Public Servant Lifestyle

The most dangerous part of many motorists’ summer holiday is driving abroad, according to statistics from the RAC Foundation.

Death rates on the roads in Greece are 5 times greater than death rates in the UK, while UK motorists who drive to Spain or Portugal are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than at home.*

According the RAC Foundation, the Top 5 EU holiday destinations with the most dangerous roads are:

Greece

Portugal

Spain

Ireland (Eire)

Austria

Motorists can reduce these risks by using Europe’s motorways as these are far safer than main roads: the risk of being involved in a fatality on Greek motorways falls to twice that of being killed at home in the UK. Mile-for-mile, motorways in Spain and Portugal are actually safer than our own. Across the EU, just 8% of fatal accidents occur on the motorway network.

Three million British motorists head to the continent by ferry and Chunnel every year, while many more hire a car on arrival. In Europe as a whole, 57.3% of holiday trips are made by car.

It is very easy to slip into holiday mode and, feeling more relaxed and less inhibited, take risks behind the wheel that would not be taken at home. It’s also easy to be caught out by unfamiliar foreign motoring laws. National Motorway Month campaigners are urging motorists to avoid this potentially deadly cocktail of increased risk, reduced vigilance, and ignorance.

High Spirits

Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, said “High holiday spirits and poor local knowledge can turn a drive to the beach into a trip to A&E. British motorists driving abroad need to expect the unexpected at all times if they want to bring home holiday photos rather than X-rays.”

Brits abroad can reduce their risk of being involved in an accident by learning a little about how to 'speak motorist' in other countries. Knowing more about how drivers in other countries behave reduces the risk of being caught out by different rules of the road.

Do You 'Speak' Motorist?

According to the RAC Foundation:

British motorists are the most uptight in Europe, with 87% agreeing that they are sometimes very annoyed by other drivers. Belgian drivers are the most laid-back, with just 55% annoyed by other people’s driving

French motorists top the road-rage league table, with 60% admitting that they have behaved aggressively to other road users

German 'road-ragers' are most likely to flash their headlights and tailgate, while UK motorists stick to hand signals. Greek motorists are the most likely to offer a few words of advice

Italian drivers are most annoyed by motorists using their mobile phones; while Greek motorists are most annoyed by last-minute lane changers

In France, a motorist flashing his lights at a junction is not inviting you to pull out – he is warning that he intends to come through and is asking you to give way to him

The RAC Foundation is also reminding motorists to stay on the right side of the law when travelling abroad as well as the right side of the road.

Some more things to know when roaming abroad:

Speed Limits

Lower motorway speed limits apply to inexperienced and young drivers in France, Portugal and Luxembourg. Lower limits also apply in wet weather in Italy and France. In Italy, cars and motorcycles with small engines are limited to 68 mph on the expressway

Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Croatia, require motorists to carry a hi-visibility jacket or waistcoat to put on if the car breaks down. Myopic motorists in Spain and Switzerland must always have a spare pare of spectacles in the car

Most European countries insist that motorists carry driving license and insurance documents in the car. If driving a rental car, check the small print – many contracts prohibit drivers from taking rented vehicles into eastern European countries

One for the road? Alcohol limits in most European countries are much stricter than the UK’s. In Eastern European countries like Hungary and Slovakia, the limit is zero

Holiday Money

On-the-spot fines are taken in many European countries. Police can escort the driver to a cash point if necessary, or may even confiscate the car until the fine is paid. French police can collect up to 375 Euros at the roadside, or confiscate the driver’s license if they were speeding at 20% above the limit. Italian police can collect one-fourth of the maximum fine on the spot as a deposit. In Spain, police will require 100% of the fine unless the driver can present a Spanish bail bond or an address of a Spanish friend or company who will guarantee payment of the fine.

Here are some more laws you didn’t know you could break on holiday:

In Germany it is illegal to run out of petrol on the autobahn, and an on-the-spot fine will be levied

In Belgium, it is illegal to use cruise control in heavy motorway traffic

Don’t take your speed camera detector to France. Simply having one in the car, regardless of whether it works on GPS or radar signals, is an offence

In Greece, you may not carry a petrol can in the car

In Belgium it is illegal to leave a dog unattended in a parked car

German motorists follow the 'zipper law' - If traffic starts queuing where two lanes merge into one, the 'Reissverschluss' law applies. It means vehicles from each lane must give way one at a time

These findings were issued as part of National Motorway Month - a four-week campaign promoting safer motorway driving. The campaign is jointly run by the RAC Foundation, the Institute of Advanced Motorists, the Freight Transport Association and BSM Driving Schools.

More information available in Insurance, Vehicle Hire, On The Road, Adventure, Commuting, Destinations, Africa, Americas, Central America, North America, South America, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Middle East, Rest of World, Holidays