Rip-off or safety? Greece tightens the traffic screw - and holidaymakers pay

Image: Jekatarinka / shutterstock.com

New rules, high penalties - and many tourists fall into the trap

If you want to drive a rental car through Athens, Thessaloniki or across one of the many islands this fall, you'd better look twice: Greece has tightened its road traffic regulations - drastically.

And not quietly: According to the Federal Foreign Office, holidaymakers who break the rules face heavy fines, the temporary withdrawal of their driving license or even their license plates. Particularly treacherous: the rules seem inconspicuous at first glance - if you don't know them, you can easily fall into the cost trap.

Speed limit, parking traps and drink-drive limit - these are the biggest risks

30 km/h in residential areas

What is often announced by large signs in Germany is sometimes completely absent in Greece: in residential areas and narrow streets, the speed limit is now generally 30 km/h - even if it is not signposted. If you drive faster, you pay.

Parking violation? License plate off!

Sounds absurd, but it happens regularly: even minor parking violations can result in fines of 20 to 150 euros. But it doesn't stop at the ticket - the police are allowed to remove the license plates immediately. And until the fine is paid, the vehicle is immobilized. This is a real problem for anyone traveling by rental car - because the costs often end up directly on the credit card.

Zero tolerance for motorcyclists and co.

The drink-drive limit is 0.5, but alcohol is prohibited for novice drivers, motorcyclists and professional drivers. If you are caught, you not only have to reckon with high fines - your driver's license can also be confiscated immediately.

In addition, known rule violations such as using a cell phone while driving, not wearing a helmet or seatbelt are now subject to particularly strict controls and sanctions.

Traffic circle? The opposite is true in Greece!

Another problem: the unfamiliar priority rule on traffic circles. Anyone coming from Germany assumes that vehicles have priority on traffic circles. Not so in Greece: the rule there is that whoever enters has priority. This not only causes confusion, but also accidents. And in a crash with a rental car, it gets expensive.

No stopping? Read the lines!

So-called no stopping signs with vertical lines regularly cause trouble:

• One line = no stopping in odd-numbered months
• Two lines = no stopping in even months

Sounds confusing? It is. If you stand in the wrong place, you pay - even if no violation is apparent at first glance.

How to protect yourself from costs and hassle on vacation

The Federal Foreign Office strongly advises caution:

• Don't take strangers with you - can be legally tricky
• Better to change to bus, train or ferry, especially in Athens
• In case of problems: contact a lawyer or the German embassy immediately
• Rental car drivers in particular should inform themselves about the local traffic regulations before setting off - otherwise it will be really expensive.

Holidaymakers trapped

Of course Greece has the right to make its roads safer. But what is happening here looks like a mixture of a bureaucratic trap and a holidaymaker rip-off. Because anyone who confiscates license plates or driving licenses without providing clear information beforehand is not creating trust - but is cashing in at the expense of the unsuspecting. It would be more honest to display these rules in large letters at the rental car counter - preferably right next to the credit card reader.