Driven to distraction? Warning as Brits abroad flout road rules

A survey by leading car hire broker, Economy Car Hire, reveals that a quarter of all British motorists are oblivious to foreign road rules when driving abroad, risking arrest and fines of over £400, * which is more than two and a half times the average cost of car hire per week**.

One in five Brits also confess to driving on the ‘wrong side’ and a further 20% admit they fear driving in other countries; all contributing factors to hazardous holidays on the roads.

The survey results are announced ahead of the school holidays - one of the busiest times of year for Brits hiring cars abroad. Economy Car Hire warns that Brits caught flouting the road rules in foreign countries could be at risk of fines, accidents or arrest, and urges British motorists to study driving rules before travelling abroad in order to have a safe, incident free driving experience when holidaying this summer.

38% of younger drivers (16 – 24 years old) are unaware of foreign road rules and one in ten confess to taking more risks when driving abroad. The idea of consequence free driving when not in the UK is a myth; 5% of men surveyed had been either arrested or fined for driving offences; speeding fines that are levied on the car rental company are in turn charged back to the customer post-holiday.

40% of British motorists also stated that they find foreign drivers much worse than their UK counterparts.

A quarter of British women confess to becoming scared when driving abroad and only 2 % of those surveyed found women were more confident driving abroad than men. However, women are more careful than men when driving in other countries 15% claimed to have driven on the ‘wrong side’ versus 21% of men and none of the women surveyed had been arrested or fined for driving abroad versus 5% of men.

Commenting on the survey, Managing Director of Economy Car Hire, Rory Sexton said, “Car hire is an excellent way to travel on holiday, the freedom and independence of driving abroad is part and package of holidaying for an increasing number of people and we want to ensure that their driving experiences abroad are as positive as possible, after all 30% of people surveyed actually enjoy driving abroad more than they do in the UK.

“We urge British drivers to always prepare themselves for the journey they are about to make. Unwittingly committing offences by, for example, overtaking a stationary school bus while it lets off children in Malta or driving without dipped headlights in Slovenia are offences committed on holiday that British drivers could be pursued for. It makes sense to familiarise yourself with the road rules of the country you will be driving in. These are easy to find from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website, or by consulting your car hire agent when booking a vehicle abroad.”

Differences in driving/road rules highlight the problems British drivers experience when not familiar with the country they are driving in compared to the UK.

Many European countries require drivers needing glasses to carry a spare pair in the glove box – there are on-the-spot fines for those who don’t.
In Spanish residential areas there is a strict speed limit of 12 mph, on Italian motorways the speed limit is 80 mph, where as in Cyprus its 62 mph.
In Portugal, if you have held your license for less than 12 months then you must not exceed 55mph.
In Greece, drivers can be fined for using their horn without good reason.
It is completely illegal to drink and then drive in Croatia.

Economy Car Hire provides one of the best fully-inclusive car rental services in 23 destinations worldwide, including USA, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, the Greek Islands and Malta. A guide to driving in other countries can also be found on the website.

For further details on Economy Car Hire, please visit www.economycarhire.com or call 0845 450 0877.

For all press enquiries please contact Sarah Southgate on 0845 450 0877.

The omnibus survey was carried out by TNS Global and surveyed 1021 people to establish perceptions of driving in foreign countries. The survey took place in April 2008.

AA European Car Hire Survey 2007 Typical penalties include up to £408 for not using a warning triangle or reflective jacket at a breakdown in Portugal.
**Based on average car hire cost per week of £150 booked through Economy Car Hire in 2007.