8 things Maltese drivers do (or don't do) that drive us mad
12 June 2015, published by LITTLEROCK.com.mt
Photo: christos-greece, www.skyscrapercity.com
Day after day, driving in Malta remains a simultaneously baffling and exasperating experience for most of us; so LITTLEROCK.com.mt went about gathering Maltese drivers' opinions about Maltese drivers, and it's not pretty.
I nod in agreement. This very morning I was late thanks to a car parked on a yellow line in a narrow main street of Balzan. It held up a bus and a very long line of cars, until the owner finished shopping, calmly walked out of the shop and drove off. Where are the wardens when you really need them?
The indicator is just an ornament
"The thing that upsets me and confuses me at the same time is the fact that indicators are always optional, especially on roundabouts," says Anabel. "And how you can turn hazard lights on to allow yourself to park anywhere, for as long you want, at the inconvenience of others?"
52% of those who participated in our survey agreed that the orange lights on the car rarely come into use as intended; they are either used incorrectly or not at all.
"They seem to think their car is not equipped with indicators or warning lights," said Maeva.
"They have no idea what indicators are for," said Kimberly.
"They do not use indicators to turn off at a tangent from a main road, to come out from a parking space, to stop at the side of the road and to change lanes," told us Joseph.
Indicators are an essential driving tool to let other motorists as well as pedestrians know where you are going; this not only eases the flow of traffic but is an essential safety tool. Not using indicators causes unnecessary delay and may cause accidents.
"They signal one way and turn the other," said Ivan.
"For some, the indicator is just an ornament," said Nadia.
Where to park? Just anywhere will do...
But back to parking, there seems to be a very incorrect impression out there which we need to put straight: Drivers, it is alright to park your car a little distance from your precise destination, and it is alright to walk a little; it is not alright, however, to park your car absolutely anywhere at the inconvenience of other motorists.
"They sudden stop to unload something or, worse, park in the middle of the road, even if there is a parking space a few feet away," said Chris, who is visibly frustrated by this inconvenience, "And they park in the disabled parking space - this is unacceptable!"
Elaine Gatt has another one: "They stop suddenly in the middle of a road to let someone in or out of the car, or until they decide where to park or which turn to take!"
47% of the drivers interviewed expressed displeasure about the parking habits of other motorists.
"Stopping your car in the middle of the road so that you or your partner can buy groceries, yet five meters down the road is unlimited parking; double parking, then you think at least the owner was nice enough to leave their phone number and address... but the phone is switched off and there's no answer at the door; and my favourite of all time: you pull up at a stop sign which leads to a busy main road, the car in front of you doesn't seem to be moving, then after several futile honks and a few choice words, you overtake the guy, only to realise he is actually parked there... reading a newspaper!" said Sarah.
Others added that they find it very irritating when people park incorrectly: blocking other people's cars; taking up 2 spaces; parking in motorbike or handicap spaces; forcing their car into a space even if it means hitting your car; and parking on pavements were among the things mentioned.
Driving on the fast lane
Another common complaint, from 33% of respondents, was about the incorrect use of lanes.
"Driving slowly on outer lane," said Daniela.
"They drive on the outer lane when not overtaking and the inner lane is free," said Joseph.
"They drive slow on the outer lanes where there are dual lanes, thus drivers have to use inner lanes to overtake," replied John Mark.
"Sunday Drivers absolutely enjoy using the fast lane, especially on week days on my way to work," said Nadia.
"Then you bang the horn and they start offending you!" laughed Chris, illustrating the irony of it all.
"Step on it or move out of the way!" added Sarah.
Driving like maniacs
Elaine added, "They drive like maniacs then reduce speed by 20 km/h less than the maximum speed of a speed camera, so if it is 50 km/h, they drop down to 30 km/h. And they do not let you overtake, although there is enough room to overtake."
"Motorcycles pass in between cars in traffic without warning. However, what I really really hate is when you are in traffic and some idiot thinks he is more important than you and surpasses all the queue at high speed on the wrong side. Then, when he sees that he cannot go further, he tries to get in the queue. If such a driver tries to get in the queue in front of me there will be war! Over my dead body!" said Christopher.
"Hardly any road courtesy, and road rage!" said Albert.
"If for some reason or an other you make a slight mistake, you find the driver behind you swearing and making gestures," said Nadia.
"They do not know what patience means!" added Chantelle.
John Mark told us, "Driving in Malta is frenetic; it seems that no one has the patience to drive, especially when it come to roundabouts."
43% of the respondents are upset by the way people drive in Malta.
"They zig zag through traffic, speedy show offs (you know the ones with the obnoxious sounds); they drive in the middle of the road; they overtake even if it means coming head on into your car, or they drive 1 inch away from your bumper! Very impatient, love to toot their own horn, no clue how to use a roundabout, never stop on zebra crossings, drive like maniacs - the worst are the idiots following the ambulance or in the bus lane to ensure they dodge traffic. And there is always somebody driving in the middle of two lanes and someone else who decides to make a one lane road two lanes. They hit your car and keep driving," said Kimberley, enjoying the opportunity to vent her frustration.
"No doubt about it , in my opinion most of the drivers are crazy. As a Sales Rep who spends a lot of time on the road, if I could I would make most of them disappear," said Paul.
To give way or not to give way
43% of respondents are very wary of stop signs, and with good reason.
"The No Stopping signs and the Give Way signs seem to be invisible," said Nadia.
Vanessa takes it further, "I learned something very quickly after passing my driving test: a Stop sign is equivalent to 'Don't even look,' to most drivers."
"I am from Spain and I got a car here in Malta two months ago. I will never be able to understand how many crazy drivers are around. It seems that for many of the Maltese drivers, the Stop sign is just a beautiful red board on a metal stick that simply means: 'No stopping, just sound the horn, pass, and continue your happy car trip!' It really makes my mouth drop open, astonished!" Eloisa told us.
Sarah is even more annoyed for the irony of it all, "A car driver will pull out of a Stop sign at full speed (and you almost crash) but then decides to drive at 10 km/h for the rest of the journey."
Noel adds, "They do not observe Give Way signs, Stop signs and proper lanes on a roundabout, but to make it worse they try to reason that they are right and offend you!"
True story! All too often, I am held from getting into a roundabout and around it, simply because people have no sense to wait for the traffic to subside at the exit they would take, but instead opt to push ahead and wait in line inside the roundabout, thereby blocking it and rendering it unusable for anybody else.
"They sit in traffic on pedestrian crossings and No Stopping zones," said Ivan, while Kimberley said, "No one has a clue what a yellow grid on the road means, they always block other roads when in traffic," as if to support my argument, "They go through red lights and don't give way."
"They don't let you through if you are waiting in a side street, and when you give way to someone, they never say thank you, they might even look at you like you are garbage; the women who drive kissing their steering wheel are the worst!" Audrey told us.
Indeed they don't give way; I diligently put my indicator on to show I need to change from outer lane to inner lane to take my exit, but the oncoming car on the slow lane keeps increasing speed to overtake so that I must manoeuvre back into my lane and almost miss my exit, only to see the speeding car change to the outer lane or stop in traffic just ahead of me. I just don't understand why they do this; what's the point?
It seems that the short distances in Malta have just spoiled Maltese drivers: everybody is in a hurry to get to destination as quickly as possible, even at the expense of driving dangerously; they will use the road in any which way they want.
Horns
All a driver has to do to get away with anything, according to Eloisa, the Spanish respondent, is to use the horn, "Yesterday the car behind me was putting pressure on me to come out of an intersection with several honks of the horn, ended up overtaking me and ended up in the middle of the main road, making the other cars from both sides stop because of him. Then he put down his window and shouted at me 'Like this is how we do it here!' I couldn't believe it! They also use the horn to say hello to other cars or passers-by, making me jump because I think that I am doing something wrong or that there is danger near."
Lights
Joseph, on the other hand, is annoyed about the incorrect use of lights, "They do not switch on their lights until it is practically dark as they do not realise that lights are also for being seen and not just for seeing, but then they use their brights when there is oncoming traffic. They also do not switch on lights in tunnel or in inclement weather, drive with lights that do not work, such as just one headlight, or have trailers without lights."
Safety
Most of the respondents are upset by the lack of courtesy of other drivers, however they are also concerned with safety. Some of the comments we received include that people drive with their side mirrors closed, use their mobiles whilst driving, wear motorbike helmets which are not tied securely, have protruding objects at the back of the vehicles that is not marked with a red flag and drive with very young children in the passenger seat.
Sadly, the bottom line of the typical Maltese driver's attitude seems to be: "I do what I want and to heck with everyone else, because "I" am the king of the road!"
Day after day, driving in Malta remains a simultaneously baffling and exasperating experience for most of us; so LITTLEROCK.com.mt went about gathering Maltese drivers' opinions about Maltese drivers, and it's not pretty.
I nod in agreement. This very morning I was late thanks to a car parked on a yellow line in a narrow main street of Balzan. It held up a bus and a very long line of cars, until the owner finished shopping, calmly walked out of the shop and drove off. Where are the wardens when you really need them?
The indicator is just an ornament
"The thing that upsets me and confuses me at the same time is the fact that indicators are always optional, especially on roundabouts," says Anabel. "And how you can turn hazard lights on to allow yourself to park anywhere, for as long you want, at the inconvenience of others?"
52% of those who participated in our survey agreed that the orange lights on the car rarely come into use as intended; they are either used incorrectly or not at all.
"They seem to think their car is not equipped with indicators or warning lights," said Maeva.
"They have no idea what indicators are for," said Kimberly.
"They do not use indicators to turn off at a tangent from a main road, to come out from a parking space, to stop at the side of the road and to change lanes," told us Joseph.
Indicators are an essential driving tool to let other motorists as well as pedestrians know where you are going; this not only eases the flow of traffic but is an essential safety tool. Not using indicators causes unnecessary delay and may cause accidents.
"They signal one way and turn the other," said Ivan.
"For some, the indicator is just an ornament," said Nadia.
Where to park? Just anywhere will do...
But back to parking, there seems to be a very incorrect impression out there which we need to put straight: Drivers, it is alright to park your car a little distance from your precise destination, and it is alright to walk a little; it is not alright, however, to park your car absolutely anywhere at the inconvenience of other motorists.
"They sudden stop to unload something or, worse, park in the middle of the road, even if there is a parking space a few feet away," said Chris, who is visibly frustrated by this inconvenience, "And they park in the disabled parking space - this is unacceptable!"
Elaine Gatt has another one: "They stop suddenly in the middle of a road to let someone in or out of the car, or until they decide where to park or which turn to take!"
47% of the drivers interviewed expressed displeasure about the parking habits of other motorists.
"Stopping your car in the middle of the road so that you or your partner can buy groceries, yet five meters down the road is unlimited parking; double parking, then you think at least the owner was nice enough to leave their phone number and address... but the phone is switched off and there's no answer at the door; and my favourite of all time: you pull up at a stop sign which leads to a busy main road, the car in front of you doesn't seem to be moving, then after several futile honks and a few choice words, you overtake the guy, only to realise he is actually parked there... reading a newspaper!" said Sarah.
Others added that they find it very irritating when people park incorrectly: blocking other people's cars; taking up 2 spaces; parking in motorbike or handicap spaces; forcing their car into a space even if it means hitting your car; and parking on pavements were among the things mentioned.
Driving on the fast lane
Another common complaint, from 33% of respondents, was about the incorrect use of lanes.
"Driving slowly on outer lane," said Daniela.
"They drive on the outer lane when not overtaking and the inner lane is free," said Joseph.
"They drive slow on the outer lanes where there are dual lanes, thus drivers have to use inner lanes to overtake," replied John Mark.
"Sunday Drivers absolutely enjoy using the fast lane, especially on week days on my way to work," said Nadia.
"Then you bang the horn and they start offending you!" laughed Chris, illustrating the irony of it all.
"Step on it or move out of the way!" added Sarah.
Driving like maniacs
Elaine added, "They drive like maniacs then reduce speed by 20 km/h less than the maximum speed of a speed camera, so if it is 50 km/h, they drop down to 30 km/h. And they do not let you overtake, although there is enough room to overtake."
"Motorcycles pass in between cars in traffic without warning. However, what I really really hate is when you are in traffic and some idiot thinks he is more important than you and surpasses all the queue at high speed on the wrong side. Then, when he sees that he cannot go further, he tries to get in the queue. If such a driver tries to get in the queue in front of me there will be war! Over my dead body!" said Christopher.
"Hardly any road courtesy, and road rage!" said Albert.
"If for some reason or an other you make a slight mistake, you find the driver behind you swearing and making gestures," said Nadia.
"They do not know what patience means!" added Chantelle.
John Mark told us, "Driving in Malta is frenetic; it seems that no one has the patience to drive, especially when it come to roundabouts."
43% of the respondents are upset by the way people drive in Malta.
"They zig zag through traffic, speedy show offs (you know the ones with the obnoxious sounds); they drive in the middle of the road; they overtake even if it means coming head on into your car, or they drive 1 inch away from your bumper! Very impatient, love to toot their own horn, no clue how to use a roundabout, never stop on zebra crossings, drive like maniacs - the worst are the idiots following the ambulance or in the bus lane to ensure they dodge traffic. And there is always somebody driving in the middle of two lanes and someone else who decides to make a one lane road two lanes. They hit your car and keep driving," said Kimberley, enjoying the opportunity to vent her frustration.
"No doubt about it , in my opinion most of the drivers are crazy. As a Sales Rep who spends a lot of time on the road, if I could I would make most of them disappear," said Paul.
To give way or not to give way
43% of respondents are very wary of stop signs, and with good reason.
"The No Stopping signs and the Give Way signs seem to be invisible," said Nadia.
Vanessa takes it further, "I learned something very quickly after passing my driving test: a Stop sign is equivalent to 'Don't even look,' to most drivers."
"I am from Spain and I got a car here in Malta two months ago. I will never be able to understand how many crazy drivers are around. It seems that for many of the Maltese drivers, the Stop sign is just a beautiful red board on a metal stick that simply means: 'No stopping, just sound the horn, pass, and continue your happy car trip!' It really makes my mouth drop open, astonished!" Eloisa told us.
Sarah is even more annoyed for the irony of it all, "A car driver will pull out of a Stop sign at full speed (and you almost crash) but then decides to drive at 10 km/h for the rest of the journey."
Noel adds, "They do not observe Give Way signs, Stop signs and proper lanes on a roundabout, but to make it worse they try to reason that they are right and offend you!"
True story! All too often, I am held from getting into a roundabout and around it, simply because people have no sense to wait for the traffic to subside at the exit they would take, but instead opt to push ahead and wait in line inside the roundabout, thereby blocking it and rendering it unusable for anybody else.
"They sit in traffic on pedestrian crossings and No Stopping zones," said Ivan, while Kimberley said, "No one has a clue what a yellow grid on the road means, they always block other roads when in traffic," as if to support my argument, "They go through red lights and don't give way."
"They don't let you through if you are waiting in a side street, and when you give way to someone, they never say thank you, they might even look at you like you are garbage; the women who drive kissing their steering wheel are the worst!" Audrey told us.
Indeed they don't give way; I diligently put my indicator on to show I need to change from outer lane to inner lane to take my exit, but the oncoming car on the slow lane keeps increasing speed to overtake so that I must manoeuvre back into my lane and almost miss my exit, only to see the speeding car change to the outer lane or stop in traffic just ahead of me. I just don't understand why they do this; what's the point?
It seems that the short distances in Malta have just spoiled Maltese drivers: everybody is in a hurry to get to destination as quickly as possible, even at the expense of driving dangerously; they will use the road in any which way they want.
Horns
All a driver has to do to get away with anything, according to Eloisa, the Spanish respondent, is to use the horn, "Yesterday the car behind me was putting pressure on me to come out of an intersection with several honks of the horn, ended up overtaking me and ended up in the middle of the main road, making the other cars from both sides stop because of him. Then he put down his window and shouted at me 'Like this is how we do it here!' I couldn't believe it! They also use the horn to say hello to other cars or passers-by, making me jump because I think that I am doing something wrong or that there is danger near."
Lights
Joseph, on the other hand, is annoyed about the incorrect use of lights, "They do not switch on their lights until it is practically dark as they do not realise that lights are also for being seen and not just for seeing, but then they use their brights when there is oncoming traffic. They also do not switch on lights in tunnel or in inclement weather, drive with lights that do not work, such as just one headlight, or have trailers without lights."
Safety
Most of the respondents are upset by the lack of courtesy of other drivers, however they are also concerned with safety. Some of the comments we received include that people drive with their side mirrors closed, use their mobiles whilst driving, wear motorbike helmets which are not tied securely, have protruding objects at the back of the vehicles that is not marked with a red flag and drive with very young children in the passenger seat.
Sadly, the bottom line of the typical Maltese driver's attitude seems to be: "I do what I want and to heck with everyone else, because "I" am the king of the road!"
