Driving abroad? Here’s what you need to know when taking your own car

DRIVING abroad does not fill me with confidence but you can be sure I'm going to be prepared for it, writes Camilla Chafer.

And there are certainly a lot of preparations to be made. For a start, many European countries have a list of things that you have to have in your boot/trunk to legally drive and these vary from country to country. Plus have you checked your insurance? You'll need extra coverage to drive abroad.

Here's a checklist to help you get started:

Which side of the road do I drive on? For some strange reason, in the UK we drive on the left. Everywhere else? The right. Don't forget about pedestrians and bikes.

What you'll need in the car – You'll need to check the regulations for the country you're going to. Find that here. I've picked up a Halfords driving abroad kit – pictured above right – for my boot with GB sticker, warning triangle, headlamp converters and first aid kit (£34.99). You may also need a high-vis vest/jacket, spare bulbs, a fire extinguisher and other items depending on where you're going.

Car stickers – If you have the new style European number plate with the stars you won't need a GB sticker. If you have the plain plates, you'll need to stick a GB sticker on your boot.

Insurance – This is absolutely vital. You must be insured against accidents here and abroad. Phone your insurance provider for a quote for the period of travel you'll be abroad, remembering to include any named drivers on the policy. Remember to ask your insurer for third party and fully comp quotes and if if the policy includes recovery costs. Leave adequate time to receive the 'Green Card' paperwork to pack with you. It isn't particularly expensive (mine costs £36 per week fully comp with ESure).

Your driving licence – Check if you need an International Driving Permit. A provisional licence can not be used to legally drive in a country other than where it was issued.

Local laws – Check what the local speeding limits are, what happens if you are caught speeding (don't do it, you could be taken straight to the cashpoint for starters) and who has right of way. Don't drink alcohol and drive or use your mobile at all whilst driving.

In the event of an accident – Stay calm. Take pictures (a mobile phone camera is useful for this). Draw a picture of the road and car placement. Write down what happened as soon you can. Swop insurance details and tell your insurer.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office provide a comprehensive guide to driving abroad here.

* Also, have you checked out the Havealovelytime.com shop? There are plenty of travel accessories to help you on your way. By choosing to buy from this online store, you can also help support the site, through Amazon's affiliate scheme.

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http://www.britsinbosnia.blogspot.com Brit in Bosnia

We do a lot of driving abroad, living in Bosnia with a British car. I would add the following tips:
1. Motorway driving. Some countries make you pay to use the motorway. In France it is pretty easy, there are obvious places to pay the tolls etc. In other countries it is not always so obvious, particularly if you don’t speak the language or know what the sign for you need to go and pay for a little sticker thing that you put on your windshield. They will fine you if you don’t have one. It will be about 100Euros. Pleading I didn’t know doesn’t cut the mustard. In particular Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia but I have no idea if this list is extensive.
2. Quite a few countries are starting to bring in laws which say that you must have your headlights on at all times. If everyone else has their headlights on, put yours on too, it may well be the law.
Definitely check the laws for every country that you are driving through as they are not the same throughout Europe.
Safe driving.
http://www.britsinbosnia.blogspot.com Brit in Bosnia

Forgot to say a few more things:
- ALWAYS have with you the car documentation, insurance details and driving licence. Even if you are just popping down the road. If the police stop you, you will need to show them all.
- Most UK insurers will offer a GREEN CARD which gives you insurance in Europe. This is the insurance that people want to see when they are asking for your details. It is normally only valid for 90 days. It is not valid for every country in Europe so do double check before you go.
- if you are driving in winter check to make sure that you are not required to have winter tyres on your car. In some countries this is a legal requirement from November to April (ish). You may also need to carry snow chains.
http://www.havealovelytime.com Linda

Fantastic – thank you.
http://bigbelugababy.blogspot.com Gail mowat

We live in Kazakhstan, and have previously lived in 4 other places, all with very different styles of driving. The Brits I know who have problems driving abroad are those who cannot get their heads around the idea that people in other countries might not have the same ideas about road safety and driving that they do. I know one girl who was outraged in Thailand, because there they flash their headlights to mean “I am NOT stopping, get out the way,” and not, as in the UK, “no, please, you go first, no, go on, I insist, be my guest”. She was angry – thought they were trying to kill her I think. Successful driving abroad means be prepared for anything, do not expect it to be UK-normal.
http://www.britsinbosnia.blogspot.com Brit in Bosnia

Just had another thought (whilst driving, obviously). Some countries also require that you have with you a spare pair of glasses if you wear them.
http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Motoring/ Driving Advice

I’m not sure many learners who pass the driving test will be too concerned about whether their drive was eco friendly or not, they will be too happy that they passed!
http://www.headlampconverters.com Headlamp Converters

Whilst driving on mainland Europe (on the wrong side of the road) some people who are just popping over during daylight hours for a quick booze buying run think they don’t need to have headlamp converters fitted.
It is against the law even during the hours of daylight not to have them fitted.
It’s obvious why you need them at night as your UK cars headlamps will be pointing forwards and to the left so you don’t dazzle other roads users in the UK.
However when driving in France etc your headlamps will be pointing towards the oncoming traffic and will be dangerously dazzling to other road users.
We have known the French police to sit on the docks pulling over car after car and issuing on the spot fines to all UK cars drivers without them fitted.
Also make sure that you use good quality ones not the cheap ones sold on auction websites where the glue is poor. Again we know of people who have had one of the cheap ones fall off and they have been fined by the police when they clearly have one still on and a glue mark showing where the other one was and still the police have fined them!
It is always best to go with the right equipment as an on the spot fine will just ruin your day, and of course your insurance can be invalidated if your car is not roadworthy.
http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Motoring/ Driving Advice

Awesome post, might really help someone or more likely many people getting to it.
http://www.assistedlivingsource.com/ kevin

Defensive Driving
defensive driving. The act or practice of operating an automobile in such a way as to minimize accidents, especially by looking out for and avoiding others who are driving badly.
http://www.defensivedrivingcompanyofamerica.com/ Evie

Phone your insurance provider for a quote for the period of travel you’ll be abroad, remembering to include any named drivers on the policy. Remember to ask your insurer for third party and fully comp quotes and if if the policy includes recovery costs.
http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Motoring/ Car Guide

I’m not sure many learners who pass the driving test will be too concerned about whether their drive was eco friendly or not, they will be too happy that they passed!
http://www.taxdisc.direct.gov.uk/EvlPortalApp/ dlva

Careless driving is charged way too often. Many police officers believe that if there is an accident a charge *must* be laid and often they will lay a Careless Driving charge. This is not proper policing IMO.
http://www.greencoveryhomehealthsolutions.com Annie Assisted Living

Thank you for the information on what to consider when driving abroad. There really are a lot of details to make sure are in order before taking to the road in a new area.