Top tips if you're taking a car on holiday this summer
With the summer holidays just around the corner, many Britons are planning their annual break, but as they pack their sun cream, swimsuits, passports and hire car documents, there are two vital items many forget.
Checking up on the local rules of the road and making yourself familiar with your hire car’s layout could save lives, according to top personal injury lawyers Russell Jones & Walker (RJW) who every year deal with a multitude of claims stemming from accidents abroad, ranging from simple shunts to tragic fatalities.
Matthew Tomlinson, who heads up the Foreign Claims division of RJW’s Road Traffic Accident unit, explained: “People arrive at the airport, pick up their hire car and drive straight off to their apartment or hotel, often unaware that unfamiliarity with the layout of a hire car, getting accustomed to driving on the “wrong” side of the road and general fatigue after what may have been a long journey makes them at their most vulnerable during their first hour of driving overseas.*
“And if you are unfortunate enough to be injured in an accident, you need to remember you will be subject to the rules of the country where the accident occurred in relation to limitation, liability and indeed the value of a claim.”
Matt recommends a simple check list for holiday makers to follow when they arrive at the airport or ferry port:
If you’ve arranged a hire car, no matter how tired you are spend at least ten minutes familiarising yourself with the car’s layout: indicators, lights, windscreen wipers etc. Tooting the car horn instead of turning on the windscreen wipers when you’re trying to alert a person that has stepped out into the road in front of you could be a life saver
If you’re in your own car, you MUST have the full quota of European driving essentials, including a reflective warning triangle and high visibility vest. Hire cars should supply the full kit
If you’re in your own car, make sure you’ve got a GB sticker on your car and you’ve fitted a headlamp beam adaptor, and
Stick to the main carriageways. In a right hand drive car, you’re sitting in the wrong place to spot potential hazards when you’re driving on picturesque, winding roads. Ditch the view, stay safe
Plan your route and don’t rely on Satnav to get you to your destination. There are plenty of tales of people ending up hundreds of miles away from where they wanted to go because they didn’t bother to look at a map but just did as their Satnav told them
If you don’t speak the language of the country you’re visiting, at least learn a few key phrases. In an accident, time is of the essence and you shouldn’t assume everyone else speaks English
If you are unlucky enough to be in an accident caused by the other party, many people mistakenly believe they must file their claim for damages in that country. “You can bring your claim back to the UK,” said Matt, “and you’d be well advised to do so, as in the UK, the insurers of the person liable for the accident will pay you damages and your legal costs. If you bring your claim abroad, yes you get damages, which are assessed in accordance with local rules, but your costs may well be paid out of that sum”.
For more information, visit rjw.co.uk.