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Europe’s Bizarre Car Safety Rules
From expired bandages to mandatory fashion statements — European safety rules are as unpredictable as our roads
You’re cruising down the Amalfi Coast in a German-plated car, taking those serpentine curves maybe a touch slower than the locals (who treat those hairpin turns like their personal Formula 1 track). It’s a perfect Mediterranean afternoon until those dreaded blue lights flash in your mirror. Your mind races yet you know you weren’t speeding. If anything, that Fiat behind you had been hugging your bumper for the last ten minutes whilst flashing his headlamps impatiently at you.
Turns out, it wasn’t about speed at all. The Polizia Stradale (the Italian highway police) had been conducting one of their routine safety equipment checks. They particularly love stopping foreign cars — partly because we’re easy targets and partly because our home countries’ rules often don’t align with Italian regulations.
That’s exactly what happened to a German friend last summer. There he was, confidently producing his single high-visibility vest (perfectly legal in Germany), only to watch the officer’s head shake in that uniquely Italian way. Turns out, in Italy, you need a vest for every seat in your car, even if you’re travelling on your own. Talk about Italian fashion…
