press releases

Have A Safe Summer Holiday

Each summer, thousands of UK motorists drive abroad for their holidays. Online car insurance specialist, elephant.co.uk, is urging all motorists to take care when driving in mainland Europe this summer, as August is the most common time of year for British people to be involved in a car accident whilst driving abroad (20% of all accidents abroad happen during August).

The UK is one of the safest European countries in which to drive, with just 6.1 fatalities in road accidents per 100,000 members of the population in 2005. Compare this to Greece, which has the worst track record for road safety in Europe, with 19.3 deaths per 100,000 people, and Portugal which has 14.8 deaths per 100,000.

Although these figures are an improvement on the 2000 / 2001 fatality rates (the worst country during that period was Portugal, which had 22 deaths for every 100,000 people), drivers still need to be aware of the differences in driving at home and on holiday.

The dangers of driving in mainland Europe are highlighted by elephant.co.uk, as 151 policyholders reported having an accident whilst driving abroad in 2005. Apart from the obvious inconvenience and distress of being involved in an accident while on holiday, it can also take much longer to resolve any subsequent claims.

According to advice from elephant.co.uk, there are a number of simple steps that people can take to ensure that they remain safe whilst driving on holiday this year:

• Make sure your insurance covers you for the countries you will be visiting. Although elephant.co.uk automatically covers policyholders for driving within the European Union, and other specified countries, some insurers will require to be notified before your trip. You may also need a Green Card to go with your International Motor Insurance Certificate if you are travelling to certain countries. Be sure to check this with your insurer before you leave the UK.

• Check the level of any breakdown cover you have for Europe. Make sure that, if you break down and your vehicle can’t be repaired, you and your passengers will be recovered back to the UK.

• Familiarise yourself with the laws of the countries which you are visiting. Pay special notice to speed limits, as the penalties for exceeding this can be more extreme than in the UK (for example, in France, if you are caught exceeding the speed limit by 15mph, your license can be confiscated on the spot). For more details on the motoring laws of European countries, please go to http://www.theaa.com/motoring-advice/index.jsp.

• Most European countries require drivers from the UK to have a GB sticker displayed on the car, and headlight beam converters to avoid dazzling oncoming motorists. However, some other countries require you to travel with a warning triangle in the car, a first aid kit, or a fire extinguisher.

• Be aware that in some European countries, the sequences of traffic lights can differ from those in the UK, as they frequently omit the amber light.

MD of elephant.co.uk, Ceri Assiratti, said: “These figures demonstrate just how important it is to take extra care when driving in mainland Europe. It is always worthwhile to take some time to familiarise yourself with the driving laws of your destination country before you go on holiday, and to make sure you take all your documents with you – including your insurance certificate, green card (if necessary), driving license, and V5 vehicle registration document.”

Issue date: 10-07-06