Turkey is one very interesting and diverse country and one of the things that make it so special must be it’s traffic on the streets. It can make you feel surprised or just plain scared. In this post, I demystify this (many times and for a good reason called) chaos that you see or experience on the streets of Istanbul, Ankara or any other bigger city in Turkey.

If you already haven’t read my post about Traffic Rules in Turkey, please do, because traffic rules in Turkey ARE different from your country of origin if you come from Europe, USA, Australia…

Read these 5 tips on how to feel more relaxed in the streets of Turkey.

    1. Don’t trust the red light.

If you are a pedestrian and the cars get a red light, never cross the street without being sure that all cars have stopped. Many times you can see cars just going on the red light as many drivers in Turkey just see it as a “suggestion”. Same applies when you are a driver. Always be careful about the lights.

      2. Drive slowly.

Always keep your speed somewhere between going too fast and too slow. Don’t drive fast for the reasons I will explain in the advice no.3

      3. Expect everything.

On the streets of Turkey, you MUST be prepared for everything. Cars will cut your way without any warning and sometimes very fast. Be aware of the parked cars, people open the doors to go out like they are alone on the street. They usually don’t look if a car is passing by, so you have to be very very careful about this. And last, but not least – pedestrians that are passing the street everywhere. They can appear from nowhere, running or going exceptionally slow. You shouldn’t rely on common sense. Here, different rules apply and for a peaceful ride, just be aware of that.

      4. Stay in the same lane.

Very important tip! Don’t change lanes too often. By following it, you will not have unnecessary contact with other drivers in the street.

      5. Don’t care too much about what is happening behind you.

Someone may honk you or try to do something to make you go faster or who-knows-what-they-might-want you just stick to your routine and continue. Don’t panic or try to do what is “asked from you”, just continue driving at your own pace and keep calm.

I hope this was helpful and if you follow these tips I am sure you will not have any trouble on the streets of Istanbul, Ankara or any other city in Turkey. My biggest problem was actually to overcome my “image” of what it’s like to drive in Turkey and as soon as I sat behind my wheel it became much easier than what I thought.

Just be brave and take the first step, go through my tips on how to drive and feel safe in Turkey and please, add some of yours in the comment box below.