Many fantasize about traveling abroad to drive on iconic roads like the Stelvio Pass in Italy or the Transfagarasan Highway in Romania. Still, not every strip of pavement is a scenic byway. Every country has typical streets and highways, as well as the traffic that comes with them. The congestion can arguably be worse than at home depending on the region.
What was your worst driving experience in a foreign country? When were the rules of the road merely a suggestion for locals? Were there places where you could get a driving ticket if you even thought about rushing through a yellow light?
For France, it has become an annual ritual to clog up the nation’s highways during the middle of summer. The event is often referred to as Samedi Noir or Black Saturday. The French government sends out traffic advisories warning travelers of heavily congested roadways. This typically happens the last weekend of July and the first weekend of August as Parisians and others in the country’s northern regions head to the South of France on vacation. With such a large amount of drivers on the road, there can be over 600 miles of traffic jams, according to the Brussels Times.
Please don’t hesitate to share your worst times behind the wheel overseas in the comment section below. However, we can’t promise that you won’t be banned from visiting your next holiday destination.