A word from Sean...

"Cars. Despite all the water, bikes and tiny streets, Amsterdam is nevertheless full of cars. And other cars are a danger to cars. Especially the sorts of cars which are most practical in a city of canals, bicycles and alley-sized roads. They are, fittingly, small cars -- with names like the Renault 'Twingo', the Nissan 'Micra' and the Toyota 'Sub-Atomic Particle'. The danger with small cars is that their drivers (especially male drivers) tend to compensate for the puny size of the vehicle by driving them as fast as possible along the twenty or so metres of clear road available at any time in Amsterdam. I have been a passenger in a small car (a BMW Flea) and it was extremely frightening--although I was very glad not to be a cyclist at the time.
Another problem is that the Dutch have completely disavowed the use of the indicator when turning, overtaking, changing lanes and any potentially fatal manoeuvres. Apparently they think it's too much trouble to move their hand a quarter of an inch to flick it on and avoid an accident; or they think that it's some sort of instrument to be employed in moments of autovehicular celebration. 'Oh look Piet, here comes Queen Beatrix. Quick, turn on one of those orange flashing lights.'
...
Ultimately it's this simple: when in Amsterdam, just say no--to bicycles, drugs, winking women in windows and, most of all, cars."

-My 'Dam Life by Sean Condon