Greek population in traffic.

Undoubtedly you will notice the different behaviour in traffic when you compare the driving style to the one used in your home country. With their temperament the Greeks do not have a lot of patience in traffic. Still, there are rules that everybody sticks to, difference is that they might not be written on paper.
It can happen that you get given right of way even though you do not come from right, simply because it suits the traffic situation better at the time. Greeks will not wait for somebody that is driving in the middle of a one way road. In Greece it is commonly seen the use of the emergency lane for no reason. So, if the driver behind you is in a hurry to overtake and you don’t change lines, even to the emergency lane, you will be confronted with flickering lights and hooting from the drivers behind you.

When you look at the vehicles in the inland, you might wonder if they have road worthy inspections here. Even though Greece is part of the EU, you will not always be able to tell by the looks of some pick up trucks. In Greece you have to get your car approved every two years at the KTEO. It used to be a public service authority but now it is mostly and mainly private.

More and more you see tarred roads on the island. Complete hills are destroyed to make sure the road goes nice and straight. However, this does not improve the quality of the road. Therefore always be alert for potholes, also on a new road like the New National Road.

To conclude, we would like to tell you that the Greeks have a special gift. They seem to foresee the traffic light going green, before it actually does. They will want to show this to you. So don’t be afraid and don’t panic, smiling is a better option in this case.