Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In winter, be careful of icy roads. In bad winters, you will need chains on your wheels
almost everywhere except along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. In mountainous
areas such as northeastern Anatolia, landslides and rockfalls are a danger, caused by wet
weather and snow-melt in spring. Between İstanbul and Ankara, be aware of the fog belt
around Bolu that can seriously reduce visibility, even in summer.
ROAD RULES
In theory, Turks drive on the right and yield to traffic approaching from the right. In prac-
tice, they often drive in the middle and yield to no one. Maximum speed limits, unless
otherwise posted, are 50km/h in towns, 90km/h on highways and 120km/h on
otoyols
.
SAFETY
Turkey has one of the world's highest motor-vehicle accident rates. Turkish drivers are
impatient and incautious; rarely use their indicators and pay little attention to anyone
else's; drive too fast both on the open road and through towns; and have an irrepressible
urge to overtake - including on blind corners.
To survive on Turkey's roads:
» Drive cautiously and defensively.
» Do not expect your fellow motorists to obey road signs or behave in a manner you
would generally expect at home.
» As there are only a few divided highways and many two-lane roads are serpentine, re-
concile yourself to spending hours crawling along behind slow, overladen trucks.
» Avoid driving at night, when you won't be able to see potholes, animals, or even
vehicles driving without lights, with lights missing, or stopped in the middle of the road.
Drivers sometimes flash their lights to announce their approach.
» Rather than trying to tackle secondary, gravel roads when visiting remote sights, hire a
taxi for the day. It's an extra expense, but the driver should know the terrain and the peace
of mind is invaluable.
» The US embassy in Ankara has a page of safety tips for drivers at
ht-
TOLLS
You must pay a toll to use the major
otoyols
. You can buy green-and-orange toll cards
and place
kontör
(credit) on them at the offices near motorway toll gates. The offices are
not open 24 hours; most close on Sunday. There is a
"
100 fine for nonpayment, which
takes about two weeks to come through.
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