Don’t Stand Out Abroad
I’ve always been confident that staying cool, calm and collected and having a basic understanding of the laws of the road is enough to ensure that you have a relaxed and enjoyable self drive holiday abroad.
An experience at the weekend got me thinking though. Driving through a suburb of Newcastle I was pulled over by a police car. A routine check, the policeman said, because he didn’t recognise me or the car and this was his "patch."
Now, whilst you and I might wonder how any policeman could know of every car in his "patch" this was certainly not the time to argue. Fearing I had unwittingly stepped into some undercover Geordie version of The Bill I was serenity itself as I answered his questions and handed over my licence whilst smiling my sweetest smile. All was well in the end.
But it did get me to wondering that had there been something untoward here was clearly a policeman who would find it. And, if an Edinburgher like myself can draw attraction to himself as a stranger in the faraway land of Newcastle, then how much attention would we Brits attract on the continent.
So what are the little laws that could trip you up abroad? Some seem strange. In Germany, if you should feel an overwhelming need to interrupt your break by washing the car then do it on private land. It’s an offence to wash a car on a public highway. In Switzerland you can wash your car where you like but you are forbidden from doing so on a Sunday.
When you are packing the car you should be mindful of a couple of additions that you need to take. A high visibility waistcoat for the driver and a passenger are pretty much de rigueur on the Continent now. In the Netherlands it is not compulsory to have them in the car but it is compulsory to wear them if you crash or breakdown. So better to be safe than sorry. In Germany a first aid kit is compulsory. In Spain a spare pair of spectacles is compulsory.
In Austria you must have dipped headlights on at all times throughout the day. In Ireland it is an offence to use your horn after 10.30 pm and before 7 am. In Luxembourg you must flash your headlights when over taking at night. On Germany’s Autobahn’s it is an offence to run out of fuel - so keep your tank topped up.
In Belgium you have right of way if you are turning into oncoming traffic. But you cede that priority if you slow down or stop. I dread to think what happens after that so maybe you just have to keep your foot down. On the other hand my grandmother used to devise cycle routes that didn’t require turning left so perhaps fastidious planning will allow for a journey where there is no call for a turn into oncoming traffic.
Now we might think that some of these laws are silly or impractical. But we should remember that a lot of people think we drive on the wrong side of the road. My point is that we often take an easy-oasy, laid back approach to going abroad with our cars. There’s enough to worry about when we’re loading the car with luggage and partners and kids and grandparents to concern ourselves with the small details.
But it is these small details that can remove all the worry from travel. How would you like to remember the longed for and well planned self drive holiday? For the countryside, good food and pleasant company? Or for the on the spot fine handed down by a belligerent policeman who has just discovered you’ve not packed a first aid kit?
Always be prepared!
Guest Article by Tom Hall
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
