To travel on the Cretan road network as a tourist or for work, for short or long periods in safety and comfort we think it is always good to try to "travel well-informed" because there are actually some small differences and some different habits with the driving we are used to in our countries of origin.
And it is precisely to try to give some information on these "differences" that in this page we have tried to give some advice and some guidance, the result of more than twenty years of experience on the Cretan roads, in the hope that these informations can be of use.
Traffic on the main roads
- There are no toll roads on the island, in the larger ones with wider lanes the custom is to drive on the right, almost touching the white line that delimits the emergency lane, to allow and facilitate overtaking (even if there is a double central continuous white strip that overtaking forbids it! You will see that it is a very little respected rule .... even if the fines on this infringement are really heavy), therefore be careful in case of a stop not to consider the emergency lane a safe space, try rather to get to one of the rest areas, which are frequent enough, to make your stop even in an emergency.
The following fines and penalties are foreseen for:
- driving astride the road marking central horizontal sign or of the emergency lane = 80 euro + 20 days of withdrawal of the driving license and the vehicle registration document
- overtaking not allowed and overtaking without the use of turning signals = 700 euros + 7 points taken off the driving license + 10 days of withdrawal of the driving license and the vehicle registration document
- driving on the wrong side ot the road = 200 euros + 5 points taken off the driving license + 10 days of withdrawal of the driving license and the vehicle registration document
- driving in the emergency lane = 200 euro + 9 points taken off the driving license + 60 days of withdrawal of the driving license and the vehicle registration document.
Use of headlights
- In all Greece and not only in Crete it is a common practice to keep the headlights of the car off during the day, there is no regulation that requires it to be switched on, even outside of urban areas, are clearly excluded the new cars that have LED position lights always on, the motorbikes and road sections in tunnels
The following fines and penalties are foreseen for:
- use of high beam during the day = 80 euro
- failure to switch on the daytime running lights for motorbikes = 80 euros
- failure to switch on the emergency lights in tunnel in case of stop = 700 euros + 9 points taken off the license + 20 days of withdrawal of the driving license
Safety on board
- In recent years the Traffic Police has certainly become very sensitive on the issue of road safety and therefore controls on this topic have become more frequent, keep this in mind and the person responsible for any irregularities found on board is always considered the Driver.
The following fines and penalties are foreseen for:
- failure to use seat belts for the driver, dangerous transport of passenger (greater number of passengers than the homologation allowed to the vehicle, failure to use seat belts and irregular transport of children) = 350 euros + 5 points taken off the license + 60 days of withdrawal of driving license and vehicle registration document.
Speed control
- Fines for speeding are also very heavy and the use of speed cameras is quite frequent; on the whole north highway you will find many fixed radars (they are always indicated by two gray signs placed 250 meters from each other before the photographic survey point, they invite you to moderate the speed .... respect them!) but there are also mobile radars, not marked .... and positioned as a rule on those rare straights that encourage the driver to increase the pace.
The following fines and penalties are foreseen for:
- speeding up to 20 km/h beyond the set limits = 80 euros
- speeding between 20 km/h and 30 km/h on the set limits = 100 euros
- speeding beyond 30 km/h on the set limits = 350 euros + 5 points taken off the driving license + 60 days of withdrawal of the driving license.
Alcohol Test
- But the most serious consequences are the penalties for drunk driving, the tolerance is very, very low and the limit imposed is 0.25 g/l (about a glass of wine or a little more), but let's see what exactly are the fines and penalties provided by the alcohol test:
- with values between 0.25 g/l and 0.40 g/l = 200 euro + 5 points taken off the driving license + seizure of the vehicle
- with values between 0.40 g/l and 0.60 g/l = 700 euros + 9 points taken off the driving license + immediate withdrawal and suspension of the license for 90 days + seizure of the vehicle
- with values above 0.60 g/l = 1200 euro + immediate withdrawal and suspension of the license for 180 days + seizure of the vehicle + 2 months minimum of detention
A pleasant evening with a few too many beers .... as you can well see can therefore turn into a really bad adventure and thus ruin the holiday .... Greek law, however, provides that prison sentences can then be resolved, thus avoiding unpleasent stays, through the payment of an amount calculated on a daily basis and therefore in relation to the total number of days of conviction that the judge will want to assign (therefore consider a probable further charge of approximately 2,000 euros!).
Various penalties
- Other important situations that need a lot of attention because they generate heavy fines and penalties are:
- failure to stop at red light = 700 euro + 9 points taken off from the driving license + immediate withdrawal and suspension of the driving license and registration document for 60 days
- failure to comply with the STOP sign = 700 euro + 9 points taken off the driving license + withdrawal and suspension of the license and vehicle registration document for 20 days
- use of mobile phone without suitable bluetooth handsfree = 100 euro + 30 days of driving license suspension
- motorcycle driving without a helmet = 350 euros + 5 points taken off the driving license + 60 days of withdrawal of the vehicle registration document + 60 days of suspension of the driving license.
No Parking Zone
We conclude this space dedicated to very unpleasant subjects with the signaling of a rather particular situation concerning the parking ban, that is that in the cities the removal of the license plates is still very much practiced to the cars in no-parking zone and if this happens to be able to get them back and to continue the holiday you must first go to the nearest police station or to the municipality to pay the fine.
A fine that can range from 40 to 80 euros up to a maximum of 150 euros in the event of parking in reserved areas for disabled (for these infractions, there is also the subtraction of 9 points from the license and the withdrawal of the driving license and the vehicle registration document from 10 to 60 days depending on the seriousness of the case).
Important Notice
- The amounts of the penalties for violations of the Traffic Code reported here are intended for an income of the Driver that does not exceed 50,000 euros per year.
- According to the provisions of the Traffic Code N.4619/2019 (ΦΕΚ Α΄ 95/11.6.2019) for incomes exceeding 50,000 euros per year the fines are doubled and are tripled for incomes over 100,000 euros.
Common situations, local customs and habits
- In Crete there are no automatic petrol stations, however, especially in small towns, it is not uncommon for the pump operator to live in the same building that houses the gas station (so do not be afraid to ask if the need arises, the Cretans are hospitable and they will hardly say no to you!), but it is always better to travel with a good reserve of fuel also because the distances on the island are considerable (consider about 350 kilometers in length and a width between 70 km. and 15 km., with an important mountain ridge that crosses it horizontally, and with very winding roads in the inland, so much so that here we speak not in terms of how many kilometers it takes to reach a location but rather how many hours it takes to get from one destination to another) and you won't always find refueling stations close to each other.
- When driving on Cretan roads it is also important to take into account the behavior of local drivers behind the wheel, in general you will meet a rather relaxed and quiet guide and a fleet of good quality cars, however the old agricultural pick-ups are an exception, often true residuals of other times driven by quite elderly drivers with behaviors not exactly in compliance with the basic rules of the traffic code, so pay attention, a parking in a bend because near to an olivegrove or a sudden turn without signaling to take a country road are the least you can expect.
- If you happen to travel at night, don't rely too much on the horizontal signage, which is often not the best, and pay attention also to the small wild animals, they don't see the road as a danger and Crete, even in the most barren and desert areas, it is very populated, so that hares, hedgehogs, martens and badgers from dusk onwards are quite easy to meet especially in mountain areas.
- Driving you must also pay attention in the small villages, it is not difficult in these to find chickens, turkeys and court animals that cluck around quietly in the middle of the road, or farmers who with their mules come and go from the fields, so moderate the speed even if the village is so small that not even a village should be called and there is no sign of traffic.
- Always traveling keep an eye during the day for sheep and goats, in summer you will find plenty of them in the free pasture on the mountains and in winter you will also see them on the lower levels towards the sea; they have a hard ear and love the warmth of the asphalt so they do not move easily. The problem is really finding them behind a curve ....
- Still with regard to goats, a tip, in the parking lots of the major tourist spots, it may happen that they circulate freely among the cars ... avoid giving them food please, they seek for tourists for this, but your fries not only do not fall into the their diet and can only hurt him but you will also get the bad result that they may jump on the car and damage the bodywork ....
- And to conclude we remind you to avoid the use of the horn in inhabited centers; even if the driver of the car in front stops to talk on the street with a passerby and a queue forms behind him, it is perfectly normal and is in order with the Greek times and rhythms, and it is rude to protest and hurry instead. In cities, this topic does not apply any more and bigger is urban settlement, the more traffic stress increases, so for example in Heraklion you can expect that when the traffic light turns green the cars behind will also automatically honk.
The data relating to the New Traffic Code N.4619/2019 (ΦΕΚ Α΄ 95/11.6.2019) that are shown on this page have been extracted from the following websites: