Driving in Sicily: Expect the Unexpected

I was reading a Reddit board the other day and had to smile. An American tourist was questioning the way people drive in Sicily and asking whether bad driving was prevalent, or whether he had simply been unlucky.

He had been on holiday here for two weeks and, during that time, had almost had three serious accidents.

Someone replied:

“Only three? Rookie!”

Welcome to driving in Sicily!

So, what is driving in Sicily actually like?

Having lived in seven different countries around the world, I can honestly say that driving in Italy, and Sicily in particular, is definitely not the worst I have experienced. That particular honour goes to the Middle East.

We arrived in Abu Dhabi in the late 1990s. Not many women drove there in those days, and I was considered one of the brave few. I was harassed on the road on several occasions, but the strangest thing I ever witnessed was a local man hurtling down Sheikh Zayed Highway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi in a large Nissan Patrol.

He had his feet up on the dashboard, presumably using cruise control, with a newspaper spread open across the steering wheel.

I have never seen anything quite like that during nearly fifteen years of living in Italy. But I have certainly experienced my fair share of interesting driving.

What makes it particularly baffling is that the Italian driving test is notoriously difficult. People routinely fail the theory or practical examination before finally managing to pass. You would therefore imagine that everyone emerging triumphantly from the process would be an exemplary driver.

You would be wrong.

Not a time goes by when I am on the road when I begin to wonder just how many people driving in Sicily, and even Italy, actually have valid driver’s licences.

The roof huggers

First, we have the roof huggers.

These are drivers who appear to be desperately hanging onto the roof of their car while driving, as though at any moment it might part company with the rest of the vehicle. One arm controls the car. The other is apparently responsible for keeping the roof attached.

Why? I have no idea.

The hand wafters

Closely related to the roof hugger is the hand wafter.

These drivers hang an arm casually out of the window and waft their hand through the air as they speed along. It isn’t an indication that they are turning. Indicators appear to be regarded by some Sicilian drivers as optional extras fitted to cars for decorative purposes.

The arm is simply… there.

Only recently, a woman driving in Palermo reportedly travelled too close to a railing while doing exactly this and lost her arm.

I am constantly amazed there aren’t more one-armed Italians walking around.

The no hands

Everyone knows that if Italians sat on their hands they wouldn’t be able to talk.

From time to time, we have those drivers with passengers where at some point in the conversation they become increasingly animated. At this stage, both hands will come off the steering wheel as the driver turns to face his passenger using said hands to get his meaning across.

The Mario Andretti School of Motoring

Then we have the Mario Andretti wannabes.

Fast driving on the autostrada is practically a competitive sport.

The technique is fairly straightforward. Accelerate dramatically between speed cameras, catch up with the unfortunate person travelling at a sensible speed in front of you, then flash your headlights until they move over into the slower lane.

Should they fail to respond immediately, they begin tailgating. Not ordinary tailgating, mind you. Sicilian-style tailgating. The sort where you look in the rear-view mirror and can determine immediately what the driver behind you is wearing down to the number of buttons on the shirt.

Moving over will eventually become less a matter of courtesy and more an instinct for self-preservation.

Blind corners are apparently more exciting that way

Of all the road games played here while driving in Sicily, one seems popular with drivers of every age.

Coming around a blind corner on your side of the road.

There is nothing quite like rounding a bend on a quiet Sicilian country road to discover a Fiat, or the infamous white van man, hurtling directly towards you.

You brake.

They swerve.

Nobody dies.

Everyone continues with their day. The only person who is stressed is you. For the Sicilian driver the attitude is, “What’s the problem?” Futtitini!

And then there are the tractors

I live in a rural part of Sicily, so cars are not the only things we have to contend with. We also have tractors moving between fields and olive groves, and some who even pull into the local supermarket carpark to buy a quick round of groceries. Naturally, they slow the traffic.

This is when another popular Sicilian driving game begins: Overtake the tractor before the oncoming car arrives.

A queue forms behind the tractor. Someone five cars back decides they have waited long enough and launches themselves into the opposite lane.

Another follows.

Sometimes another.

Meanwhile, a car or several cars are approaching from the opposite direction. Everyone accelerates. Everyone squeezes together. Somehow, remarkably, everyone usually survives.

If you have ever watched one of those bizarre television game shows involving contestants, obstacles and split-second timing, driving on a rural Sicilian road can feel strangely familiar.

Roundabouts require their own rule book

Roundabouts are another adventure.

You may encounter someone who stops dead in the middle of one looking like a deer caught in the headlights. I will sadly admit, most of these who do this are women. Someone else may enter without looking. Another will leave without indicating. And the person beside you may suddenly decide that the exit you are taking looks rather appealing and crosses two lanes to join you.

Filter lanes are similarly misunderstood.

Why position yourself correctly beforehand when you can swing across the road at the last possible moment?

Where is the excitement in planning ahead?

Expect the unexpected

And that, really, is the secret to driving in Sicily.

Expect the unexpected.

Don’t assume that because someone isn’t indicating, they aren’t going to turn. Don’t assume that because you have right of way, somebody else is going to give it to you. Don’t assume that the car approaching the junction is going to stop. Don’t assume that the driver overtaking you has checked whether anything is coming in the opposite direction.

And never, ever assume that because you cannot see a car coming around a blind bend, there isn’t one there.

Driving defensively takes on an entirely new meaning here.

Yet there is something rather extraordinary about it. After a while, you adapt.

You begin anticipating what other drivers are going to do before they do it. You leave more room. You watch junctions. You approach bends cautiously. You stop being surprised when a scooter appears from somewhere that wasn’t technically a road.

Eventually, driving in Sicily becomes an art.

You will emerge from situations feeling as though you have escaped from more tight spots than Houdini. You will develop eyes in the back of your head and an uncanny ability to predict when the little Fiat in front of you is about to turn left despite providing absolutely no outward evidence of intending to do so. You return home feeling vaguely victorious in completing a journey unscathed.

So, should tourists be frightened of hiring a car in Sicily?

No.

A car is one of the best ways to discover the island, particularly if you want to get beyond Palermo, Catania and the main tourist routes. Some of Sicily’s loveliest towns, beaches, archaeological sites and countryside are far easier to reach with your own transport.

Just don’t expect everyone to drive the way they do at home.

Take your time. Keep your distance. Be particularly careful on unfamiliar country roads and at junctions. Let the Mario Andrettis disappear into the distance.

And remember the most important rule of driving in Sicily:

Expect the unexpected and you won’t be disappointed.

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