Stay safe when driving abroad

Safety Tips

You've planned your holiday and are ready to hit the beach with the new body you've been working on in the gym and the essential bat and ball. However, if you're planning on driving abroad then there are a few things which you need to be careful of. If you're driving your own car then you need to make sure your insurance will cover you to drive abroad, and you need to ensure that you stick to the laws of wherever you're going as they will be different to those back home. So to help you stay safe when driving abroad, here are a few tips.

Know the law - Speed limits are the most obvious thing to check, but they can really change depending on the country you drive in. The average speed for motorway driving in Southern Africa is 120 km/h (75 mph) and this drops to 100 km/h (60mph) on rural roads, but it's important to check in each of the countries you drive through. Also check what your car needs to have in it, some countries call for you to carry a fire extinguisher and a warning triangle.

Know the roads - Driving abroad can often present you with a much more varied drive than the ones you're used to doing, and dangerous roads come as part of that package. You may well be using mountain roads for example on your journey and need to make sure you know how to drive on them. Be careful on roads you don't know and pay close attention to the signs which are there to help you. Crucially, be careful when driving on the other side of the road and remember that roundabouts are the opposite way round and rights of way will change too. It all sounds very simple but bearing it in mind will help prevent an accident.

Know your insurance - Hire cars will come with insurance but this will almost always be third party, meaning if you crash you could face a hefty bill. Companies offer extra insurance for little money which acts to upgrade the insurance on a hire car to fully comp, search the internet for one of these if you're going to hire a car. Many people also drive their own car abroad without realising their insurance does not cover them to do this. When you take out your insurance make sure that you're covered for the dates you travel and, if you're not, inform your broker before you hit the open road. When using a car comparison site make sure you tick the option to be insured abroad and look out for insurers that offer special deals - for example, Kwik Fit Insurance offer 60 days abroad insurance as standard with their policies. Take a look at their site for more information and to obtain one of their car insurance quotes. All that's left is to enjoy your holiday!