Thankfulness Day 10 - Automatic Cars

Today I am thankful for Automatic Cars. Do we have one? Yes. Do we drive it? Currently, no. The insurance is through the roof over here, so in order to save some dough, we parked it and got an Italian beater. And while it is more compact (which is good for squeezing down Italian roads!) it is a manual, and I really dislike driving manual. Perhaps it’s because this is my first manual car and it’s the car itself I don’t like… Something new breaks on it every week. From the window to the lights to the stereo to the air or heat… And the struggles to run in higher gears if you have other things, (like the heat) running at the same time. The windshield wipers seem to make the rain on the glass worse, and yes they are brand new… But no, I think it is the manual driving that gets me most. I messed up my knee playing Ultimate Frisbee while in college and pushing the clutch over longer drives becomes a quick pain. And although I’ve been driving it for months, I am ever stalling out, and in all the wrong places! Sometimes it is definitely my fault, other times, I am quite certain I did nothing to cause its untimely lapse in life. This sounds more like a complaining post, and that’s truly not my intention. I am merely attempting to depict why it is that automatic cars are worthy of a post, and for my daily stress levels and myself, I realize automatic cars are a blessing for me. I was appreciative of our little automatic car, prior to owning this manual car, however I am now very thankful someone bothered to invent automatic cars! They are much more suited for people like me. 

Driving in Italy - Part 2: On the Italian Roads!

Contrary to common belief (at least, I think it’s common, as I’ve gotten so many questions on it), the Italians do not drive on the “wrong” side of the road, they drive on the “right” side of the road. (And really it would be the “left” side and we would drive on the “wrong” side from their point of view, but that’s another issue... lol) Thankfully that was one less thing to get used to!

At the “Right Start” orientation they showed us this video: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/flash 
I recommend you give it a view, it’s super short and comical. I can’t attest to the accuracy of the entire video, but the first half regarding driving has been accurate in my experience. They are rather ridiculous here.

Comments from the Video

Do you recall that part about the Italian car reaching an intersection with tons of signs and being very confused? The signage here is veerry difficult to get used to. First, signs aren’t consistent. By that I mean, sometimes you’ll come to a road and it’s labeled, other times you’ll pass many roads/hwys with no signs indicating their title. We’ve also encountered many signs that simply have a nearby town name with an arrow pointing in the general direction and lacking the distance or any other such useful information. However, these aren’t always pointed in the correct direction. One day while driving back from Pordenone we saw a sign pointing left for Aviano. The road on the left did not lead to Aviano, it was sorely misplaced. After driving a long way and consulting a map, we went back to that location and took the road on the right. After some distance we saw another sign indicating Aviano up ahead.

Most people on base recommend purchasing a GPS, but many admit that they aren’t perfect and can often mislead you as well. Troy and I were loaned a GPS from the base for our house hunting and are considering purchasing an extensive map book of Italy for our travels, as we both prefer maps to a GPS. I can’t stand GPS systems, even when the bossy robot voice is shut off they can be just as misleading in small country towns, and I prefer the detailed maps that I can scribble personal notes into the margins.

Drivers are pretty crazy here, which everyone finds quite odd as Italians are so slow and methodical with everything else. They like to take their time, have many holidays and time off of work, and simply do things one at a time. However, driving is an exception to their laid-back life style, and when they’re on the road, they mean business. I’m quite certain the speed limit signs on the side of the road are invisible to them. I know my mother wouldn’t survive driving here; tailgaters were always a peeve of hers, and here EVERYONE tailgates. Despite going 10 kph over the speed limit myself, I’ll always have an Italian on my tail, sometimes flashing headlights to urge me faster. I don’t like to go more than 10 kph over the speed limit though, particularly because I’m told that Police like to target Americans and will give us less slack than speeding Italians. So I stick around the speed limit or 10 kph over and I will inevitably be passed the first chance they get. When you are being passed, it is your obligation to move as far over to the right as possible. This is really quite difficult as the roads are so narrow and there is really no shoulder. After the edge of the road (for often there is no "white boundary line" on the edge) that's it, and it will drop off or turn into dirt. This leaves cars a very small margin for error...

     Other differences include that it is mandatory for everyone to have either snow chains or snow tires for your car (we were unable to find them at regular stores because nearly all gas stations sell them). Headlights are required basically everywhere, and since there are so few exceptions to when you can have them off, it is advised to simply keep them on at all times. Everyone must also have reflective vests and a reflective road triangle in case of an emergency. Italy also seems to have a ton of roundabouts. They are everywhere and people zoom through them. There are also some different road rules. The one I struggle with most is NO right turns on red lights. I struggle simply because it’s automatic and habit from the states, and often it’ll be clear and I start to go before I (or my hubby) remind me that that’s not allowed here. Definitely going to have to remember that one.

Something else that I have to stop and remind myself of, is their rule of “right-of-way”. Generally in the states when you come to a four way stop, the person who was there first will proceed, someone will kindly wave you on, or the person on the right will go first. Here, the vehicle on the right has right-of-way, however if there are a line of cars behind him, ALL of them have the right of way and get to proceed before you do. So there’s no taking turns, you go, I go, sort of thing. If there’s a bunch of cars lined up on the right, they all get to go before you. Often when approaching an intersection there is a yellow and white diamond sign, which means that you on are the priority road and have the right-of-way.

Another difference is the intersections. I have found that, for the most part, intersections in the states are where four roads meet in one location. Here, there may be four roads, but they don’t line up. I’ve been at a stop light on a hill where I wasn’t able to see the roads to the left and right; after it turned green and I traveled up the hill further, I’d pass them with their stop lights. Because the roads don’t always meet up, you personal stop light is generally off to the road and on your right, instead of hanging in the middle of the intersection (since not all the roads would be able to see it if it were). Furthermore, the intersection lights aren’t always green, yellow, and red. The first time we came to an intersection with different colors, we were quite confused, as they had failed to mention this in our driver’s training. Instead, they will have all white lights and the shape of the light indicates whether or not you can go. We quickly observed that a vertical white bar meant we could proceed, and a horizontal white bar was equivalent to a red light.

Gas:

If you are hoping to go on a weekend trip in Italy, you have to plan ahead for your gas, because Italian gas stations are not open on Sundays, and have very limited hours on Saturday mornings. So I would recommend purchasing it the Friday before, unless you are sure of a gas station’s Saturday hours.

Gas in Italy is also really pricey. For the military, we purchase gas coupons, which is at a discounted rate determined by the DOD. It basically means that we pay gas at the average American cost, not the average cost dependent on the Italian economy. Below are pictures of what our gas coupons look like. 

The coupons have different amounts in liters.

On the left you must fill out the date and sign it, in order for it to be valid.

When you arrive at a gas station, you pull up to an empty pump and wait for a gas attendant to come and assist you. You tell them how much you would like, pay for it (in our case, with the coupons), and then they fill your tank.

Parking in Italy:

            Italian cars are far smaller than American cars. My DH and I thought we were purchasing a small car when we got our Toyota Camry, but after arriving here we realize it’s rather large compared to Italian cars. Everything from cars, to roads and parking spaces are much smaller here. We have great difficulty squeezing into parking spaces. Parking spaces are also different colors. Blue means it requires payment and you must go in search of the often elusive ticket area. White is free parking, and pink is for expectant mothers! Below is a picture of my favorite parking spot! Well, spot plural I suppose, as this sign designates them in various locations. On base my designated parking spot is even closer than the general's. aw yea...

I feel like I see far more of these here than in the states. Why aren't there more?? lol

Police in Italy:

Police, or Carabinieri as they are called, are also different here than in the states. Although they do have cars with sirens and lights, the most common form of being pulled over comes from being flagged down. The Carabinieri are generally pulled off to the side of the road and standing outside of their vehicle. They flag you down by waving a sign that people have nicknamed “the lollipop”, as it’s a stick with a red circle on it. (see pic below. I did not take this pic but found it online, not sure how to site it…)

Picture not mine! stolen from google images... lol.

Once they have waved it at you and you pull over and talk with them, if they decide to fine you, you must pay it then and there (and I’m told fines are at least € 40). And yes, I’m told they have card swipe machines if you don’t happen to have enough euro on you.

 

 

Accidents:

            In Italy, if you see an accident or anything happen, you are required to render assistance (Hence the mandatory reflective vests and road triangles in your car). If a military member gets into trouble, a scrape or what have you on the road, we were given a number to call so they can send a translator to our location. (Thank goodness! I was concerned how I would communicate with someone if trouble arose…)

  

Alright, I believe that should cover just about everything. I’m sure I’ll remember something else odd later and wish I’d stuck it in here, but we’ll also gain more driving experiences the longer we’re here so a part 3 may happen many months down the road. I hope this was informative and helpful :) We have a three day weekend this week! So expect an update on our weekend adventures sometime either Tuesday or Wednesday. Enjoy your weekend!!!

Driving in Italy - Part 1: Getting Started

This blog may be rather dry to some, as I'm kind of addressing it as though I were informing another military spouse of all the awesome processes they'll have to go through, so I'll understand if you skip to the pictures or another post. But I know reading posts like this before I came abroad greatly helped inform me about what to do and expect, so now I'm paying it forward. Here goes...

My DH and I were smart before moving here, and if there happen to be any military wives reading this who are about to PCS overseas, I highly recommend you do what we did. We shipped our car ridiculously early. Lol, or so it seemed at the time. Our car shipped off on November 5^th when we were back at Luke AFB. We knew we wouldn’t be arriving in Italy until January 3^rd, and not having a vehicle in the states for two months was often rather difficult. However, it takes about two months for things to reach Italy (like your car or household goods shipment).

Our car arrived just before the end of the year, so it was ready to be picked up as soon as we could register it and get our licenses. This was a huge freedom (and believe me, after a few long days of briefings and paperwork, you’ll be itching to get off base and see Italy). It also allowed us to start house hunting just days after arriving. We were able to have the comfort of our own vehicle while other families were forced to rent a vehicle until theirs came (and a car rental is not something the military will reimburse you for, unlike your reimbursements for temporary lodging and food).

            We made due for the two months without a car back in the states, and despite being 6 and 7 months pregnant, I would walk or bike to base, get groceries and goods, stuff them in my back pack, and carry them home. It was great exercise! We also had some very kind friends who would occasionally loan us their car if we had a doctor appointment or something else that was too far for us to bike to. In my opinion, it’s sooo much better to have your own car ready and waiting when you arrive at your new station than to be in a new place and also driving and paying for a rental car while waiting for yours to show. All right, enough about that. Now I will inform you what the process was like to get a drivers license and what it’s like to drive on Italian streets. 

Step 1: The Driver's License

                      Troy was able to get his license the day after we arrived. They had a "Jumpstart" program for airmen and they helped him get on the process. It was good to get it out of the way, though we couldn't get our car until the following Tuesday anyway. He came home and gave me the necessary links I would need to study for the drivers test. For those coming to Aviano here's the link: http://www.31fss.com/afrc/web/inbound-driving.html   On the top right of the page you can read through the study guide and also study the various road signs. Then you can click on the top link and take the two tests. One is a multiple choice test about the rules of the road/driving, and the other is a 50 question test on the road signs alone. I took a screen shot (see below) of the chart presented on the test.  

          

            As you can see, there are exactly 50 sign options (though you have 118 signs to study on the study pamphlet) and each option is only used once during the test. So if you think one sign can apply to two questions, you're wrong, try again. The chart will stay the same and you simply click on the sign that correctly answers the question. The test can take a long time as you have to search the chart for the sign you're looking for. In order to be granted a license you must pass both the multiple choice test and the road signs test with 100%. However don't worry if you don't get a perfect score your first time, you will be given successive chances to take the tests.

           Looking at the chart, you can probably already guess what some of the signs mean without having done any studying. The large "P" in the top row is obviously a sign for parking and two over to the right from that is a sign that anyone could guess to mean, "Don't come this way!". However not all signs are so self explanatory. In the second row you can see there are two similar signs, both blue with a white arrow pointing up. However, one is a round sign while the other is square. The round one means you must take that street and that that is the mandatory direction of travel. (After some driving I have found that there is usually the red "don't go this way" sign nearby on a street they don't want you to enter. The square sign with the arrow indicates a one-way street only.

       I recommend printing the PDF file of the road signs so you can have it all right in front of you for the test. That way it has the exact wording/explanation under each sign, as some are similar in meaning. You could also keep the tab open on the computer and flip from that to the test, but that little trick of CTRL + F won't work to let you search through the document, and I found it much harder to scroll through the pages of bright signs than to look down at the sheet of them in front of me, but to each his own. 

      After passing both tests with 100%, they will email you a certificate of completion which you will print and later give to proper authorities. My "proper authorities" were at the Right Start program the following week. On Monday they had us fill out a basic information sheet, hair, eye color, weight, etc. On the following day, Tuesday, you hand in the print out of your completed test and they will give you your license. Here's what my driver's license looks like. I was surprised they required no photo ID on it or patterns or shimmery colors to make it difficult to copy/fake, but it's supposed to be a supplement to your license from the states, which does have a photo ID. (so both must be presented if you're pulled over)

    

Step 2: Registering the Car

Now to begin the lengthy process of getting your car registered… In order to get your car registered, you must first have your license. We’ve got that, check. Next, go to the warehouse where your car was shipped. (You should be have gotten an email when your car arrived). Here they will give you the paperwork saying that yes your car has in fact been delivered and is waiting for you. It will have your vin # and other such information on it.

             Next, you must get a license plate. You can get these from the same people who processed your licenses at Pass and Registration. You give them the paperwork from the warehouse as well as proof of your insurance. (For Italy I believe only USAA and Geico offer the type of insurance needed) They will give you your new plate numbers, which you send to the insurance company. They will send you the updated insurance card by emailing it directly to the pass and registration office. Then the Pass and Registration office will print the card for you and give you the actual plates. The Insurance cards here are small and white and must be displayed in your front windshield at all times. Below you can see the plates on our car. The plates in Italy are much longer than the plates in the States. I should have gotten a picture before, when we had long pieces of blue tape keeping our plate on until we were able to buy a plate adaptor bracket at the store to fit the long plate and different screw holes.

 

Then you go to the foreign nationals at Pass and Registration and pay road tax (since we only have one car it was about $5). Then they will register your car. You take this information back to the warehouse where your car was shipped and do an inspection of your car and put the plates on. If you need to file a claim, this is the time to do so. We had to file a claim as we had a damaged hubcab. The first time my DH stopped at the warehouse he discovered we were missing three hubcabs. My first thought was, “Shoot, I didn’t take pictures of the car!”. Before leaving AZ, military spouses had told me the dangers of shipping and traveling, that things would get broken and how difficult it was to file claims if you had no proof that they were the ones who damaged it. They advised having a detailed inventory of everything, so I spent days meticulously inventorying all of our possessions, complete with pictures, dimensions, serial numbers, you name it. I realized in that moment, that I had forgotten the car, really the most expensive thing we own and I failed to document its condition.

Thankfully the three hubcabs were found in the trunk and only one was damaged. (It was missing a huge chunk, not sure how that happens…) They also agreed the fault was theirs and reimbursed us for it. 

Alright, almost done registering! Within 15 days of having the car, you must get it inspected and take that passing inspection back to Pass and Registration. (If you don’t, there are heavy fines!) We did ours the same day. We didn’t pass at first because we forgot some essentials. In Italy, you are required to have a reflective vest and a reflective triangle road sign. You are required to render assistance if you witness something or there’s an animal on the side of the road. So you pull over, put on the vest, and place the triangle a distance behind the car to warn people to slow down. So we had to go and purchase those before passing. We did this and were fully registered by Tuesday evening. Woohoo! 

Step 3: Hit the Road!!!

         We were now good to drive the streets of Italy! I will detail Italian driving and our experiences in part 2.