April 30, 2008

As ever, the first whiff of sun has the average Brit thinking about little other than summer holidays and jaunts away in the car.  If you feel that your M5 Touring needs a decent run out, you may think about a trip across the continent.  Whatever you drive there are a few things that you can do that will make your journey safer and more relaxing.

In Europe, they drive on the right hand side of the road, which will seem strange at first.  It takes a little while to get used to driving on the other side of the road, so it’s important to concentrate fully while driving. Tiredness is always a problem on a long journey, but is a particular issue if you are not used to driving on the “other” side of the road and not used to traffic priorities being, in effect the mirror image of what you’re used to.

Say "Think Right - Look Left" to yourself every time you start to drive or approach a roundabout or road junction. This will put you in the right place on the road, travelling in the direction of the traffic flow and looking in the direction from where the first danger is most likely to come.

Make sure you know the rules of the road in the country that you are in and obey them.  Many rules and traffic regulations will be the same as in the UK, but some countries do have particular rules and regulations, and they may have changed since you were last there.  For example, Germany now has Low Emission Zones which applies to cars as well as commercial vehicles.   To improve the quality of their environment, 32 cities throughout Germany have or are about to implement new Low Emission Zones into which only vehicles displaying a “Pollution Badge” (Umwelt Plakette) are allowed to enter. Vehicles entering a Green Zone and not displaying a badge are likely to be fined €40.

In order to obtain a “Pollution Badge” the only item required is a vehicle registration document (V5) and the vehicle itself.
If your vehicle doesn’t come up to the German emissions standards then you risk a fine every time you enter the city centres that are enforcing the scheme.  There is no way to get round the rules so if you drive a high emission vehicle you need to make sure that you can obtain a correct permit to enter the city, or look to make different transport arrangements.

The cities participating in the Enviromental Green Zone scheme are -

January 2008: Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Hanover.

March 2008: Ilsfeld, Leonberg, Ludwigsburg, Mannheim, Reutlingen, Schwäbisch-Gmünd, Stuttgart, Tübingen.

July 2008: Frankfurt am Main (not confirmed), Regensburg (not confirmed)

October 2008: Munich.

January 2009: Nuremberg

January 2010: Darmstadt, Freiburg, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Mühlacker, Pforzheim, Pleidelsheim

Dates TBA.: Augsburg, Braunschweig, Dresden, Duesseldorf, Essen, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Ruhr Area, Ulm

While this applies to Germany there are many vagaries in other nations so you should do your research before leaving.

For example; radar detectors illegal in France - they will be confiscated even if switched off, and you will be fined.  You could be breaking the law without any knowledge that you are and if your sat nav has a built in radar detector you could lose an expensive piece of equipment, 

Road signs will possibly be different, certainly not always familiar.  Make sure that you understand the meaning of them and comply. Most of them will be familiar to you, and the meaning of those that are not is usually fairly obvious. Remember the general rule: triangles warn, circles prohibit and rectangles inform.  Check before you start your journey from the UK to make life easier for yourself.

In most European countries, it is a legal requirement that drivers carry a red warning triangle in case of breakdown or accident.  Some areas of Spain demand a second warning triangle.  Again, check before you go.

Try to keep your driving habits as close to your natural driving as possible.  Many local drivers will drive in ways that seem, at best, risky.  Always remember that you want to be more cautious than you would at home and don’t start driving like a maniac just because all around you are.

Overtaking is a difficult and potentially dangerous manoeuvre. You must always be sure overtaking is going to be safe. Driving a right-hand drive car on the "other" side of the road means you are not in the best position to see ahead. Always remember, the decision to overtake is yours, don’t feel pressed by the traffic or your passengers – no matter how much they moan.

Always check your breakdown cover to see whether you’re covered for foreign travel.  The more comprehensive cover packages may well include it as standard but if your’s doesn’t then you can normally upgrade as a reasonably low cost.  it’s well worth the money to have the peace of mind.  In the event of an accident you may well need to get your vehicle recovered back to the UK, an expensive process if you haven’t got cover.

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