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The Portuguese have only in recent years completed the A2 motorway from Lisbon to the Algarve. They seem to have followed the Mad Max rule of motorway construction. The Portuguese are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet but put them behind the wheel of a car and they are transformed into madmen (and madwomen). The population see straight tarmac as a chance to hit 150 mph plus. Not surprisingly Portugal has some of the highest driving mortality rates anywhere.

So based on this principle you would give these new roads central crash barriers...err no ! Crash barriers are for wimps. The brand new A2 between the Lisbon and the Algarve has "occasional" crash barriers. And you wouldn't put a six foot deep drainage channel down the centre of highway were the crash barriers would normally be yes off course you would ! As a deeply cynical character I have a pet theory that goes something like this.. that given enough time decision makers will eventually reverse a widely accepted accepted norm. "We have decided to abolish penicillin because it is not a good idea" that sort of thing. This new road appears to support my theory!

At frequent intervals there are tyre tracks where a vehicle has obviously gone over the edge. These new roads are mainly toll roads and this keeps traffic volumes down but this allows the Portuguese to drive at suicidal speeds.

I have to admit in twenty years of driving in Europe I have rarely seen some of the speeds I saw on this motorway, they left both of us "gob smacked". One thing you must realize is that accepted European rules of driving do not apply here. A fast car expects slower traffic to move out of the way, and will try and go through you if you don't. On a two lane motorway there is no time for the customary mirror, single, manoeuvre to overtake when a Mercedes might be approaching at 150 miles an hour. About 10 min's after joining the motorway I went to overtake a slower car, little did I realize a Mercedes was fast approaching at 150 miles an hour. As I was overtaking the Mercedes appeared in my mirror and without slowing got closer and closer, we honestly braced ourselves for a collision and watched in disbelief as he slammed his brakes on at the last second and slid sideways across the road behind me.

You have been warned !

Learn more about this author, Andrew Mercer.
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