Driving is quite an experience in Turkey and whilst it may have some fantastic main roads and motorways, it has some crazy drivers who think nothing of jumping a red light, overtaking on the brow of a hill and tooting their horn instead of using their indicator. However, whilst driving may seem more relaxed with an anything goes feel to it, don't be lulled into a false sense of security; it is foolish to think that laws in other countries are going to be more relaxed than at home. On the contrary many countries have some very stiff driving penalties and most countries across Europe including Turkey are having major clamp downs on things like drinking and driving.
Bringing Your Car into Turkey
If you decide to drive here in your own vehicle then you will need to produce your passport, International driving license, vehicle ownership papers – if the car is not yours then you need a power of attorney allowing you to drive it, an international green card and your insurance documents and if you intend to drive through Turkey to the Middle East a transit book called a Carnet de passage. The details of your vehicle will be logged into your passport and you will not able to leave the country without it unless you transfer it to Turkish licence plates.Driving in Turkey
Turkey has an efficient modern transport system with some fine motorways linking the key cities and neighbouring countries. The legal driving age in Turkey is 18 and foreign drivers must obtain an international driving licence if they want to drive here.
The Turkish Highway code is comparable to those in most European countries. Outside cities, traffic moves freely In Turkey, they drive on the right hand side of the road and vehicles travelling from the right have right of way. The national speed limit is 120 km/h on motorways, 90 km/h on main roads and 50 km/h when driving through towns and villages. Seat belts are only compulsory for drivers and passengers seated in the front of the car. Seat belts for drivers and front passengers are mandatory. Petrol stations open from 6 am until 10 pm, but outside of cities and tourist resorts, it can sometimes be hard to locate one. On the motorways, the petrol stations are open 24 hours. Turkish drivers are often considered to be quite erratic and somewhat mad when seated behind the wheel of a car; you should be patient behind heavy goods vehicles and when driving on rural roads, look out for stray dogs and horse and carts.
Road Traffic Accidents
If you are involved in a road traffic accident, you should leave your vehicle exactly where it is even if it is blocking the road. If you move your vehicle the police will not take down an accident report and you will not be able to make an insurance claim. You should always call the police in the event of an accident; the Trafik Polisi can be called on 154 and the Jandarma on 156. The police report must be confirmed by the nearest local authority and the drivers of the vehicles have to report to the customs authority with their passport and police report if the vehicle is on foreign licence plates. If the vehicle can be repaired, you have to tell the customs authority before taking it to the garage. If your vehicle is on foreign plates and it cannot be repaired it has to be taken to the nearest customs office who will cancel the vehicle registration on your passport will be cancelled. Drinking and Driving
The police can check if you are above the legal limit for alcohol consumption by measuring the amount of alcohol in your blood; this means by finding out the number of milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. At the roadside they will administer a breathalyser test and if you are found to be above Turkey’s legal limit of 0.5 mg you will be required to give a blood sample immediately at the nearest hospital. You should also be aware that the legal limit drops is zero tolerance if you have passengers in the car or are running a bus or taxi. 0.5 mg is equal to one small beer, so it is far better to drink no alcohol than to have one too many. You are not permitted to have any drug related substance in your body whilst driving. Fines and Punishment
The fines for all manner of driving offences were raised by 7.8% in 2007. Drinking and driving is not condoned in Turkey and results in heavy fines and sometimes some quite novel punishments, for example police officers have been known to take drunk drivers 30 km from their hometown and make them walk back with the police car tagging on slowly behind to make sure that they abide by this punishment. Turkish police do not need any reason to stop your car and if they feel you may have imbibed alcohol they will breathalyse you. If your test is positive and this is your first drink driving offence you will receive a 513 YTL fine and a one months licence suspension. Second-time offenders must pay 562 YTL and receive a two year suspension and if this is your third drink driving offence you will have to pay 899 YTL plus you will receive a five year driving ban and up to two months in jail. After the five year suspension the driver must pass a psychological test measuring their suitability to resume driving. Drivers will also receive on the spot fines for disregarding a red light: 108 YTL, failing to register a vehicle within one month of purchasing it: 108 YTL, failure to carry car ownership documents, broken lights and vehicle inspection violations: 52 YTL, driving without a valid driving license: 222 YTL, failure to have your driving license with you or refusal to show it: 108 YTL, parking violations, no insurance and playing music too loud:52 YTL, parking in areas reserved for disabled: 105 YTL, cruising on the left hand road marking: 108 YTL, smoking in public transport: 58 YTL, carrying pre-locating radar devices: 352 YTL. Speeding penalties are as follows: 10 to 29 km over the speed limit: 108 YTL , 30 km plus 222 YTL .
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