Driving In Europe This Summer?

By OFadero | Thursday, July 29, 2010, 12:33

As many people in Kingston drive in Europe during their Summer Holidays I contacted Mark of etyres for useful advice. He advises:

Don’t

get caught out on holiday be prepared - make sure at least a week

before departure that you check your car over or get it serviced.

Pay particular attention to your tyres! Ensure

that they are roadworthy for the whole trip and correctly inflated to

carry the family and luggage. Remember, illegal tyres in the UK carry a 3

point penalty and a minimum £60 fine per tyre. Four illegal tyres can

lose you your licence. They are just as strict in mainland Europe

Things to check and bring with you are:

Insurance cover - make sure it covers you aboard and take details with you
Breakdown cover - make sure it covers you aboard and take details with you
Spare keys - if yours get lost or stolen while you are away you will kick yourself if you don’t have them.

Other things to remember :

Most European Drink Driving limits are lower than ours at 0.05%, the UK limit is 0.08%
On the spot fines for breaking laws are heavy including running out of fuel on motorways and vehicle defects
As in UK, illegally parked cars will be clamped or towed away
Full petrol cans are not permitted on ferries or Eurotunnel
Safe

European unleaded fuel is SP95 or SP98. Sp95-E10 is not recommended for

all cars so check first or just use the others to be safe
Seat belts and child seats are compulsory.
Speed limits are lower in wet weather and some motorways have minimum limits
Cars

must carry a warning triangle, spare bulb set, hi-vis vests and a spare

wheel or equipment to fix a flat tyre (pump, jack etc). It is also

advised to carry the vehicle log book to prove ownership, etc.