In our last 2 articles, we’ve covered how peak times change during the summer holidays for road travel, and some accidentally illegal things you may end up doing whilst driving. In this lastest article, we consider to look at how road travel changes in the summer holidays…including travel overseas. Taking your car and driving abroad doesn’t need to be stressful, it just involves some organised planning.
Check your insurance
Car insurance varies massively, both in terms of what is actually covered by your premium, to how much it costs. You may be lucky enough to have a policy that allows you to travel outside the U.K for a period of times (sometimes 30 days), but very often, even if you do have this, you’ll need to advise your insurer that the car is leaving the U.K. It’s therefore very important that you check with your insurer before you travel, to ensure you are legal once you leave British soil.
Breakdown cover
Whilst not obligated to have it, we highly recommend you do, so that if the worst happens, you have someone to call and help. Check if you have European breakdown cover included in your standard policy or whether you need to upgrade. If you don’t, or if you are an AutoAid customer, our sister company, EuroRescue.co.uk, can provide cover throughout Europe.
Essentials you may forget
Don’t forget that if you are driving in Europe you will most likely need a GB sticker on your car. Inside the car, you will need to carry a red warning triangle for in the event of a breakdown, and also ‘in date’ breathalysers are required in some countries. Reflective jackets too are often required, and in Austria you need to have a first-aid kit in your vehicle. Information regarding country-to-country requirements can easily be found online.
Whilst we consider ‘essentials’, also consider the essential local laws. For example, drink driving and speeding is treated very differently in parts of Europe and the Police can be a LOT less lenient. In fact, speeding can have your car confiscated in some countries and drink driving limits are a lot lower across much of the continent.
Tolls
Some European countries such as France are crawling with toll motorways, and these can cost you about £100 – if not more – during your travels. Either, ideally have the correct change, get a Telepeage tag (for France), or plan your journey to avoid the tolls. If you plan to avoid the tolls, do be warned that this can add a significant amount of time to your journey.
We do hope that we have comprehensively covered a few ways in which road travel changes in the summer holidays. We hope you stay safe and enjoy the rest of your summer.
