European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 31, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                W3azime honk if you love driving in Turkey by Janet Howells Tierney staff writer americans who choose to drive in Turkey Are a special Breed. Those who dare must adapt to constant Horn honking few marked lanes and livestock on the Road All of which Are offset some by Low insurance rates. The Way they drive is basically if i m bigger than you i have the right of Way said tech. Sgt. Johnny m. King with an air Force seismic research station in Ankara Turkey. You re basically dealing with first generation Drivers Over Here. Few have any training except for what their parents gave  King and his wife own a 1984 Chevy Blazer they bought new before their assignment three years ago. They be witnessed driving in Turkey change in that time. During the first two years we were Here it was rare to see an Accident King said. But there s been a change of philosophy and More people have cars now. I drive seven Days a week and see lots of accidents now although it s really amazing that with the amount of cars on the Road there Aren t More accidents he said. There Are fender benders and some involving buses or trucks. Quite frankly most Are one vehicle accidents where Drivers just lose control and end up on a median or on the Side of the  other americans feel a special Effort is necessary to be a successful Motorist in Turkey. Driving is challenging Here and like the ultimate final exam said Larry w. Knierim an american civilian contract worker in Synop. Knierim taught Driver s education before he left the United states three years ago. Americans have to completely switch their thinking he said. You use your Horn a lot and if there Are lanes Don t expect anyone to use  one would think adjusting to a new set of driving rules would mean suffering a few dents and bruises but Knierim at least has t had any accidents. Many american Drivers in Turkey do fairly Well avoiding trouble. The Izmir military Community has about 465 privately owned cars registered for its population of 2,000, according to air Force sgt. Kevin c. Nelson with the Security police. About 10 accidents involving government and private vehicles in Izmir Are reported each month to military officials Nelson said. Turkish courts Fine violators the equivalent of about $7 for causing an Accident nonpayment could land the offender in jail for 30 Days. For Many the risks of driving in Turkey Are outweighed by the Low Cost of insurance coverage. Tech. Sgt. Michael councill with the seismic research station in Ankara bought a 1978 car soon after arriving at his duty station Early this year. I pay $5 per year which is the minimum amount of insurance because it s an old used car councill said. I want to get a new car soon and i expect to pay about $20 per month for full  but if Overall insurance rates Are Low mechanical repairs Are a problem and expensive. The hardest thing Over Here is finding repair parts councill said wiping grease off his hands from some Brake work he d done. The by base Exchange does t do a Good Job of getting parts. They can t quote any prices or say How Long it would take to get the  councill and other americans were Happy to find that turkish mechanics have a Knack for building car parts from scratch. They have a unique parts system Here he said. There s a whole Section of town that handles nothing but parts and they can reproduce just about any part. Car body repairs Are dirt cheap and they do a credible Job councill remarked. Some americans Don t have to worry about where to get tuneup or repairs during their stay in Turkey. Service members assigned to Remote Sites Are not allowed to ship or to own cars for their year Long Tours. Commanders generally agree shipping costs and problems caused by soldiers driving in the local areas would far outnumber the benefits of convenient transportation. Most isolated Sites have regular bus runs. All foreign Drivers registered in Turkey Are issued Blue License plates and americans Are Given numbers starting with 3,000. Some american Drivers say the plates bring them unwanted attention. They try to Force you off the Road sometimes said Deborah King in Ankara. If you have an Accident and they see you re an american or a foreigner people who did t even see anything will agree it was your  but others have had Good experiences with their turkish neighbors. We broke Down in the busiest intersection in Ankara Knierim recalled. We pushed the car aside and some turks helped us fix  Knierim s wife Anne smiles As she remembers How the turks served her Tea while the car was fixed. Is l. Emmett Lewis or. Cars trucks and buses lined up four or five abreast Square off on both sides of the Railroad track near in Ciurlik a outside Adana Turkey waiting for the Barrier to be raised. As the signal Arm clears the height of a car pedestrians and bicyclists make a dash to get ahead of the automotive onslaught it s every Driver for himself As motorists swarm towards the Center of the crossing jockeying fora Clear path the Road is two lanes in each direction. Irate taxi Driver second from left in Bottom photo stopped his cab in the Middle of the tracks to get out and yell angrily at the train in the distance. Sunday july 31, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 13