FORMER TEACHER - Driving the Teacher Car

The teacher car is a 2019 Citron C1. It is a 5-speed manual transmission. There are a few important things you need to know about driving in Slovakia. https://www.slovakia.com/travel/car/

·       Learn how to download Google Map directions onto your phone. This means the Google Map features (other than real-time traffic) will work without a data plan or WiFi signal.

https://www.howtogeek.com/230648/how-to-use-offline-google-maps-on-android-or-iphone/

o   You can download a specific trip, for example Nitra to Kosice.

o   You can also download a map of a huge area in Slovakia so that you are covered no matter where you go. It might take up 225 MB on your phone but you’ll get pretty much the western half of the country.

·       There is ZERO tolerance for drinking and driving in Slovakia.

·       The police regularly pull over drivers, even at 9 AM and greet them with a breathalyzer. There is no probable cause or field sobriety test like there is in the UK or United States. You can’t say no.

·       The legal blood alcohol limit in the UK and United States is .08. In Slovakia it is 0.00.

·       When you enter a small village you will likely see a sign flashing your speed. It will flash if you are driving over 50 km/hour. That is the standard speed limit in small towns.

·       The speed limit on a two-lane country road between towns and cities is 90 km/hour.

·       The speed limit on a proper highway like the R1 is 130 km/hour but the Citron doesn’t like going that fast so you’ll be closer to 115 km/hour. Stay in the right lane.

·       On a two-lane road when you enter a village you will see signs that slow you from 90 km/hour down to 70 km/hour and then quickly down to 50 km/hour. The reverse is true as you exit the village.

·       There are many camera tolls on the highways. The teacher car has a sticker for these tolls and it is paid annually by the school. You may notice the cameras but you don’t slow down when you pass them.

·       Most cities have paid street parking between 08:00 and 16:00. There is a kiosk on every block where you put in Euro coins and it prints a ticket that you display on your dashboard. Most of these devices have a button (British flag) for English.

·       Some parking kiosks ask you to input your license plate number. Take a picture of the teacher car plate on your phone before you walk to the kiosk.

·       Pro Tip: Keep a photocopy of the first page of your teaching contract in the car. If you get stopped by a police officer who doesn’t speak English he/she will at least be able to understand why you are in Slovakia. You can also give them Peter’s cell phone number.