Driving, hmmmmm? In a new country, no knowledge of anything? Should do your homework first. Still, if you get stuck, at your first hotel, go to the business center and log on and find out the laws.
This site lays out what to do. See Netherlands driving laws at www.fevr.org/anwbfevr%20E%20netherlands.htm.
You will also find traffic-calming carried to an expert extreme.
Speed limited by the design of the road.
In the Netherlands, they are wise. They do not just post the speed limits. They do not try to coax, cajole, threaten. They incentivize. If you speed and hit something, your bad.
They make the road impossible (almost) to drive at a higher speed. There are large, wide humps for pedestrians, of a cobble often that further slows you down, peninsulas of trees jutting out, room for only two cars to park, then another peninsula, for example, roundabouts, and often the road narrows from a dual passageway to one lane before entering somewhere so you absolutely have to slow down and see who else is coming; or from a two-lane each way to one-lane each way.
Dikes and canals. Few guard rails. You just might slide right in.
Trees. These, along the canals, may have a metal pipe ring around the tree on the canal side, 3 feet up or so, enough to catch the top of the hood or fender of your car if you are not careful - not down at the bumper level.
Do not try to park too close to an old town market area.
There are meters with short periods for non-residents and few places. You may find yourself boxed in with a moving van in front and cars behind, the canal to one side and the houses on the other and there you sit. Take the city lot and walk a little.
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