How to drive in Rumania?

Basic rules of the roads and driving requirements.

GENERAL TIPS AND ROAD INFORMATION

Traffic drives on the right and passes on the left.
Major cities are busy and usually have trams in addition to normal road traffic.
It is recommended that you avoid driving in Bucharest, especially at the outset.
Roads, especially in the mountains, can be particularly dangerous when wet or covered with snow or ice.

Roads and Motorways

Road conditions vary widely throughout Romania. While major streets in larger cities and major inter-city roads are in fair to good condition, most other roads are in poor repair, badly lit, narrow, and often do not have marked lanes. Drum National (DN): well maintained, main roads; there is a considerable road development programme taking place at the moment so roadworks are not uncommon (especially along the E60). Drum Judetean (DJ): County (secondary) roads: the quality of these roads is variable, especially in the mountains. In a few cases some minor roads may be unsurfaced, these are shown on all good maps as "unmodernised" or "other roads".

Right of way

Unless otherwise indicated (stop or yield sign) traffic coming from the right has the right of the way.
Give way to traffic entering a roundabout.
Pedestrians have priority at all times at crossings without traffic lights.

Parking

Parking in Romania is allowed only on the right side of the street and cars must be parked in the direction of traffic.

Fines

Romanian traffic laws are very strict. The traffic police can confiscate any form of driver's license or permit for 1-3 months and payment of fines may be requested at the time of the infractions.
Driving while under the influence of alcohol is a criminal offense and penalties are severe. Blood alcohol level should be 0.00 o/oo while driving.
The use of cellular phones while driving is not allowed.

Fuel

Petrol is available in all major towns and in many other places. Lead-free (Fãrã Plumb) is becoming common, Diesel(Motorina) is available in most stations. It is recommended that you fill up at every opportunity, especially when driving in the mountains.
Fuel prices are considerably lower than in western European countries.

SPEED LIMITS

Unless otherwise marked with road signs, speed limits are as follows:

Inter-city traffic on highways
130 km/hr for cars and motorcycles
110 km/hr for vans

Urban traffic
50 km/hr

Express and European roads
100 km/hour for cars and motorcycles
90 km/hour for vans.

All other roads
90 km/hr for cars and motorcycles
80 km/hr for vans.

Motor vehicles with trailers and drivers with less than one year of driving experience have speed limits 20 km/hr slower than those listed above.

TOLL INFORMATION

There is a toll to travel into Bulgaria from Giurgiu and there is a toll to cross the Danube River.

DRIVING REQUIREMENTS

The minimum age to drive in Romania is 18

Drivers Licence

An International Drivers License is required.
U.S. and Canadian driver's licenses are valid for driving in Romania.

Insurance

Fire and third party liability insurance is mandatory.

Seatbelts

Passengers in the front seat of a car must wear seatbelts at all times.

Children

Children under 12 years of age may not be transported in the front seat.

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Police 955
Ambulance 112
Fire Department 112

Sources: U.S. Department of State / AutoEurope / Driving in Romania / Romania Official Travel and Tourism Information / Wikitravel

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