Top Tips For Driving Abroad in Europe

Everything happens on the other side of the road and the other side of the car on the continent, so it may take you a while to adjust. Once you do, you’ll realise the road laws aren’t a whole lot different to here in the UK.

Speed Limits

The UK still uses miles per hour (mph), an imperial measurement that makes no sense given that most things are mostly in metric measurements in the UK. In Europe, roadsigns are displayed in kilometres per hour (kph) so be prepared to do a bit of maths to avoid being caught speeding accidentally. If you are taking your own vehicle over by ferry, the dials in your car are likely to be in mph, so you will need to know what that translates to in kph.

Motorways

If you are driving in Germany, you may have the pleasure of using the Autobahn. After a few minutes using this road, you will realise it is essentially just like a UK motorway, but without any speed limits. Cars will emerge from nowhere at high speeds, so double double check your mirror before moving over, and avoid lingering in the outside lane when overtaking slower vehicles.

In some countries, such as France, Germany and the Netherlands; it is illegal to use the slower (inside) lane for overtaking. The only exception to this rule is during slow-moving traffic.

Travelling With Children

Similar to the UK, most countries require safety seats for children under age the age of three. A few European countries - including Ireland and Germany, require booster seats for children sat in the front until age 12. In some countries, like the Czech Republic, there are height and weight restrictions, under which require the use of child safety seats.

Drink Driving

The UK does have stricter drink driving limits than most countries, however, Europe does differ in that it requires every vehicle to have an unused Breathalyser on board. The legal blood limit is lower in Europe, Ireland and Scotland; with a maximum blood alcohol level of 0.05%, while in the UK the limit is higher at 0.08%.

European Travel Kit

As part of the law in many EU countries, your vehicle is permitted to have certain items for the safety of you and other road users. European travel kits are available in the UK and contain all the items you need when travelling in Europe. These include a breathalyser, a triangular hazard sign, a high-vis jacket as well as headlight deflectors to stop you from dazzling other drivers.

Depending on where you live in the UK, driving abroad to Europe may seem like a big task, but it is really not that far. Consider taking a road trip to the south of France for your next holiday or whether you have a camping trip planned in the Netherlands, once you get your head around the laws and regulations, it’s really not that difficult.

Lefevre Litigation: Criminal Law Support Should You Need It

If you have support in criminal law cases either in the UK or in Europe, please get in touch with Lefevre Litigation today. We offer services to help people who have been involved in cases such as road traffic violations, drink driving offences and more.