I pride myself on being a fairly good driver: I’m conscious of those around me on the road, respectful, and also have a good eye for pre-emptively avoiding incidents. I use my turn signal, turn my lights on when I should and respect speed limits.
I recently came back from a drive program hosted in Budapest, Hungary. I’d never been to Budapest, or even the country of Hungary, so this was all new to me. And while I’ve driven in other European cities (Berlin and London), I wasn’t sure what to expect in Budapest and its surrounding areas.
Behind the wheel of a 2015 Audi A3 Sedan, I took to the streets. Equipped with an automatic transmission, I was able to focus on the scenery as my driving partner and I traversed the outlying regions of Budapest. Through rolling hills and over uneven pavement on tight, two-lane roads I felt at home. Save for the constant passing lane – I kid you not, it was a constant dotted line with passing allowed, even around blind corners and over hills, on which I saw passing on both much to my nerve’s dismay.
However, it was in the city of Budapest where my lesson really came to be. I decided to try my hand at a 1.6L diesel model equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission for my drive back into the city and to our hotel. While the clutch and shifter were smooth, supple and oh-so willing to comply, the flow of traffic added a level of stress I’d not thought would come about.
Here’s the rule in Europe: Traffic lights go from red to red-with-yellow, then they go green. When the light gets to that red-with-yellow zone, most cars start moving forward because they know green isn’t far behind. This gives manual drivers a chance to engage first gear and start inching forward. So stressed was I by this “rule” that I stalled the A3 and got a resounding honk from the cars behind for holding things up.
I also learned that cruising speeds on the highway are far from the same as they are at home. While there is no such thing as the Autobahn in Hungary, I rather felt like I was on one cruising in the 140-150 km/hr range right alongside Fiat Pandas and Ford Kas, simply keeping up with traffic. I felt like I was a danger on the road if I slowed down to the 120 range, going too slowly and causing hard braking for no reason as cars came up quickly behind me.
Each time I drive in Europe I feel like it’s the first time. I learn something new about myself, and the rules of the road each time. Road experiences are as eye-opening as the scenery around me, and I love it.
In Budapest I learned that he who hesitates is lost, an important lesson that can just as easily follow me out of the car and into the rest of my life -- and I rather think it will.
I recently came back from a drive program hosted in Budapest, Hungary. I’d never been to Budapest, or even the country of Hungary, so this was all new to me. And while I’ve driven in other European cities (Berlin and London), I wasn’t sure what to expect in Budapest and its surrounding areas.
Behind the wheel of a 2015 Audi A3 Sedan, I took to the streets. Equipped with an automatic transmission, I was able to focus on the scenery as my driving partner and I traversed the outlying regions of Budapest. Through rolling hills and over uneven pavement on tight, two-lane roads I felt at home. Save for the constant passing lane – I kid you not, it was a constant dotted line with passing allowed, even around blind corners and over hills, on which I saw passing on both much to my nerve’s dismay.
However, it was in the city of Budapest where my lesson really came to be. I decided to try my hand at a 1.6L diesel model equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission for my drive back into the city and to our hotel. While the clutch and shifter were smooth, supple and oh-so willing to comply, the flow of traffic added a level of stress I’d not thought would come about.
Here’s the rule in Europe: Traffic lights go from red to red-with-yellow, then they go green. When the light gets to that red-with-yellow zone, most cars start moving forward because they know green isn’t far behind. This gives manual drivers a chance to engage first gear and start inching forward. So stressed was I by this “rule” that I stalled the A3 and got a resounding honk from the cars behind for holding things up.
I also learned that cruising speeds on the highway are far from the same as they are at home. While there is no such thing as the Autobahn in Hungary, I rather felt like I was on one cruising in the 140-150 km/hr range right alongside Fiat Pandas and Ford Kas, simply keeping up with traffic. I felt like I was a danger on the road if I slowed down to the 120 range, going too slowly and causing hard braking for no reason as cars came up quickly behind me.
Each time I drive in Europe I feel like it’s the first time. I learn something new about myself, and the rules of the road each time. Road experiences are as eye-opening as the scenery around me, and I love it.
In Budapest I learned that he who hesitates is lost, an important lesson that can just as easily follow me out of the car and into the rest of my life -- and I rather think it will.
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| Photo: Miranda Lightstone |