felt comfortable w/the max?

I think so. I find that I'm not as much of an angry or agressive driver here. Everyone just gets out of the way instead of BLOCKING traffic. That really ticks me off.

P.S. - Bread is in abundance here. You can buy a loaf so big you can barely carry it for about $1. That works for me!

 

[RaWarrior]

That's probably my biggest road-rage inducer of all, when you go to pass someone and they suddenly speed up, only to resume their previous lethargic pace as soon as you fall in behind them again. I've found the sure-fire way to deal with this is to gradually slow down yourself and put a fair amount of distance between you and the *******. When the road is clear, floor it and use the space in between to pick up speed, then blow around the douche before he has a chance to speed up again. Using this technique I've gotten a 1993 F-150 with 160hp around Hemi powered 300C's and other such cars with tons of wasted potential- being driven by some clown who always drives 10 under the limit. From what I've heard about Europe driving is much more "respected" as a whole, where in the US for most people it's the annoying time where they are not where they want to be.

Some stores in the US make you pay for bags now- namely the deep-discount off brand stores. I know "Sav A Lot" in the northeast does this...something like 3 cents per bag, trying to get everyone to carry their groceries in eco-friendly bags made of recycled diapers or something.

Glad to hear you're enjoying it.

 

[Geek_Law]

Sometimes on the sidecar I'll slowly creep around somebody just to see if they'll speed up ... if they don't, I'll just pass. If they do, then I drop the hammer. hehehe.

EU drives are SO MUCH more respectful. In the US, every slow drivers seems to think that they are a traffic cop, and out to enforce the speed limits themselves.

 

[Lotsokids]

Here's a video I took in Budapest showing the traffic light sequence Red-Yellow-Green. It's like a drag race at every light. Very cool, still working on my reaction times...

http://www.facebook.com/v/1188436077753

 

[Geek_Law]

It may be worth moving there just for the lights

Very cool.

 

[satariel666]

Most of EU countries use to have that kind of lights.