We often hear how much better things are in Europe, where you can drive as fast as you like and the roads are always empty. Well it’s a myth. I’ve just got back from a week of driving around Austria and Germany, where I’ve been nicked for speeding by a hidden gun-toting cop, I’ve had to pay tolls to use bits of horrifically cratered road and I’ve seen traffic jams that make the M25 look like it’s a race track.
Sure, there were stretches of unrestricted autobahn where we sat at 100mph or more, knowing that we were within the law, but such occurrences were few and far between. Even on stretches restricted to 85mph (the standard speed limit on the motorway during the dry), if you dare sit at just 100mph in the outside lane, you’ll get some irate Merc driver flashing his lights and demanding that you get out of his way. The aggression has to be seen to be believed.
Then there’s the state of the surface; if you think UK roads have Tarmac to break your spine, try driving from one end of Germany to the other. You’ll wish you were in a Seventies yank, with over-soft, ultra-wallowy suspension. You need it – God knows how the Germans can drive their BMWs and Mercs with rubber-band tyres and rock-hard suspension. They must all have rubber spines.
As soon as we got off the EuroTunnel back in Blighty, we were greeted by roadworks, threatened by speed cameras and restricted to an outdated 70mph. But at least we could enjoy courtesy and comfort once more – things that you can’t take for granted in many parts of mainland Europe.
