75% of Drivers Not Confident on European Roads

With the summer holiday in full swing, an estimated 75% of drivers are not confident tackling European roads to go abroad for holidays. A recent survey conducted by the AA took a look at 14,000 members, and the overwhelming majority of them felt that they were not confident driving in other countries on roads they were not familiar with rules that they didn’t necessarily understand.

Confidence at a Low Point

For a lot of drivers, confidence is at a low point. The survey has shown that roughly 30% of all drivers feel confident driving - this means that there are 70% of drivers who don’t feel confident driving on European roads, which is a drop-down from 50% the year before.

Roughly 17% of drivers found driving in Europe to be an enjoyable experience, which is down from 41% about five years ago, and approximately 25% found roads in Europe to be in better condition than those in the UK, which is not a very high number.

The younger the target audience, the more concerning the numbers become. Younger drivers are even less confident, with only 6% feeling confident that they could tackle roads in Europe.

Staying Safe on the Roads

The good news is that there are a handful of things you can do to stay safe on the road while you are travelling in Europe for the summer holidays. It’s worth getting comprehensive breakdown cover to protect you if the worst case happens, and always make sure that you research the rules of the road prior to driving to feel more confident about what you are dealing with.

Being familiar with the rules will help protect you from the risk of doing something wrong, and it’s always worth checking because the rules in Europe can be different from driving laws here in the UK. Obviously, some of the basic rules still apply no matter where you go, like not driving with a phone. Still, there are going to be specific rules, such as, in certain cases, you have to form an emergency lane in the event of a traffic jam to allow the emergency services to come through.

Chris Wood is from the AA Patrol of the Year, and said this:

"Before any long journey, it's important to check your car - it's always a good idea to get your vehicle serviced before a long journey, especially to a foreign country.

Check your tyres - many countries have the same minimum tread depth as the UK (1.6mm), but if yours are down to 3mm or less, consider having them changed as they will wear quicker than normal due to the increased distances being travelled. Check your route and make sure you know where you can refuel or recharge your vehicle.

Also, make sure you're familiar with the driving rules in the country you're travelling to, as they may differ from the ones in the UK. For added peace of mind, don't forget to purchase a European breakdown cover."

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