Traffic Rules In Turkey – How To Feel Safe On The Streets In Turkey

I’ve been thinking for a while to write about traffic in Turkey because it is one of the most interesting subjects for me since I first came to Turkey.

Travelling to Turkey for the first time

When I first visited Turkey as a tourist in 2008. I remember that traffic was one of the things that surprised me the most. I was afraid to cross the street and even walk in the pedestrian zones in Istanbul and other cities in Turkey because every moment there could be a motorcycle coming your way. I didn’t feel safe at all. It was a horror for me and now I see it in the eyes and reactions of my friends who come to visit us.

I got used to many many things here in Turkey and most of the things make me laugh, but there are some things that I don’t find funny at all.

Here are a few of the things I can’t laugh about:

• Motorcycle drivers who think they are allowed to use literally all roads, even if it goes through the park.
• Cars which don’t stop to let you cross the street even on a pedestrian crossing,even if the one who wants to cross the street is a pregnant woman or a woman with a child.
• Pedestrians crossing the street just anywhere and without looking well if the car is coming, etc.

As an expat in Turkey I got used to “new” traffic rules

Now I drive on a daily basis and I see how I still get surprised by the “rules” of traffic on the streets in Turkey. What I find very interesting is this: I see Turkish people as very polite and caring people. People give places in the bus for people in need, help you on the street if you need, a woman is respected here and men usually will make a place for a woman on the street if she needs to pass. Even taxi drivers in front of my building are amazingly polite. If I need to pass where they are standing, ten men without any questions will move completely out of my way and make it convenient for me to pass.

BUT!

As soon as these polite ad nice people enter their cars, it is like something switches in their mind. They become ruthless people, fighting for their spot in the traffic. It is like they have to be like that, rules here are just different than what I am used to seeing in my country.

What I like about traffic in Turkey

There is also something I like about traffic on the streets in Turkey. People don’t make problems about some small mistakes. Everyone is making them and you just continue on your way. The aim is important, everyone just wants to get where they’re heading and they all work toward that aim. I love that! They can make very practical solutions very easily and without much mess. This is a good side of traffic in Turkey, but to keep yourself safe, read my tips on how to drive safely on the street in Turkey, without much drama.

Safe driving is possible in Turkey. I follow these few simple tips and get myself wherever I want. It’s a big freedom that I also want for you!

Share your comments in the comment box bellow. Is there something you would like to add about traffic in Turkey? Were you scared like me when you first came to Turkey?