DRIVING
INFO
speed limits • lights
(new) • seat belts • driving
licence • road rules • type of roads • highway
tolls • age
requirements • breakdowns • gas • parking • insurance • emergency phone numbers • useful Italian words
Speed
Limits:
In cities or towns: 50 km ph (31 miles ph)
Other roads: 110 km ph (66 miles ph)
Highways: 130 km ph (81 miles ph)
Lights
(since summer 2003)
It's mandatory to keep your lights on at all times when driving on Superhighways
and State Roads.
Seat
belts
Seat belts are mandatory - Children must sit in the proper retraint
Driving
license
Foreign driving license are usually recognized, but need to be accompanied
by a translation, which can be obtained from the Automobil Club d'Italia
(ACI - www.aci.it). International driving
licenses are also recognized.
Road rules:
Passing on the right is only possible if the car ahead is turning left
or where parallel rows are permitted (city center.) In the Superhighway,
use the left lane only to pass or if you are driving faster than the
cars in the middle lane. Otherwise, drivers might approach you and flash
their high-beams until you will move to the middle lane and let them
pass.
Type of roads:
AUTOSTRADE Superhighways / Toll roads (except from Naples to Reggio
Calabria, which is free)
STRADE STATALI State Roads - they connect city to city
STRADE PROVINCIALI Provincial Roads - they connect the city with provincial
towns
STRADE COMUNALI Municipal Roads - roads within the city or town
Highway tolls:
Check www.autostrade.it for toll
calculation. Payment is possible with credit card (at the lines that
show the c/c symbols, or you can purchase toll cards at one of the many
offices of the Automobil Club d'Italia (ACI - www.aci.it)
Age
requirements:
To rent a car you must be at least 18 years old, and have had your license
for at least one year. People under 25 year old might incur driver surcharges.
Breakdowns:
For breakdowns call the Automobil
Club Italia by dialing 116 from any phone
(ACI - www.aci.it.) On Superhighways,
you can find emergency phones every 2 km.
Gas:
Gas stations opening hours are from 7:00 am to 12:30 pm and from 3:30
pm to 7:00 pm -closed on Sundays. 24 hour gas station can be found along
the autostrada.
Parking:
Parking in the major towns can be difficult. (Only residents are allowed
in certain areas of the city centers.) See parking
web sites
Insurance:
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Theft protection are mandatory
Emergency phone numbers:
Public emergency dial: 113 - Road Emergency dial: 116 - Carabinieri
dial: 112 - Firefighters dial: 115 - Health / Medical emergency dial:
118 - Environmental emergency dial: 1515 - Children's abouse dial: 19696
(Telefono azzurro) - Crisis Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
dial: 06 36225
Useful Italian words:
Benzina (gasoline)
Vietato parcheggiare (no parking)
Uscita (exit)
Entrata (entrance)
Deviazione (detour)
Senso unico (one-way street)
Vietato / Proibito (forbidden)
Destra (right)
Sinistra (left)
Diritto (straight)
 Indietro (back) |
