Hello all,
I am working on a manuscript which I hope will eventually turn into a book on driving in Turkey. The manuscript’s audience is mainly expats, so what better place to turn to than ExpatinTurkey? Ergo, to those of you who drive/have driven in Turkey, any anecdotes you might want to share? All material I collect from the board will be duly referenced and you will earn a prominent place in the book’s Acknowledgements
Thanks!
Bengu

It took me awhile to learn that in Istanbul the usage of the horn is a language of itself. There is the polite honk which is a brief toot and used in situations such as approaching uncontolled intersections or to inform the individual trying to maneuver a gargantuan SUV that he/she just may want to check their rear before backing onto the street. The response to the polite honk is generally a nod or the hand over the chest in a 'My bad' gesture.

There is also the serious, 'I mean business', honk which is longer and can be sustained to equal the rage of the offended. As a female driver, I recommend only using the serious honk for serious offenses, such as to deter a clueless driver veering into you at an alarming rate. The offender always gets a look like you just woke them up so I guess it is effective.

It is better to not use the serious honk for minor traffic annoyances (such as an individual with a stop sign darting in front/across the individual who is continuing along without a stop sign). This used to really piss me off and I would gleefully honk away until I learned via shouting matches that there are quite a lot of Turkish drivers who have no concept of 'right-of-way' and they certainly don't see it as my place to inform them.

Using the serious honk in less than a 'you were 5 cms from hitting my car' situation can be viewed as an act of aggression and can lead to you being chased by the honkee.

The best advice I have been given about driving in istanbul is not to worry too much on what happens behind you. - dont bother with your back mirror too much thus - concentrate on the cars in front and at the sides, and let those behind you worry about what you may do. it works.

The biggest hazards on the roads are
1. IETT buses
2. children on bicycles
3. pedestrians just crossing without looking

If you are polite it is seen as a weakness. you will never get anywhere, drive aggressively as if you are in a computer game dodging and ducking...trying to get to your destination first without being hit. get a big car... size counts... and gives you more confidence. dont worry about parking- the great thing is if you can't fit in to the parking spot some guys will always appear and help you or take your car away and park it.
more on this subject later...

biggest assholes on the roads are taxi drivers, dolmus drivers, yellow mini bus drivers and all mercedes owners. Also throw in the owners of all serce's and zooped up sahins.

[quote user="buluengin" post="90940"]All material I collect from the board will be duly referenced and you will earn a prominent place in the book’s Acknowledgements
[/quote]
I think payment in something a bit more tangible than an acknowledgement may be appropriate...

JF

approach traffic lights with caution.....

If it has just turned red, then check your mirror to see whether the car behind you is going to stop, if not drive through.

If it has just turned green then check traffic, as chances are someone will have driven through the red.

If a pedestrian, then check oncoming traffic even if you have right of way.... this may save your life!

“Lack of traffic discipline plus lack of experience of German road users in Turkey often result in traffic accidents. Be prepared that road users cut corners, pass you on the right and disregard road signs as basic principles.”

(Rough translation from this excellent paper on driving in Turkey from the German Embassy.)

[quote user="starman" post="90960"]biggest assholes on the roads are taxi drivers, dolmus drivers, yellow mini bus drivers and all mercedes owners. Also throw in the owners of all serce's and zooped up sahins.[/quote]

I would add to that list the school bus drivers (shame !) and the BMW owners ! (but these last ones are the same all over the world !)

Arnavutkoy running mafia between Rumeli and Baltalimani. why do they run in the road?

I think that once you accept and embrace that there are no rules and anything can happen at any time (everything from people driving backwards down a one-way street to ignoring traffic signals), driving in places like Istanbul can be quite liberating.

Thank you all so much for the replies! Please keep them coming. I can already see several themes emerging… the honking, reckless taxi and dolmus drivers, driving without checking the rear-view mirror, etc.

JohnF: How would you suggest I compensate people who contribute?

Burbaco: You might enjoy the following piece by a MySpace blogger named David. It’s about driving in India and horn use. Unfortunately, the original piece has been pulled off the web, but here’s an excerpt:

“Hey everyone I have been riding in motorized vehicles quite extensively in the past week. I have a few more words to say about driving in India. The number one most important thing in a Indian car is a horn. Without it you are an absolute pile of shit. A nobody. With no rights, no personality, no say, no anything. You don't exist. The only rule about horn use in India, is that it must be used constantly. The more a horn is used, the better the driver. They really get creative with horn use around here. Definately sound it whenever anything that moves enters the area of vision, and on ocasion even if it doesn't move, or its dead, or just because you wanted to see if the horn still functions. The rule of thumb is, honk whenever you see something, if it is in front of you, honk again. If it doesn't get out of your way instantly give it a coulple of long blasts... and a few short ones for good measure. If is going the same speed as you in the same direction, keep honking until you cut it off on the inside of a blind corner, or whip out into the oncomming traffic while they are honking at you and cut him off. If someone tries to pass you, honk. If there is a goat, honk. If there is a dude with sticks on his head, honk just to let him know you are driving, and he is walking with sticks on his head... for another 3 hours. If you see a guy walking his goats, honk twice. If you are in a traffic jam, never stop honking, because honking will eventually make the cars move faster. Traffic jams... I was in a traffic jam yesterday. In america people really believe in rules, especially traffic rules. In india, the only rule is the horn. Oh... and whenever faced with an oncoming vehicle racing toward you, veer to the left if it is much bigger than you, otherwise ignore it.”

addition to the asshole list:
1. all sorts of 'makam otosu' or anything similar driven by a hired driver, at the wheel with the gigantic ego of his employee on his shoulders.
2. Green drivers, especially female, who suppose it is safer for them to drive tank-size jeeps.

What definitely works on the road: "No, I am the maniac here, so <beep, beep, hoonnk, horn> off!!" attitude.

Also see: Chariot racing in ancient Rome.

When I first visited Izmir with my then boyfriend now husband , I thought every one knew him because all the cars were beeping their horns! He soon put me wise!

Watch out for youngsters behind the wheels. Fond of zigzagging through the traffic.

Oooh...I'm still a relative newbie on the road (5 months and counting), but my "favorite" is the game of chicken you play on narrow roads. I attempted to drop off a friend in the back neighborhoods of Bebek, where the streets are narrow and steep, and cars were parked along both sides. Since I've had problems on this particular road before, I asked my friend to stay in the car while I drove past her place, up a very steep and narrow hill, turned around and came back to her front door. All was well until a woman pulled about 25 meters into the road in front of me, effectively blocking me from exiting. I attempted to signal for her to back up (all of 25 meters!), and she refused. Then a neighbor came out and also asked her to back up, and again she refused. Then my friend asked her to back up, and she didn't even answer (all the while giving me the "back up" signal). Sad to say, but she had me in tears because she was asking me to back about 100 meters down the narrow road, and to back another 100 meters up a steep and narrow hill (and I'm a relatively new driver here). Eveeeeentually, the kind neighbor came to my rescue. He offered to back my car all the way up the hill to avoid the inevitable cat fight between two female drivers. He did so without destroying my car, and the other woman zooted past without looking at us.

Next time I think I'll leave my car where it is and go into to have tea. I'm not sure what the road etiquette in this situation is supposed to be, but I found it infuriating....

Kiki