The driver behind me is very impatient. Apparently I am not going fast enough. They are so close that I cannot even see the front of their car. All I can see is the windshield, far too close for comfort.
It makes me nervous. What if I had to stop suddenly? There is no way they could stop in time. So I pull over as soon as it is safe to do so and allow them to pass me. When the road is clear, I pull out again. But here comes another one!
This scenario has happened again and again and again. And I have pulled to the side to let them pass again and again and again. In the short time I have been driving here, I cannot even count the number of times that someone has tailgated me.
I started to feel paranoid. What am I doing? Am I reading the speed limit signs wrong? Am I going well under the legal limit?
Oddly enough, even after they pass me they never seem to go that much faster.
Seeking understanding, I turn to the internet for answers. I google "Switzerland Tailgating."
There is a flood of hits. Rant after rant after rant. Apparently a common complaint.
So common that among all the responses I found a link to Verkehrssicherheitskampagne ABSTAND! (Translation: Traffic Safety Campaign DISTANCE!)
Yep, it would appear that the Swiss drivers tend to follow closely behind. Even if they do not want to drive faster.
It has caused so many unnecessary accidents that the Canton of Zürich started a campaign in May 2006 to tell people "Keep Your Distance!"
As far as I can tell it hasn't had any effect yet.
Unless it was even worse before...
It makes me nervous. What if I had to stop suddenly? There is no way they could stop in time. So I pull over as soon as it is safe to do so and allow them to pass me. When the road is clear, I pull out again. But here comes another one!
This scenario has happened again and again and again. And I have pulled to the side to let them pass again and again and again. In the short time I have been driving here, I cannot even count the number of times that someone has tailgated me.
I started to feel paranoid. What am I doing? Am I reading the speed limit signs wrong? Am I going well under the legal limit?
Oddly enough, even after they pass me they never seem to go that much faster.
Seeking understanding, I turn to the internet for answers. I google "Switzerland Tailgating."
There is a flood of hits. Rant after rant after rant. Apparently a common complaint.
So common that among all the responses I found a link to Verkehrssicherheitskampagne ABSTAND! (Translation: Traffic Safety Campaign DISTANCE!)
Yep, it would appear that the Swiss drivers tend to follow closely behind. Even if they do not want to drive faster.
It has caused so many unnecessary accidents that the Canton of Zürich started a campaign in May 2006 to tell people "Keep Your Distance!"
As far as I can tell it hasn't had any effect yet.
Unless it was even worse before...
2 comments:
I know, it's pretty bad here. I've also noticed that the driving gets more agressive and there is more tailgating in and around big cities such as the Geneva and Zurich.
Still, it's nothing compared to Holland. The traffic is so dense there that it's no wonder they have so many accidents.
Sorry. Me thinks Blogger (or I) had the hiccups :)
Post a Comment