Driving to France to watch the Rugby World Cup?

Rugby fans planning to drive to France to watch the World Cup in September are being urged to make sure they are properly prepared for driving abroad.

The views and experiences of more than 4,000 motorists who had driven abroad previously were captured for insurer Cornhill Direct and the results made for interesting reading. For example:

over 75 per cent of people said they felt apprehensive about driving in a foreign country

but only 30 per cent had taken the time to research the rules of the road before setting off

therefore no surprise that 5 per cent said they had been involved in a motor accident and another 30 per cent said they had been involved in a ‘near-miss’

only 23 per cent said they knew what to do in an accident situation abroad when it came to dealing with insurance.

Mark Bishop, spokesman for Cornhill Direct, said: ‘’It’s alarming that so many motorists fail to do their homework before they drive in a foreign country. They are just asking for trouble.

“Motorists intending to drive their car abroad should talk to their insurer to make sure they are covered for every eventuality including accident recovery as well as breakdown rescue.

“Most insurers provide a 24 hour helpline number in the event that a policyholder is involved in an accident. The people who man the phones are experienced in dealing with motorists in accident situations abroad and can provide useful advice.”

Cornhill Direct’s top tips for driving abroad:

1. Take your insurance policy, insurance certificate, driving licence and vehicle registration document with you.

2. If you are involved in an accident with another motorist you should exchange names and addresses, the names and addresses of your insurers, insurance policy numbers and vehicle registration details.

3. Do not sign anything you don’t understand.

4. Use your mobile phone to take pictures of the accident.

5. Report the accident to your insurance company using the helpline number provided.

6. If you are hiring a car abroad think carefully about the collision damage waiver option. Receiving payment for uninsured losses when the accident is not your fault may not be a straightforward process.

The top ten fears when driving abroad as identifed by the survey:

Driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road
Not knowing the rules of the road
Not understanding other drivers
Not understanding road signs
Driving a left-hand drive car
Driving a strange car
State of the roads
Intimidating police
Not having the right documents when stopped
Different speed limits