Are Brits Calling For U.K. Driving Laws To Follow Europe?
U.K. insurance price-comparison site Confused.com asked if it's finally time for the U.K.'s driving laws to fall in line with Europe, with sixty-six percent of Brits experiencing some form of motoring mishap when traveling abroad.
British holidaymakers have long been labelled the blight of the European holiday season, but new research from car insurance company has revealed a different side to the "bawdy Brits." Nearly seventy-three percent of Britons who will drive abroad this summer have a fear of foreign roads because of confusing foreign road signs, driving habits, and cross-country law changes.
Far from being a falsified phobia, the fear of driving on the continent exists for good reason. According to the research, one in five road trips from Britain to Europe end in a crash or bump, and an overwhelming sixty-six percent experience some form of motoring mishap.
This is worrying news for the twenty-five percent of British motorists who drive abroad each summer without checking they have adequate insurance. The current trend shows that a quarter of British motorists casually assume that their U.K. policy automatically covers them on foreign soil when in fact their policy may not be as comprehensive as while driving at home.
With so many blissful summer breaks turning into holiday horrors, it's not surprising that British motorists want to alleviate their euro nightmares. Driving on the right is the number one fear for more than a third of U.K. drivers, and one in five of us confess to having driven on the wrong side of the road abroad.
The debate over left vs. right is intricate and complicated, and while switching the U.K. from left to right overnight is perhaps a step too far, the British public feel that standardizing Europe's drink-driving laws is a must, and soon.
Nearly half of Brits who have driven in Europe are strongly in favor of introducing uniform drink-driving limits. Twenty-seven percent believe that standardizing European driving laws would reduce their chance of having an accident abroad.
U.K. drivers' lack of preparation was revealed when quizzed on the driving laws of Europe's top-locations: fifty percent of Brits admitted they didn't realize it was illegal to use a hands-free cell phone in Spain, or that in Sweden it's compulsory to carry antifreeze and a shovel in the car. Similarly one in ten didn't know that drivers in Spain and Italy who wear glasses need to carry a spare pair.
Gareth Kloet, Head of Car Insurance at Confused.com, said: "As the holiday season approaches, we're going to see more Brits heading to the continent. While driving is often the most convenient means of travel, it's important for motorists to take the time to understand the foreign laws. Accidents can easily happen in an unfamiliar environment, so reading up and making sure you're completely covered for the country you're driving in is just as important as getting the right currency."