the green Panda
I swear I see this car everyday when I am out driving the treacherous roads in Italy. It invariably gets in front of me and drives at 45 kph, while long lines of angry Italians form behind me and the car behind me sits 3 centimetres from my bumperbar. I would like to install a heavy bull bar at the back and stop suddenly on occasion to give them the fright they deserve.
I recently had my 17 year old Finnish cousin staying with me and he was horrified by the driving here. From what he says, Finns, much like Australians, generally follow the road rules. Following road rules is quite a good idea, especially when they are designed to help keep you alive.
For instance, a double solid line on a curve in a tunnel lets you know it is not a good idea to overtake the car in front. I respect this rule and stay on my side of the road.
Not so in Italy. Just the other day a car behind us zoomed out across the double line, on a curve, in a tunnel, overtook us and 2 other cars and made it across to the right side of the road in front of a truck with centimetres to spare. My cousin and I said “Oh shit” at the same time. Not a day goes by that I don’t have an “Oh shit” moment on the road here.
And it often involves a green Panda. They must have made a heck of a lot of these cars or the one in the picture gets around a lot.
Click here for another story about driving in Italy. It also involves a green car.