British motorists risk falling foul of local motoring laws

Over 1.5 million British motorists will be driving their cars abroad during the summer holiday period this year.

But the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) warns that many will fall foul of local motoring laws because they are unfamiliar with them, and because they also have inadequate insurance.

Graeme Trudgill, Technical Services Manager at BIBA, said: "The motoring laws abroad can be very different to those in the UK. For example, in France children need to be aged at least 10 to be able to sit in the front seat of a vehicle and in Portugal you need photographic proof of your identity.

"Also, many motorists don’t check their car insurance to find out whether they are covered for driving abroad. Although having fully comprehensive cover at home, they may only have third party cover for driving abroad or find they are not covered at all."

BIBA offers the following tips for driving abroad:
1. To help reduce the chances of breaking down, have your car serviced before you take it abroad.
2. Contact your broker or insurer to make sure that you have adequate cover for driving abroad. Some companies limit comprehensive cover to a fixed number of days abroad in one trip.
3. Make sure you take your driving licence and motor insurance certificate with you when driving abroad.
4. If you are travelling to one of the 10 new EU member states*, obtain a Green Card from your broker or insurer. This shows you have basic third party cover. The existing states do not require a Green Card, but you may need to inform the broker that you are going abroad.
5. Make sure that you familiarise yourself with the motoring laws of the country you will be driving in by checking with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In some countries you are required to keep emergency items, such as a warning triangle, first aid kit and/or fluorescent jacket in the vehicle at all times.