Driving in Italy – part 2001

Driving_in_Italy_part_2001

I’m driving along, slowing down because a) the traffic lights ahead are red and b) there is a van in front indicating that it is turning left. It is, in fact, turning into a parking place. It is not ‘racing’ into the parking place, rather, it almost stops and then starts to move into the space.

A scooter comes and tries to pass between the van, the parking place and the other parked cars. The van, already moving onto the parking space hits the front wheel of the scooter as the van driver didn’t spot the scooter trying to race through before it had parked (the scooter rider obviously in a great hurry – and, maybe, blind as he didn’t see the indicators nor the fact the van was clearly turning into his path).

The scooter fell over and slid into a parked car. The guy on the scooter (now on the ground), started shaking his fist at the driver of the van.

The car in front of me (the one directly behind the van) stopped. I would have liked to have stopped but my Italian really isn’t up to it. However, I hope the van driver gets the support he needs from the other motorists for the mad-cap scooter driver’s actions. And, whilst I wouldn’t want an accident to happen to anyone, scooter rider or not, this guy was, as are quite a lot of scooter drivers, a bloody idiot.

True, a lot of drivers don’t indicate or, worse, indicate one way and then move in the other direction but, if you have someone indicating, I am always a bit wary in case they actually do what they are indicating they are going to do!