Dear readers,
Please note the date of this post. The information was accurate (by my estimation of the situation) at the time of posting. I’m well aware that much of it is no longer true. Snapshot social commentary nearly always loses relevance and accuracy over time. Things change. That’s how the universe works. As such, I’d like to invite those of you who find this information to be offensively inaccurate by today’s standards to please stop leaving angry comments and sending me hate mail about how old, and therefore disgracefully incorrect, my commentary (by your estimation of the situation) may be.
Thank you.
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- My ride
For the purposes of my research, I have acquired a 1990 Dacia 1310. Romanian-made, with all the power and reliably that you would expect from a car manufactured in the second poorest country in Europe. This car is the ultimate disposable car. It’s built to die young. But Romanians can’t afford to buy a new car every 18 months, so everyone that owns a Dacia is forced to become an accomplished mechanic. The good news is that, unlike virtually all other modern cars, Dacias are simple and built so that any idiot with a screwdriver and no fear of grease can get to any part of the engine and fix it. There’s no micro-processors, no motherboards and no digital anything. It’s only equipped with the bare minimum of parts to make it go and that’s it.
Why did I buy this piece of shit? For several reasons. First and foremost, it looks exactly like the 20 million other Dacias in Romania. These cars are cheap and low-profile, meaning that not even the most desperate thief would consider wasting their time breaking into the thing to steal my backpack, the combined contents of which are more valuable than four 1990 Dacia 1310s. Also, as I mentioned, any dough-head can fix it. Not necessarily me mind you, but everyone else. Moreover, the parts and labor will be a pittance. Finally, being the most popular car in Romania will work in my favor when it comes time to sell it. There won’t be any need to put an ad in the paper or list it on the Internet. All I need to do is drive it around town with a ‘for sale’ sign in the window for a few hours and I’ll have plenty of offers. Sorted.
That said, this car needs more care and attention than a newborn baby. I have to pop the hood and fiddle with the engine virtually every single day. There’s always a thingy to clean, or a loose wire to wiggle or a smell to investigate. There’s no just starting it and zipping to the store real quick. Every trip requires anywhere from 10-20 minutes prep time. To start, you have to give it a good once over before something as intense as starting it up can happen. You begin by walking a slow, full circle around the thing to see what fell off during the night, or what is leaking from where, or which wheel deflated, and so forth. Once you’ve completed this loop, making all due repairs, then you can get in the car. Particularly in the winter, there is a complex ritual for starting a Dacia. If it’s especially cold or you haven’t started the car for a few days, your first step is not to put the key in the ignition, but, yes, pop the hood and lean way in there to finger-pump the primer. Three pumps is recommended. Then you get back in the car, pull the choke out all the way – that’s right, I said “choke” – stab the key into the ignition, make sure it’s in neutral, pump the gas pedal three times, say the Lord’s prayer and turn the key.
If you’re lucky the car will make a quiet, pathetic noise (“uuuuuhhhhggg”), at which point you stomp on the gas and it will roar to life. You must keep you foot on the gas for 10 minutes or so for it to warm up enough so that it will keep running when you lift your foot off the gas, burning a litre of fuel in the process. After that you’re off. There are a dozen “unlucky” scenarios, but I’ll spare you those details. Suffice to say that it’s just best to expect the unexpected.
- The (Lack of) Rules of the Road
I’ve done a decent amount of driving in Romania now and I’d like to impart some valuable lessons to you.Until recently, it wasn’t uncommon for drivers in Romania to acquire their license with a small bribe, a bottle of cognac and a wink, rather than training and testing. Seeing their driving skills, I often wonder if anyone was trained. There isn’t a single driver in Romania who has any sense of their own mortality. All driving is done at a frenetic, almost maniacal pace, even just to go to church. Though the speed limit on the motorways is 100-110KPH, anyone going slower than 130 draws the ire of all but the horse-drawn carts and the older, ailing Dacias (like mine). Even a few seconds behind a slower car is enough to drive a Romanian driver into a frothing rage. With the horn blaring, high-beams flashing and middle finger at high salute, they will execute violent, high-risk passes on blind curves in bad weather, coming within inches of clipping other cars, horse carts and people (Romanians have this strange compulsion to walk in the road, even in the city where sidewalks are plentiful) in order to get past you and your sorry excuse for a car. Essentially, the mentality of the Romanian driver is this: If you’re not the fastest vehicle on the road, you’re not really trying. According to my own Lonely Planet, driving regulations are officially this: “In Romania, there is a 0% blood-alcohol tolerance limit, seat belts are compulsory in the front and back seats (if fitted), and children under 12 are forbidden to sit in the front seat. Speed limits are indicated, but are usually 90km/h on major roads, 100-110km/h on motorways, and 50km/h inside cities. Having a standard first-aid kit is also compulsory. Honking unnecessarily is prohibited, and headlights need not be turned on in the daytime.”
Unofficially, there is no law. I am the only person that I’ve ever seen wear a seat belt, and indeed, if you strap yourself in while in someone else’s car, the driver will be deeply offended, even if you pathetically try to explain that if you are involved in a car accident and you are not wearing your seatbelt, your insurance will not cover you by evacuating you to a reputable hospital in Germany. Speed limits and stop lights are ritually ignored and those who try to adhere to basic road conventions are considered a menace. The average Romanian driver uses the horn more than the brakes, whether it’s to signal that you are in his way or the red light is taking too long for his liking or your shoe is untied or he has arrived outside your apartment block at 2:30AM and that you should come out to speak with him. Drunk driving is a matter of course on the weekends in the city and all winter long in the countryside.
In recent years, as nicer cars have made their way into Romania due to the advent of personal bank loans and television teaching Romanians to live beyond their means, an ugly, unwritten road hierarchy has developed. That being, the person with the nicer car has the right-of-way. This applies to stop sign intersections, passing slow trucks, snatching parking spots and line-jumping at the car wash. Example, if there is a slow truck, followed by three Dacias and then a BMW, the BMW driver will take the first opportunity to pass the entire parade in one swoop (or weave in and out of the line to avoid oncoming cars, wholly expecting the Dacias to slow and make space for him) and if one of the leading Dacias should attempt to pass the truck during this interval, there’ll be hell to pay. A warning to all Romanian drivers visiting America: If you exhibit this behavior while driving anywhere in the US, particularly Los Angeles or Texas, you will involved in gun-play within the hour of your arrival.
I’ve heard a bit of hearsay about police targeting expensive cars and, in particular, cars with non-Romanian license plates for bribe shakedowns. Whether or not this is true, I imagine this type of thing will become more and more rare as anti-corruption pressure bears down and more locals start driving Mercedes. As is more and more common, once an individual has sunk his life savings into the expensive car, there’s literally no money left to appease opportunist cops (or even to eat a reasonable meal), and the authorities have already figured this out. Whatever the case, as a foreigner, being on your best driving behavior is advised, even if it means being the goat to every other vehicle on the road.
By the way, if an oncoming car flashes its high-beams at you, there’s a cop up ahead and you should immediately move to the far right of the road and slow to an appropriate groveling crawl, so as not to give him any excuse to pull you over and torment you for arbitrary offences (“Your car is too dirty”).
- Winter Driving
Take the white-knuckle, lawless nature described above, quadruple it and that’s driving in Romania in the winter. While there is small fleet of plows with a passing dedication for clearing the roads, there is no countermeasure in place for dealing with ice. No sand or salt and certainly no adjustment on the part of Romanian drivers to account for the conditions. Accidents are frequent. And it’s not just the maniacs taking high speed, blind turns on black ice. Within four days of acquiring my car, I was involved in two minor, yet alarming super-slow, ice related accidents. Once drifting into a bank of ice and snow during a U-turn, shattering my front-right turn signal (repaired in six minutes for US$3) and once downhill and backwards, with foot and parking brakes applied, into a parked earthmover. Whether it be a dangerously steep street or a busy national road, ice is left to sit and cause havoc until it melts in the spring.
While Romania’s roads are normally a heart-quickening moonscape of potholes and ruptures, requiring total vigilance at all times, winter adds to the excitement with snow camouflaging these impediments. You don’t know they’re there until the car bottoms out in a hole the size of a cow, which you’re helpless to avoid anyway as a quick evasive swerve would send you spinning off into a corn field. It’s because of these conditions/accidents that I have suspended the bulk of my driving-related research until March.
March 10th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
ye ain’t seen nufin’ mate !!! & your comments are fit for a nunnery prep school ..instead of being polite with your audience ( what audience ??? I hear you say .. ) you should have given the facts of life in an uncompromising manner … like : mates , do not assume that driving drunk like a sconk will land you in any trouble & such like as long as a few $ bills or Euros will sort you out in a giffy… see what I mean ??? – mind you I am born & bred in Bucharest & I know what I am talking about !!! At Your service , allways , Winnie Bucur ( shipwrecked in Israel … )
May 2nd, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Spot on to the main article writer. Just done 1,800km in 4 days in Romania and witnessed all of the above! Thankfully it wasn’t in a 1310 but not in a good enough car to skip the overtaking line – we were certainly outcarred a number of times… Having survived 4 days of crazy drivers, bulls, sheep, horses, geese, cement mixers etc in the roads… and a road that literally just ended with a drop of 2m off the end of the tarmac and a number of off-roading dacias looking for another way round… the irony was that 20m from the car hire drop off, we contrived to hit a tram (the last thing we were looking for whilst looking out for all the above!!!)
May 30th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
I’m heading there in 2 weeks- now I know what good times I have to look forward to… ;)
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Thank you I am taking on this ordeal in August!!Can anyone give me some information on obtaining auto insurance in Romania.
Thank You.
Tom.
June 3rd, 2007 at 10:00 am
Tom – check out the Romania transport page at http://www.romaniaandmoldova.com
July 20th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
I am an American living in Romania and you are very accurate. The liability insurance on a rental car (3 day minimum rental) is whopping $5,000 coverage. A Romanian friend yesterday was involved in an accident when his brakes failed (Dacia 1310) and he has insurance. He had to agree to pay the doctor in advance before the guy can have his operation; which is under the table since it is socialized medicine here. He will also have to sign a 5 year agreement as to how he will help this guy financially. And he has insurance. This is Romania; skip it for another 10 years if you can. Even Dracula left.
July 30th, 2007 at 12:49 am
The roads in Romania are more dangerous than the drivers. From Holland the last 500 km to our destination in Transylvania take as long as the first 1500 km. The lack of highways is making every driver crazy. There were more than enough funds for at least 2 highways since 1990. The money disapeared into the holes of the old roads. In 17 years the Romanian government could only realize 1 cm of highway for each Romanian car. Without safer roads there will never be safe driving.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Excellent article, made me (an owner of Dacia 1310) laugh so hard). All my friends reading the article laughed too :)
So accurate.
September 5th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
wow, well written witty and factually ACCURATE article!!! My father in law has the same car as yours and you have accurately described every journey we make starts with these checks, he goes out 20minutes ahead to check and warm up the car, I now know why! I am often in Cluj and Bistrita and life in Romania is exactly as you describe it. I really am too scared to drive there. Well done mate. DRUM BUN!!!!
October 8th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
i’ve read your article,recommended by my boyfriend…everything you say is true but you have omitted the women drivers that have no idea they have the high beam on and that you’re struggling to see ahead because you’re dazzled…or the fact that they don’t use the signal and just suddenly turn before you …that’s why you have to keep a “safety” distance up to the car in front,because with romanian drivers,you never know what to expect…i’m thankful that all the drivers i ride with (my sis,dad,friends) do not frame in this category…good luck and try not to get killed by any psychopath driver
October 15th, 2007 at 10:11 am
the so called ritual of starting the car is 100% true … only in the summer when it’s warmer you could actually leave the place with your Dacia in about 10 to 15 minutes :) … in the winter -> no comment :D … about the driving capabilities of the romanian horde :) -> we were born F1 drivers and we don’t know it :)) … , … the part about ”acquire their license with a small bribe, a bottle of cognac and a wink” is true only about 15% …,… what can i say … you have to love Romania …
March 23rd, 2008 at 8:24 pm
In the Romania i saw the nicest cars in the whole Europe, the romanian people interest are in good quality cars and they do buy allot of them you need to visit Bucharest to see the difference …
April 4th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Hi,
How’s the situation with drivers licenses now?
I am moving to Romania and have a Canadian license.
Can I use it indefinitely or do I have to get a romanian license? And for getting the romanian license, can I exchange my canadian license or do I have to take exams, etc ?
thanks!
April 4th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Robert – driving has unimaginably improved in Rom. Both the roads and the care that people take in traversing them. It’s still high speed chaos at times, but it’s improving due to crackdowns on crazy driving and drunken driving. If Canadian laws are like American laws in the EU, your home country license will work (officially) for 30 days. Beyond that, you’ll need an International Drivers License, issued by Canada.
How long are you planning to stay? If it’s longer than a year, I’m not sure how that works. I may be wrong, but in order to get an actual Romanian drivers license, I think you may have to be a legal resident, if not a citizen. Not sure. An International Drivers License will take you through the first year, after that, you’ll have to ask around on the ground. For the record, I drove in Rom for 18 months and never got an International License. Whenever I was stopped, I pulled out my passport, the officer took one look at it and waved me on. I don’t think most of them are aware of the 30-day home country license rule. But if you’re ever involved in an accident, that little subterfuge may not last. If you’re gonna be there long term, you might as well pursue official avenues, assuming those avenues will comply without months of bureaucracy and bribery! In places like Romania, it’s often easier and cheaper to just go the illegal route rather than spend the rest of your life trying to satisfying whimsically set bureaucratic tasks and paying “fees” to every crooked clerk in the city.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Thank you Leif for your answer.
I am planning to be more than 12 months and during and after this 12 months also drive in other EU countries.
So I figured that it would be worthwhile to get EU licence (since IDP only lasts for 12 months outside of Canada). And if I could easily get that in Romania (i.e. by exchanging my canadian licence) that would be great. I definitely wouldn’t want to go to romanian language drivers’ school there or whatever the “long route” approach there is.
April 5th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I subscribe 90% of what this article said..beeing romanian..I also want to mention that if you ever had the chance todrive in florida..you will find diving in Romania a luxuriant way to go from A to B…
The floridians are the worst drivers in the world…in top with womens drivers..and of course with seniors between 80 and 120 years old…and I’m not kidding…
90% of them don’t use the signal when they changing lanes..more than that ..they don/t even know from where to do that…Stop signs are where you have 100% visibility and you should have a yield..The people are so stupid that the police officer needs to write on a yield sign in bold letters “YIELD” and so forth..Don’t even try of think to cross the street where a cross sign is mark on the road..nobody will stop..that is just to create some diversity for the drivers to not sleep in the car..Dont try to also to to drive faster than some black persons with 80’90′ Cadillacs..A family was shoot this month on I4..because of that…
Talking about 90′s american cars…Think you kidding me..ALL the american cars, except 60′ 70′ are piece of crap..they are design to go exact 18 months with of course 10-12 mpg..
So kiddo..give me a break with this article.All over the world will be stupid drivers, people who doesn’t respect rules..You wanna have a luxiriand drive with a 16 years old car???!!!! Do this in america if you can
April 6th, 2008 at 6:37 am
I lived the first 30 years of my life in Romania, the next 28 in California and a large part of the last 2 in Romania again.
Driving all over, I have opinions.
The article is quite factual and funny at places. It misses some facts that I’ll try to add, and it makes
a few errors that I’ll try to correct.
In 2007 I’ve been living in Romania 8 months out of 12. I am driving a 2001 Peugeot 306. It’s a spacious
station wagon that has plenty of power, plenty of room, cost me about $10,000 new and burns 5-6 liters
per 100 km, or 30 to 40 mpg. (Try buying something similat in the US!)
My California Driver License seems to be just fine. I’ve been stopped a few times, involved in a small
fender-bender once. Never was I asked something about my Drivers License, not even when I had to fill-up
the accident report.
I believe drunk driving is almost non-existent in Romania. Penalties are just too steep for the Romanian Driver.
If somebody nicks your fender at a traffic light, you will have to go to the police station and be tested for blood
alcohol. Even if you are 100% not guilty, if you have more than 0% blood alcohol at a minimum you will
loose you license for a few months. If some people drive like they seem to be drunk, that’s another story.
I take the liberty to have a glass of wine with dinner before driving, but almost all of my Romanian friends
who drive have a zero tolerance for alcohol. Some of them, even after moving to California, carry over the
same concept
Although rude beyond description, most Romanian drivers have driving skills way over the skills of my
driving companions in California. Maybe there are too many Asian and Mexican drivers where I live,
but driving in Romania is a survival test, while driving in California is a tango. People develop skils
when they have to survive.
A few years ago Romania passed a law making it illegal for a policeman to stop you without a reason.
After living 30 years under communism, I can really appreciate this law. Every time I was stopped in Romania
in the last 18 years there was a very good reason for it, and the policeman was quick to explain it.
Corruption is present and I do not believe I’ll see it disapear in my lifetime (I am 56). You can buy your
way out of a traffic ticket, you just have to know the proper language. You can almost never accomplish
something in society without bribing everybody on the way. The choice is pretty simple, you either play
by the local rules or you don’t play.
April 7th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
A pretty funny and fairly accurate description. It’s a good warning to any North American unfamiliar to fast paced driving, who plans driving in Romania. A bit exaggerated, but that’s what makes it funny.
I drove for about 6 years in Romania. I’d like to add that the description only applies to 30% of the drivers (or maybe 60% in Bucharest and 15% in the rest of the country).
1. You shouldn’t expect compassion or understanding regarding situations where right of way is involved. Let me give you a quick example so you can understand what I mean.
(((ex: My wife, when learning to drive, took a too wide U-turn and ended up hitting the sidewalk in an intersection. All the cars stopped and waited for me and my wife to switch places and clear the road/ be safe. This happened in southern California. If this would have happened in Bucharest, cars wouldn’t have stopped, and even the ones that were stopped would start moving, always finding a way around you, some of the hastier ones even bumping and scratching your car blinded by rage, rage that overcomes any material damage to their car, only so that they can proceed to the next intersection. Occasionally, some would slow down or stop, but only to curse you or mock you ))). The Bucharest situation is taken a bit towards the extreme to make it funny, but it’s based on things that I’ve experienced myself. It doesn’t apply to the rest of the country.
2. Try to stay in the car if you are involved in an accident. You’ll be avoiding being hit by cars or the other driver involved in the accident, especially if the other driver has an Audi, BMW or Mercedes – cars typically driven by thugs or people that share their culture.
As for women drivers and high beams, I’d happily take the high beam of the Dacia over the low beam of a truck or HID light. They are plentiful around SoCal, and I’m seriously considering avoiding driving at night now. And although traffic is pretty calm around here (I’ve been driving in SoCal for a little over a year), I’ve had my share of good scares from people who never signal and/or rarely check mirrors/look over the shoulder. Come to think of it, if it weren’t for the driving skills developed in Romania, who knows what might have happened… That and Asian/Mexican drivers…
Winter driving. This is where you got it wrong.
First, your description of road conditions is wrong. They don’t let the ice sit until it melts, they do spread sand and salt, it’s just that they are not so quick about it :) Same goes for snow.
As for your little snow incidents, it’s only you to blame there.
In SoCal, when those kind of road conditions occur (rarely and locally), they close the road and you’ll be spending hours and hours stuck in your car and getting ever more snowed in. Which one would you choose? And when they re-open the road, you should really see SoCal drivers in the snow, that makes for some additional hours… My record is 8 hours. I would have driven across Romania in that time.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Hi there, Could anyone tell me how easy it would be to buy a drivers licence in Romania. And do you know where and who?. But not a fake one, it would have to be official. Thank you
April 12th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Driving from Hungary into Romania is like driving from the U.S. into Mexico. The driving, the garbage, the lack of infrastructure. It’s a combination of it all that makes driving so difficult in RO.
Maybe I’m being unfair. It’s not ALL Romanian drivers. It’s probably more like 5%. 5% that KNOW how to drive. The other 95% are hopeless.
If the roads were better (paved not patched) that would help.
If there were reflectors and lights (reflectors covered in mud do not count) that would help.
If there were lines on the road (lines covered in mud do not count) that would help.
If the SCOALA’s actually taught people to drive (going 2km/hr does not count) that would help.
If Romanain drivers had to spend a week driving in a real European country (and no – Romania does not count – Europe is a mindset, not a geography) that would help with the attitude and blind selfishness.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:25 am
The article is a little bit too ironic and not fair enough. It’s no one’s fault that 10 million people cannot afford anything but a Dacia 1300!!Driving in Romania has improved dramatically in the last years. Just follow up the rules and the speed limits and you won’t have any problems.The article fits for driving in Bucharest but the rest of the country I think is quite ok. Obtaining your driving license by bribing is also quite a story! I don’t know if this could apply to more than 0.5% of the drivers. I even know a couple of police officers who are in jail now for such things
The real problem comes out of the lack of infrastructure: no highways, no markings,etc. This can get you nuts sometimes. So you really have no time to make sightseeing.You have to constantly keep your eyes open to the road and traffic. I wouldn’t advice anybody for night-time driving.
Most of the roads marked as “european roads” are in quite good shape but they cross through villages and cities . That makes difficult to have an average speed over 65kph. Getting directions can be an adventure so a GPS would be a good option. It’ now easy to find good maping for Romania, too.
April 21st, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I’ve not read all of this thread but will study it later….I was really looking forward to driving through Slovakia, Ukraine and then down to Bucharest in summer, now am not so sure :-)
I’ll be alone – am I mad as a fish or will I be safe travelling this way….?
April 27th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
People please, keep in mind the date that this article was posted. I agree, a lot has changed/improved since I wrote this, but I stand firmly behind everything that I said as of winter 2006.
I failed to give a frame of reference in the article, but I was living and driving mostly in the north and east of Romania (Iaşi, etc) for much of the time I lived there.
Sure, snow removal was attempted, but rarely as successful as you would hope. Driving in Moldavia and Maramures in February and March was the most treacherous driving I have ever done. Ice and snow was NOT satisfactorily removed from the countryside roads, even many of the so-called “European roads” were still pretty bad. We literally could not go more than 50 KPH most of the time without risking our lives. And of course the potholes and crumbling roads made it all worse. But I know road repairs have been going at a frantic pace, so hopefully this has already been fixed, or it will be soon.
Marika – I can’t speak on driving in Ukraine or Slovakia, but, as has been said above, driving in Rom in summer shouldn’t be too bad. Defensive driving, obviously. Don’t try to compete with the Romanians who have no sense of their mortality. You will die, or at least wreck your car with one of those lunatics and be blamed for everything at the police station. Just like driving in Mexico, the tourist is almost always wrong. And never leave anything that’s valuable in the car. Break-ins are still common.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I’ve just come back from Timisoara in Western Romania, I did a bit of driving over 2 days, and on the same route. I had a Scoda the first day that smelt of cabbage, and drove like a dog, and a Dacia Logan the second day – yes it was basic, but I found it easier to drive than the Scoda, and I didn’t have the start up problems mentioned by others in this thread.
Town drivers aren’t too bad in my opinion, just as good/bad as French or Italian drivers, and pedestrians at crossings in Timisoara are wierdly well behaved – generally they will not cross, even if there is no on-coming traffic) until the walk/don’t walk green man shows Even odder is that drivers stop at crossings to allow pedestrians to cross!
Outside of town, some roads are good, others are very bad. There are horse and carts and tractors to overtake, and holes in the road so big that you can bathe in (if you wanted to). Romanian drivers, as stated by another contributor to this thread WILL overtake you – whether it’s a straight road with fast oncoming traffic, on the brow of a hill, on a blind corner, or double hairpin bend.
While I was there, My G/f said that in the local paper, it was reported that 4 were killed in a car crash, because the driver overtook a tractor on a railway crossing, while talking on his mobile via a Bluetooth earpiece, he lost control, skidded and crashed.
It seems that EU cash is coming through to improve the roads and general infrastructure, but it’s going to take time to filter through.
A handy hint for country driving is that one must slow to 40kph in villiages, and put dipped headlights on – this is to avoid the cows, geese, ducks, and any other livestock that wanders onto the road. In town, you only need to watchout for the native mad drivers, some pedestrians, trolly buses, buses, trams – my town doesn’t have trams so it’s something I needed to keep very much in mind.
I haven’t driven in Bucharest, but the advice I’ve had is: “only drive there if you really really cannot avoid it”
Rick
May 19th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I accidentally stumbled over this.., let’s say article, and I couldn’t resist saying/objecting something. I must specify that I am a proud owner of a Dacia 1310 from 1993 that roars at every pushed gas pedal, well attended and with minor accidents ( i might say none). About the “article” I must say:
Mate if we would have the money to buy a new car we would drop our Saints Dacia and “upgrade” the national-auto-park in a blink. However the low leveled economy does not permit that so we drive what we have, we repair what we have, and that is Dacia. And I must say, if you learn how to drive a car like this you will have the skill “to maneuver a submarine”. It’s our national car like Americans have Fords and the British MG’s and so on. Still, in present, you see many of those cars on the roads of GB and US.
No, but you must object about, in essence, a good car, the Romanian’s auto symbol and my a ask why? And the answer maybe will come…
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:57 pm
@Rick – Dacia Logan is a different story, it is NOT the same thing as the Dacia 1300 that Leif mentioned; Dacia 1300 is basically a Renault 12… a very good car, at it’s time (1969, that is… the trouble with it is that it was produced ’till 2004, with little modifications – if we don’t count lowering the production quality as a ‘modification’ :P ).
OTOH, Dacia Logan was designed “from scrap” by Renault, and is produced by Renault (production started in 2004), in the same factory but with slightly more modern equipment & better production processes. It is a relatively modern car, not at all similar with old Dacia.
Take into consideration also that the car Leif was driving was 16 years old, its age also explains, at least partially, the ‘performance’.
About driving in Romania – Leaf, I am surprised at one thing: yes, I agree that there are a lot of cases of reckless driving (and I do think that this is mostly due to the poor infrastructure – if a 300-km drive would take 3h on the highway instead of 6-7 h driving through lots of villages, and behind slow Dacias 1300 like the one you were driving – I would think that these would be drastically be reduced). BUT: even in these conditions, road rage almost NEVER gets as bad as to involve gun-play(!!!). You make it sound that driving in US is much, much more dangerous than driving in Romania. But then again, I saw more drunk driving in US than in Romania (it’s true that I didn’t drive much in Moldova), so maybe by you actually do consider driving in US to be more dangerous :)
Oh, and another comment: I do drive a Dacia (Logan, not 1300). But when a BMW (or whatever other car) weaves in and out of the line, overtaking the cars one by one, including mine- I do slow down to make place for him, and I consider that slowing down is the perfectly natural behaviour for any normal driver, for at least three reasons:
a. You don’t know why he is in a hurry; don’t rush to judge him just by the fact that he has a BMW. Yes, in many cases, he may be just an idiot… but in others, there may be a real emergency. How do you make the difference?
b. It is much less risky for him to have a lateral collision with you than a frontal collision with the truck coming the opposite direction… so if you want to stay alive, it’s much safer to make a little room, you won’t loose any time at all because at the next half-opportunity he will overtake the car in front of you.
c. Assuming you know 100% that he is actually just an idiot, and also assuming you have a much larger car and aren’t afraid of lateral collision (e.g. say you drive a Hummer and he drives a Yaris) – would you like to have him on your conscience? You are effectively killing him by not making enough room for him to re-enter the line. Is it really worth it?
Oh, and one final comment: according to Romanian law, if the BMW from your case started overtaking maneuver before you did, even though you were ahead – then you should NOT start overtaking the vehicle in front of you until the BMW passed by you. I find this law to be reasonable, and I suspect there should be similar provisions in the US and any other EU laws… but even if there aren’t, this IS the law in Romania, and you should obey it while driving here. It’s best for everybody’s safety :) (if you started overtaking before the BMW did… well, he may flash its lights or even use his horn if he is truly an idiot… but there really is nothing that he can do to prevent you from finishing your maneuver, is it? nor is it any risk of accident for you…)
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:17 am
actually, I do have one more comment, about the “lack of law” :)
What is typically ignored in Romania are the speed limits (almost everybody drives with at least 70km/h through the villages that are frequently located along “european” roads… but it is very infrequent to see anybody drive faster than 100km/h since at that speed you will loose your license on-the-spot, if caught). Also, it is not really uncommon to see drivers that ignore continuous lines and “overtaking forbidden” signs, although in this case they also risk loosing their license (this is also caused by the fact that this kind of road signage is often absurd, you may find that you have a continuous line between lanes in places with excellent visibility).
But other than that, the driving rules are typically obeyed. Especially those related to ‘priority’ – if you are involved in an accident and you didn’t obey priority rules, things are not looking good for you. That is, unless you are an american citizen driving drunk and ignoring the ‘stop’ signs – in this case, the american embassy will promptly evacuate you and you will be judged in US, where they will find that as a decorated US soldier, it was your natural right to run over those bastards from a third-world country. :)
(see… I just remembered, there were cases of drunk driving in Bucharest; they just didn’t involve romanian drivers :P )
June 6th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Funny but not all true. At least from my point of view. It’s true that this article was written in 2006 and things have really changed since (and they are still changing for the better). And it’s also true that things differ a lot depending on which part of the country you are. I live and drive in Timisoara, and I have to say that generally people are different here, the drivers too. It’s sad, I know, but that’s the reality. Because of the economical conditions here, people can afford better cars and generally a more ‘European’ life style. And that translates into driving too.
And about the law… it is generally obeyed. Of course, like everywhere there are exceptions, but not at all as bad as described here. Yes, the roads are bad, most of them, unfortunately, but there have been improvements in that department as well.
As for the ludicrous idea of BUYING a driver’s licence… I’m sure it’s not possible (any more, at least).
And it annoys me to see that some foreigners complain about the lack of law obedience and corruption in Romania, but at the same time they try to break the law here, a thing they would never try in their own country. So, danny, to answer your question, the way to buy a driver’s licence in Ro is as ‘easy’ as everywhere else, you have to know the ‘right’ people and have the money…(At least that’s what I saw in movies) :-P
And one more thing: a good driver is a good driver everywhere, and I strongly think Romanians are good drivers. And the Dacias have made them good mechanics too. :-)
June 13th, 2008 at 1:10 am
I have Driven to Romania and back from the UK 3 times and spent the best part of a year travelling to many parts of the country in a 4 ton Motorhome . I must say that I found this article and thread very entertaining and agree with most of the points raised . I must say that I every time I went out on the roads I felt that I took my life in my hands , and of course my precious carriage which I dearly love .
However that aside driving in Romania has been one of the most memorable and enjoyable periods in my life and I cannot wait to do it again in July 2008 . Having driven in Florida and Canada , I would say that this was good training for my ventures on the Romania “highways” I love Romania , even the not so nice bits… Take care out there everyone have a nice Life ….Ken Boy
August 8th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Well, Leif… a lot has changed since 2006, still, your fault for getting a Dacia, and driving in Moldova… I mean… come on dude… Moldova?? Well… try driving in Greece and then you`ll find Romanian drivers the nicest people ever…You have a very funny way, but still… try to keep it a little less funny and a little more real… On the other hand, roads are better, drivers still crazy, Dacia shitty… I mean, even my bed is more aerodynamic than the Dacia Logan… want to have fun driving, get a better car… Hate driving in Romania, there are such things called trains… they get you from point A to point B plus(!!!) you can sleep, read, or do whatever… amazing invention!!!
November 19th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Wow and i thought i was being rude, or crazy, but yes the people here can not drive and is a scary thing. I explain to my girl friend that driving 100 km down a small road threw the city is so dangerous, the people here do seem to be very behind the times. 3rd world in every sense of the word. Its old and has culture, but is very trashy, the roads a nightmare the driving is worse, people tend to stair rudely on a route bases at anything you do even if it is simply tieing of a shoe lace.Not to mention everyone is always trying to rip u off, so buyers beware! My advice is stop building statues of people from the past and start fixing the roads, bring the buildings and health standards into the 20th century. Not to be harsh but, Im not impressed with this place and would only recomend visiting a few places, over all it sucks. sorry just being honest.dacia 1310 sucks to:)
December 8th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I don’t know exactly WHERE have you been driving to see only Dacia 1300… maybe the villages. However, for a change, you should try the cities, and… I doubt you’ll see in a regular american city so many Audi, BMW or Mercedes.
You’re right, unfortunately, about the roads and the idiot drivers and if the infrastructure will, eventually, become better, I have serious doubts related to driver incompetence. On the other hand, I have seen stupid drivers everywhere I went, so that’s not a local brand.
December 9th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
wow …now thats a scary depiction of romanian roads but its actually not true ..
1.roads were like the martian surface..now are improving and in most areas are in a pretty good shape..remember ceausescu considered motorways useless and we started building them recently..so everyone got a headstart
2.20 milion dacias ??!well in timisoara and in western romania(only part of romania that i know very well) 8 out of 10 cars are foreign and all the old dacias are to be taken off the roans in 2009 .no romanian dares to venture on a long trip with a dacia thus dacias are a minor issue involving accidents,i berely see dacias 1300 anymore ,,only a handful of them left
3.bribes ..now here is where you are wrong …it used to be indisciplined and i admit i liked it ..but things changed i got my license suspended 7 months .everyone coming with the ideea that you can “buy” a driving license will make the front page of a newspaper ..very serious situation..recently they started giving rewards in cash to cops that report bribery attempts …and the guilty will get a criminal record .”buying” driving license is a privilege only for politicians ,judges ,their relatives ..so is bribery
4 drivers ..true ..i think even if the roads were perfect and everyone would drove ferraris notjing changes ..recently a guy with a ferrai killed a young couple on the sidewalk in here in timisoara..thus good car ,good road,crazy driver=fatal accident
January 18th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
I am planning a road trip from the UK to Ukraine, then following the black sea coast through Romania and Bulgaria before cutting back across Serbia and Croatia.
What are the chances of successfully travelling through and returning with three relatively expensive and nice looking sportsbikes intact?
And more to the point, what are the chances of returning with three relatively cheap and not nice looking riders intact ?
Do the same rules of the road apply to motorcyclist there ?
Cheers
February 6th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Hi Leif,
I’m luckt to be married to a Romanian woman, and we now live in Ireland. I have to say that her driving is impeccable (yes she is looking over my shoulder as I type this).
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time (nearly 2 years) living and driving in Romania. I never felt unsafe driving during daylight hours, however once darkness settled in, it was a different matter. The typical Romanian driver stil drives aggressively in pitch black, with no cats eyes, no lights, no road lines. In all the time I spent there, I never was able to relax during a night drive.
Normally we fly back to Romania when we visit family, but this summer we plan to drive from Ireland to Romania. It will be in an Irish right-hand drive car, and I can see this posing a whole new host of challenges:)
Well done on an entertaining article, you sure seem to have gained alot of peoples attention.
February 22nd, 2009 at 10:37 pm
It is a little hard to write with my eyes watering so after laughing to exhaustion. BUT since I will be driving in Romania in June I took it very seriously. Really.
Wonderful Leif.
April 13th, 2009 at 12:20 am
If using a US license with Intl. Driver’s Permit, how does the Romanian points system work? Thanks!
April 18th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
I can’t relate to any of your experiences. I drove in Romania last summer and many roads were newly paved and in excellent conditions – driving was more hormonal yes, but I found that a refreshing change to the boring rivers of moving cars in LA. I was not aiming for “more of the same” but rather a completely different experience. I was a tourist, I took the country as it was and found it exceedingly charming in every way – no problems with the police, ever. The only “uncivilized” people I encountered where fellow americans (like the completely waisted group of youngsters puking their guts out in front of the monastery hostel, theorizing the nuns- for a moment I thought I was in Cancun rather than Voronet). Unfortunately, your traveling stories are very much an example of how we Americans tend to approach foreign lands. If overwhelmed by historical, architectural or social superiority, we bitch about driving, parking and the occasional dirty toilet – if underwhelmed by living standards, we stereotype the whole country, though we don’t outright say it, we focus on how “bad” they are vs. how blessed “we” are to live in the USA, and finally we praise their booze, drugs and pretty women … I personally saw there is much more to Romanian than your land of Clit, crazy drivers and cheep booze.
April 25th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
hey! if you don’t gots skills, just park it. pretty soon the tires will melt into the sidewalk; you can then take tramvaiul instead. seriously speaking though, the sheer NUMBER of cars on the road is just crazy. the city is not equipped to deal.
May 16th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Hi I need to get to Bulgaria by car giving me a choice of traveling quickly (according to sat nav) via Serbia or via Romainia which is much longer.
Does anyone know if the detor via Romainia is worth it (from a driving and hastel free point of view not a touristic one?)
cheers
June 4th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I am Omar from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and I have a saudian driving license and International one,
and I would get a romanian driving license
Would you help me to get it please.
Thank you
July 13th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
I have now visited Romania for the second time, both in 2009. To drive a vehicle on the right hand side of the road was scary enough, but to me, the driving culture in Romania was from another planet. When driving between cities (Sibiu to Bucharest) the roads were winding and single lane. They are absolutely littered with HGVs as these are the only routes between cities. On more than one occasion I found myself having to brake to nearly zero in order to accomodate some oncoming cowboy who was overtaking an oncoming vehicle without due care and attention.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Romanian people. I respect their history and have a Romanian girlfriend. But Jesus, when you get on the road it’s no fun. To try and overtake a vehicle when there are two cars already overtaking you is kinda scary. Still I came through it all blemish free.
Respect to the Romanians, but Romanian drivers should show a little more respect as far as I’m concerned.
From Andy in the UK
July 19th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Hi Leif. I am a romanian born but have lived in London for the last 10 years. Next week we are going in Romania and I am going to drive all the way with an english car. last time I drove over there was in 2006, and yes in 4 weeks I had 2 accidents. But talking to some of my fellow countrymen they gave me some tips. 1)Is beter to drive on the night time (the carts and tractors are not allowed on european roads anymore), just follow one of the crazy lorry drivers and you’ll be fine. 2) The dipped beam lights are compulsory day or night. 3)try to stay within the speed limits there are trap speed cameras all over the place.But as drivers, sorry mate the percentage of good drivers is far much bigger then in England i.e. The only bad thing is that you cannot sleep at the wheel like here
July 19th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Geoff Says:
May 16th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Hi I need to get to Bulgaria by car giving me a choice of traveling quickly (according to sat nav) via Serbia or via Romainia which is much longer.
Does anyone know if the detor via Romainia is worth it (from a driving and hastel free point of view not a touristic one?)
cheers
Following on from this, I to am driving to Bulgaria in a few weeks. Time wise, Serbia looks better but more hassle. Also does anyone know how long it takes from Szeged to Pitesti? Google maps say 9 hours for 300 miles!!!
By the way, this was a great read. Thanks
August 14th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
A great read so far and made me even more excited at my visit to Bucharest next week where I have hired a shopping trolley sized car to tour with ! I make sure I drive in every country I have been to and have always enjoyed the thrills, spills and police encounters (I discovered that if you drive in excess of 100MPH in Arizona, they take you straight to jail! Drive at less than 100MPH on an Italian motorway and they flash you to get out of the way!). Riding two wheels is always more fun and has its highlights for me in both Napoli and Hanoi.
I’ll report back upon my return from Romanian
August 25th, 2009 at 2:02 am
Just got back from 6 days driving in Romania. (12 days in europe) Things are still pretty bad. Head on overtakes are common, speed limits through towns only seem to matter if the police are there.
Locals get away with all sorts of traffic offences….but if you are a foriegner!!!…We got pulled by the police and he was making up laws!!i.e do you have a torch. I showed him my minitorch, “no” he said, “under E.U law you need to have a big torch” i pulled out my foot long MAGLITE….. o.k, “where is your green card” I showed him my insurance and explained that it REPLACES the green card…he still wasn’t happy, but explained to me that he could give me a ticket, as he didn’t think my headlights were bright enough!!!!! and it would involve lots of form filling and a lot of time….BUT…if i paid NOW IN CASH it would be half price no receipt!!! (When a policeman has a gun, and offers you this…and you’ve got your kids aged 8 & 12 and wife in the car…the option is clear)….you pay the 30 euro to the robbing scumbag and drive off!!! Carry some cash for this…and avoid the nice new road between ARAD and DEVA…as we counted 8 police stops in under 60 miles..all with customers (probably cash ones)
Corruption is still common place, and yet the country is strangely charming, and the general public are fantastic people!!!
August 29th, 2009 at 2:57 am
Great write up. I love the straight-forward, matter of fact account you give, just can’t get that in these liberal travel guides.
September 9th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Just got back from driving to Bulgaria through Romania. We had no problems at all. The roads were great, all new tarmac and some quite breathtaking series of bends up and down the mountains. We had no trouble from the police and passed many on the way through.The drivers there are great and would flash you to let you know that there were police ahead. They will though pass you given any opportunity even if there isn’t one!I found that if you give them enough space all is fine.Overtaking in my car was only difficult because of being on the wrong side of the car to see past the vehicle in front.The time to get through Romania from Hungary was about 10 hours. This was mainly due to slow trucks and a few hold ups going around Bucharest.All in all i think i will try Serbia next time though as this will cut down the travelling time to get to Sofia as i understand it is motorways all the way through.By the way, driving through Germany on the way rekindled my love of driving.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I have lived all around the world, and driven in many countries, and I vote Romania the worst, hands down. The drivers are rude, reckless and maniacal. The roads are disgraceful and dangerous, full of potholes, and the traffic lights are always out and rarely replaced for days at a time.
The pedestrian is the lowest form of life here, less regarded even than the packs of savage dogs that rush out on the road to attack your car. You take your life in your hands every time you get into a car, or cross a street, even one with a crossing signal.Today I was crossing at a pedestrian crossing signal, and barely escaped being mowed down by a speeding car disregarding the light.
I have driven for many years, in many countries, and have never had an accident, but I was involved in an accident within three months of moving to Bucharest (traffic light out, and speeding driver making a left hand-turn with no indicator). Just last week I also got hit by a car while walking on a main street here. The car was backing up into oncoming traffic, from it’s parking place on the pedestrian sidewalk! Of course, the Romanians are all walking on the street- it’s because there is no place to walk on the sidewalk – it is too full of parked cars!
October 26th, 2009 at 3:39 am
I drove from Bucuresti out to Poenarii ruins and back in a Ford Focus hire care back in Nov 2006. Most stressful thing I have done in my life, at least bungy jumping was over pretty quickly lol. From some of the recent comments, sounds like things have improved a lot in 3 years.
I remember driving through Bucuresti fighting with 3 other cars for 3 marked lanes, busted up Dacia on one side, new Merc on the other. Get through the intersection and 3 lanes becomes 2, well 1.5 because the cars parked on the footpath are hanging out into the road…. and the same cars are still trying to force their way infront of everyone else.
Sitting at the front at a red light in the inside lane (marked with an arrow to go straight, no left turn) and as soon as the cars stopped coming from the right and with our light still red, the cars from the very right lane starting making left turns, forcing everyone else to go the same way (and I had the drivers behind on the horn when I didn’t go while the lights were still red).
Nearly took out a horse-and-cart when they pulled out in front of me just the other side of Curtea de Arges… truck coming the other way meant I couldn’t overtake, only just slowed up about 2 foot behind wiht the old lady sitting on the back shaking her fist at me.
As a pedestrian I learnt quickly to look both ways when crossing the road for the people reversing back 20m to the intersection instead of going down the street to the next one… and to listen for the horn of the driver going along the footpath to avoid the traffic on the road.
I hope they have a few more street signs up now giving directions to go places… the signs to go to Pitesti were the size of normal street name signs when I was there lol
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:04 am
I hope you have fun in our country. Come again :D :))
December 19th, 2009 at 12:53 am
Allright, just finished reading this article that leif made, pretty accurately, in 2006.
There are some things I object to:
1… romanians are better drivers then what I’ve seen in Canada or Austria (2 countries that I know a bit better)
NOT driving accordingly to the rules doesn’t make you a bad driver, although you may be in a hurry (95%) or plain stupid (5%). Now the reason I consider 95% of romanians driving like that are in a hurry is because our infrastructure is just the basic 70′ roads … in the US of EU when you need to make a 300km trip you know you’ll be there in 3 hours… in romania this takes a bit over 4 and a half WITH speeding.
so this is the first and foremost important rule about driving in romania:
EXPECT ! everyone to be in a hurry and overtake you even if it seems physically impossible ! it’s a jungle, survival of the fittest… if you know you’re a lame slow driver, don’t bother !!! visit some other place, we don’t want you clogging up the roads over here !
now once you are settled with this rule and fully understand it you may also want to consider some other stuff:
2nd don’t get intimidated if a cop stops you, if he starts making shi|t up ask to go with him to the station, call someone who can properly translate for you… hell you could even try threatening the guy that you’ll call a news station to report his actions… DON’T let yourself get intimidated, it’s not about the law, it’s about who has the biggest bal|s, this thing still lingers even after 20 years of capitalism.
3rd rule … if you have to drive during the night you should be careful about youngs doing road races (yes, just like in the movies… I used to do it myself, 200km/h in the city was my record, I’m not joking). if you find yourself in the middle of such an event try to let them go even if they may be rude to you.
4 … winter means mayham in romania, most of the roads aren’t properly marked and if they are covered with snow or ice they are potencial deathtraps, especially if you hit a pothole, so beeing extra careful during winters would be advised
now what I have to say about the old Dacia 1310… well I had one too, after I got my license, I drove it for almost 2 years between 2005 and 2007 and I have to say that it shaped me into a pretty good driver, I managed to get unharmed out of a couple of pretty gruesome stuff (winter, speeding, others speeding) and all in all it taught me how to react to certain situations. now it’s 2009, almost 2010 and most of those cars have been taken off the streets, including mine :(
also I would like to add something about what some romanians commented here, those that pointed out in which ways west and cetral romania is better… that’s just a preconception some romanians have, they like to think they are more civilised and so on then people from Bucuresti or… god forbid Moldova, but it really isn’t true…if we look at it statistically, on the roads, more deaths occur in the western part of romania then the rest…in other words, don’t worry ! it’s pretty damn dangerous anywhere on the road, in romania :D
yes, almost forgot, when walking, in romania, you’d better be more alert then an airport air traffic controler !!! there is no telling when someone might zoom over you even on the sidewalk, and also NEVER !!! cross the street without checking, even if you have a green light ;)
so… all that beeing said, I wish you all the best when visiting romania !
January 9th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
INDEED,you are right,I am a romanian, but i have to say that dacia 1310 is quite cheap, but it have last for like 20years look forward on buying a better dacia, and use it like drinving in every hole you see,and you will observe it still works as new, for example DACIA LOGAN, alot of germans bought that model and works fine!
June 24th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
WOW!!!!! Peopele I am taking a trip through Romania this summer and I just bought a new Aston Martin DBS. I am wondering if it is really worth risking a 200,000.00$USD car there. I have seen that the best raod in the world for a super car is there in Romania and I want to drive that road and visit a few friends in Bucharest. I will still be coming but after reading this I may rent a lesser vauled car. I also understand that there are many super cars there now and they are growing as a fast and upcoming membership. Where do they open them up and take the cars to the limit?(SMILES) I guess the rest of EU driving I will find out myself.
August 12th, 2010 at 8:19 pm
I found this article extremely amusing, particularly as I’ve driven from the UK to Romania on five separate occasions (and lived to tell the tale!).
My top ten tips for driving in Romania are as follows:-
1) Ensure your vehicle is in peak physical shape. The tyres, suspension, cooling system and brakes all have a hard time. Check you have a spare tyre and the jack & brace is present.
2) If hiring a car in the winter, for the modest additional charge snow chains are worth having with you, just in case. We hired a Dacia Logan at Christmas 2007 and extensively used the chains when the whole country was covered in deep snow (even the capitals airport was closed for 24 hours).
3) Know the speed limits and observe them, even if everyone else doesn’t. In particular, be careful when driving through long sprawly villages where Police often lurk at the entrance or exit with radars. The lack of speed signs makes it hard to know when a national speed limit changes to 50 or 70 Kp/h.
4) If you can’t see the road ahead is clear don’t risk overtaking. Too many people take silly risks just to save a few minutes.
5) If you need to cross from the west to the east, or are overlanding to Bulgaria and beyond, the ring road (marked “CB” on maps) around Bucharest is well worth taking. Yes, it is very bumpy and has subsided due to heavy trucks, but you avoid the crazinesss of driving through the centre of Bucharest.
6) Fuel stations offer all types of fuel and even LPG is not hard to find. Most stations accept credit cards, howevr, it’s worth having some cash just in case. Diesel is chaeper in Romania than most of Europe, including Hungary. The price of Romanian diesel is about £0.90-£0.95 per litre, against approx. £0.97-£1.00 in Hungary. It is worth filling cans/tanks if you’re heading back to Western Europe.
7) The drink drive limit is ZERO and this is generally respected by most driving members of the public.
8) If you plan to explore off the beaten track I wholeheartedly recommend the DIMAP 1:250,000 Road Atlas. Dimap are Hungarian cartographers who produce accurate and clear mapping. You can buy from their website. In the UK, the same mapping is sold in a Road Atlas published by Berndt & Freytag (sourced from Stanfords in London).
9) When you drive in Romania you needd to be focussed at all times and drive in a defensive manner ie. maintain adequate stopping distances, indicate in good time, select the appropriate lane early, be patient and take special care at junctions
10) If you have time and a good map, the smaller roads are highly recommended. You’ll not only lose the transcontinental trucks in your rear view mirror, but will start to slow down and enjoy the fabulous rural scenery.
Yes, driving in Romania is challenging, however, it is also very rewarding and in the main, the people are warmhearted, friendly and generous, especially towards foreigners (Hungarians and Russians excepetd!).
If you can learn a little Romanian it will stand you in good stead, otherwise, marry a Romanian as I did!
Funnily enough, we’re driving to Romania in a ’94 Hymer motorhome next week.
Drum Bun!
September 30th, 2010 at 8:08 am
I have just moved to Bucharest Romania after living in Qatar in the Gulf for 5 years.Statistically Qatar is the most dangerous country in the world to drive in,so driving here holds no fears for us,Parking however is another matter,Romanians seem to think that just stopping and leaving the car where ever happens to be nearest to where the want to go constitutes PARKING,as this is often in the middle of the road or a junction (at least in Bucharest)gridlock follows fairly quickly,U turns are also performed without the need to look in a mirror or indicate,the biggest problem here (as in Qatar) are drivers of big RVS or luxury saloons who think that to drive without a mobile phone to their ear means they will lose face.One thing has been confirmed in both countries is that drivers of Black Porsche Cayennes all have a lobotomy at the dealership before driving off.
November 30th, 2010 at 2:12 am
Yikes. Planning a two-week “self drive” trip for summer 2011. It’s supposed to start with a car pickup in Bucharest. Now I’m beginning to have second thoughts. First part of trip has us drive us to Tulcea, then up to Bucovina, Maramures, Cluj, Sibiu, Sighisoara, Brasov, and back to Bucharest. Might want to “train it” for a part of this …. or am I being a chicken?
November 30th, 2010 at 3:15 am
@John – the state of driving inside Romania has improved dramatically since this post was written. There’s still a fair amount of close quarters recklessness, but it’s manageable if you’re not the twitchy type. With your itinerary, it does seem as if you’d do best with a car. Getting too/from Tulcea is a little tricky on the train. Less so on the bus, but then you’re on a bus. Either way, schedules aren’t great. The one thing that’s gotten worse since I posted this is parking. Parking in Romania went from being a non-issue to being a serious liability. Nearly every city has posted parking meters and they’re enforced with diabolically glee. I’ve heard about people getting tickets in the short time it took them to walk to the machine, buy a parking permit and walk back to their cars. Last summer I was towed in eight minutes flat. En guard.
January 12th, 2011 at 2:30 am
I live in Romania and unfortunately it is still the same. My wife and I are looking forward to getting our visas and getting to a country where people are worth being respected.
March 2nd, 2011 at 10:47 pm
I’m a Canadian, married to a Romanian, living here now 3 years. This article is DEAD ON. Message to Romanian’s Learn how To Drive. Message to Romanian Government. Just so you know, you mucking forons, 1 cm of asphalt is rated at 500kg per square centimeter (that said, you need at least 5cm on a road where a 2 ton truck will drive not one cm, that won’t help). Asphalt is to be poured while hot onto, no less than, 5 centimeters of crushed stone. Pouring it directly on top of cobble stone will not work. Dont scratch your head and wonder how the road keeps getting broken… here is a basic physics lesson. Every action produces and equal and opposite reaction. The cobble stone below the tar is shaking when cars drive over it, which rips apart the 1 centimeter of asphalt you packed on top of it cold with a shovel.
next time you fix a hole please follow these simple instructions from every other country in the world with roads.
Before preparing the road as outlined below, section off a portion of road and set up traffic control to allow workers and work to be undisturbed by motorists.
#1. remove the fu&&ing cobble stone from below the area of the opening.
#2. dig below the cobble stone 5 cm and fill the entire area with crushed rock. no less than 5cm deep
#3. pound the rock in place with a leveler.
#4. Cover the crushed rock with a mixture of Tar and Asphalt while it is heated and in a liquid / maluable state. (Maluable means, you can squish it around easy)
#5. Make sure that you have calculated the rating of the road (30 Tons for all romanian roads regardless of their true rating) and divide that by a factor of 500 to the power of 1/8th to compensate for structural reinforcement that is how many centimeters of asphalt you HAVE TO use for the hole to be covered for more than 3 hours.
#6 DONT ALLOW ANYONE TO DRIVE ON THE FUCKEN THING FOR AT LEAST 1 HOUR for every 10 degrees it is outside, example if it is 20 degrees outside, you should leave the asphalt to set for 2 hours.
Hope these tips were easy enough to read.
November 10th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
I gotta add to what u wrote above that..driving during night time..it’s ..crazy..and that the animals in the jungle have more rules then the ones romanians have when the night falls.And on winter season..around 5-6pm..it gets dark..so people around 6pm..go home from work or whatever..and goodnesss..the driving..it’s psychotic!
Smart writing dude!
April 11th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
Well nowadays it is no longer like that.
It’s not like in UK but it is much better.
There are other shits going on like corruption in the government but hey everyone has that shit. Maybe ours is worse or more mediated who knows.
I do know except the fact money is tight it is more decent, no more Dacia 1310 on the roads. You can still see one a year here and there in the country side but they are wasting away as parts are getting harder to find. They wore replaced by newer model that compared to today’s Mercedes is still a piece of crap but not big a piece.
You are safer in Romania then in USA but things will most likely cost the same. Wages are low and life is not very easy but don’t think people don’t enjoy life have fun and so.. they do. I have no clue how but they do. Everyone manages to have a party, go to a concert or just hang out with friends and some beer. Ney to bad. You’d like Romania more then a lot of other countries even a bunch of European countries much higher then Romania.
If you become a subway fan driving will not bother you to much. Most people are used to ground transport. I myself proffered to walk to the nearest subway station and just go as close to my destination and walk from there. Much faster then even by private car.
Cheers,
and don’t forget the are better countries that are much worse to visit.
May 25th, 2012 at 7:56 pm
I was perhaps a bit “over prepared” after reading this article but it probably was a life saver or at the very least, saved me from months and months of psychological counseling for PTSD.
This past March of 2012 (one of the coldest winters in decades), I had occasion to visit the heartland of Romania on business. Twenty minutes on the “National Highways” at night felt like an equal amount of time engaged in a knife fight inside a small clothes closet… if you didn’t have the right mind set.
Once you give up your last remnants of “Sanctity for Human Life”, you’ll be much more equipped for the experience. The last of your tree hugging humanity for animals will slowly slip away after you’ve pried your 100th dead rabbit, squirrel, pig, bear or wolf and an occasional gypsy out of the grill of your car.
Arriving in Sibiu around 7pm, I was the one who insisted on renting a car rather than being driven to Cugir by our Romanian host. Following him during the hour long drive at 80 to 100 kmh (around 50-65 mph) doesn’t sound so bad until you do it “Romanian style”.
The “National Highway” is their equivalent to our interstate in the US. In surprisingly good condition for that time of year (they have greatly improved many roads over the past few years), there were few pot holes and an abundance of road signs. The road signs, I’m told, are not like the rest of the EU. Romanians have the same rugged individualism about their roads as the do their currency (it’s illegal to buy/sell the Romanian ‘lei’ outside the county). The universal symbols for hazards and traffic flow don’t exist. You know the big red circle with a line through it designating “NO” or “DON’T”? As far as I could tell the general rule is that if the symbol is black it’s ok, if it’s red, it means “no”.
So if you see a sign that has a picture of a red car, a line and a black car, that means “no passing”. A black car, a line and a black car means you can pass. Mostly, if you stopped to think about it, you could pretty well figure them all out. Of course when you’re doing 65 mph, that picture of a “red bridge” might not sink in until you’re actually airborne.
The national highways typically pass through the center of every little village along your route. While a slower speed is advised through these little dog patch hamlets, you’ll find that the rest of the flow of traffic is more likely to just decrease their distance from your vehicle (which is typically kept to an efficient 6 to 8 inches) rather than reduce their speed. And to any road-savvy Romanian, there’s never a better time to pass than now… RIGHT NOW!!!
So there’s my first driving tip, EXPECT to have someone no less than a foot away from your rear bumper at all times so you need to learn what I call good “flinch control”. The fact that you can actually count the beard stubble of the guy behind you is something you need to “embrace” lest you develop a full blown stomach ulcer the first day of your trip.
And DO NOT even think about doing the American trick of tapping your brakes to let them know they’re following too close. A Romanian driver would never even conceive of someone doing that. If you do you’ll soon learn not to that… in the next life because you’ll be instantly vaporized the first time you try.
The next thing you need to learn is the proper way of making a turn. If you ever use the term “turn signal” to a Romanian you’ll probably just confuse them. And if YOU use a turn signal, total confusion and chaos will be the likely result. So usually just a quick glance in the direction of your turn is proper etiquette. You may even want to accelerate slightly before the turn as your passengers grabbing the “granny straps” appropriately signals the other drivers as to your intentions.
Never, ever, not even once did I see anyone so crude as to “flip the bird”. I did, however soon learn that a shaking of your fist is the only acceptable way to say “Howdy!” to your fellow drivers.
Now I wouldn’t really call it “rage driving” as we know it in the US but there is a unique phenomenon in Romania where the instant someone gets behind the wheel of a vehicle, you become their mortal enemy. Shooting their dog, beating up their son or raping their daughter or wife just doesn’t rise to the same level as “sharing the road with a Romanian”. Should it ever escalate to the point of a roadside confrontation, it’s likely that by the time your fellow traveler actually storms over to your car he’ll probably graciously offer you fresh baked rolls, some garden vegetables or if you’re really lucky, a small sampling of the local beverage known as tuica (pronounced “tswee-ka”). This 130 proof treat also doubles as windshield wash, jet fuel and dry cleaning fluid.
Which is a good segue into the topic of drinking and driving. Don’t. Just don’t. While it was reputedly a problem of the past, the Romanians dealt with the problem efficiently by just making sure you will never, ever drive ever again, for the rest of your life if you are caught even once with anything measurable. Seriously. Don’t. If you have a single glass of wine… you’re not driving… it’s not worth the risk.
Despite being your mortal enemy, there’s one thing a Romanian hates even more than fellow drivers. The police. Romanians are loathe to see even their worst enemy get pulled over by the police and signal other drivers by flashing their lights frantically enough to induce epileptic seizures. It seems even the police don’t want you to get pulled over and I frequently saw signs saying, in English, “Speed enforcement area 2 km”. Amazing.
If you do get pulled over do NOT try and bribe your way out of it. While customary for the natives to do this, as a rookie you have no sense as to whether the cop will be the 50% that take the bribe or be the 50% that will be incredibly insulted and just pistol whip you by the side of the road. A better approach is to learn a word in Romanian… almost ANY word. Every Romanian I met, if you even TRIED to speak their language will invariably be flattered and work with you all day to learn Romanian better. It’s not a very common language and the Romanians take great pride in their language.
Like I mentioned earlier, road signs are incredibly prolific. You may have to do some noodling to figure out what they mean as they often times are very specific. Deer crossing is obvious but “Small, Brown Pig Crossing” not so much. Pictures of dogs, and pigs and bears are just the norm.
Another thing you’ll quickly notice on the National Highways, they often pass through the middle of town. Pedestrians pretend like traffic is moving at a crawl and tend to wander, seemingly aimlessly across the road without even glancing at traffic. They ARE a blessed people as you’ll also notice that you can’t go more than a couple of blocks without seeing a roadside “Jesus Station” which substitutes for having to watch for traffic.
Pedestrians are just one of the traffic obstacle you’ll have to contend with. A good parking spot for a Romanian driver is, well right here. They’ll just stop their car and that’s a parking spot. It may be on the road or on the sidewalk or on top of a pedestrian… it’s all the same. Parked cars are one those “little surprises” that make the country so enchanting. Combined with the fact that the National highway is going through the middle of town and the distance from the roadside curb to side of every building is only about 30 inches means that an accident is guaranteed to be at high speed and involve someone’s living room furniture.
Another warning about the laws of the land… driving 5 kmh over the speed limit can be a huge fine. Driving 105 kmh over the speed limit is EXACTLY THE SAME FINE! This explains a lot why they drive the way they do. Go big or go home. You’ll get a ticket sooner or later so you might as well go big they figure.
Romanians work at passing. An American may look at an endless line of cars. Miles and miles of traffic, cars sequenced just a few feet apart and you figure you might as well just follow the flow of traffic. To a Romanian, you’re just not trying hard enough. They will wheedle and work and and thread their way around an infinite number of cars just to get one more guy in their rear view mirror. An hour later, 30 km down the road you may be waiting at a light right next to them and they’ll be totally unconcerned and just start all over again.
Passing is the most incredible thing to watch. Besides all the work they put into it and the risks they take, they’re just not very good at it. I’ll see them come up behind a semi just 3 meters away and then zig-zag out from behind the truck when if they just backed off a few feet they’d be able to see around the vehicle. Nope. Just won’t do it.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Romania, drive like the Romanians drive and you’ll be fine. Mostly just keep in mind that it’s different. If you drive like they do, really… you’ll be fine. If you try things like you would in other parts of the world it’s unlikely to work out for you.
Good luck!
January 17th, 2013 at 3:08 am
Haha. This is a great article! Exactly what happened to us in Romania a couple month ago. My boyfriend has (had!) a short fuze though..