Jun 28
England fans may feel down at the prospect of coming home this early in the tournament however at least they can look forward to safer roads: According to the AA, there are up to 8 times more road deaths in South Africa than the UK.
Despite the South Africa Government investing well over £300 million in their road network, they still couldn’t substantially improve their safety rating. The South African also have different driving rules and regulations. Although they do drive on the left hand side of road like ourselves.
The AA also commented upon the effects of sporting England flags on your car. They state that a flag can increase fuel consumption by up to 6 miles per gallon. That is an extra 1 litre when travelling at 70mph for an hour. We presume the aa breakdown cover is still valid if you have any issues with your car and flags.
Drivers should always be extra careful when driving abroad and keep in the mind the different rules, customs and regulations of each country they travel through. If you need advice on travelling abroad, consult the foreign and commonwealth office:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/
Check out the main article for more facts and info.
world-cup-road-safety-fears.html
Oct 16
Not many people know you can apply for an international driving permit through the AA. This permit cannot be used in the UK and should not be used in ceratin countries instead of a UK driving licence and should be there to support your licence only.
You will need to check the different rules of each country to determine if an internatoinal permit is right for you and their own rules on the subject and be aware you can’t apply for an International driving permit if you have a provisional licence unless you have certain proof you have passed your test.
There are 2 covention IDPs from 1926 and 1949, you should understand which countries accept which version of which IDP.
You can find out more at the AA International Driving Permit Page.
May 27
The AA have reported on a test done in Europe on the safety of 4×4 car hire test within 60 outlets in Europe. The results were pretty awful with what is claimed is a 70% chance of be offered a vehicle that so not safe to drive in the condition the vehicles was designed for. It is claimed that only 8 of the 60 outlets could be described as offering a good for customer service covering countries such as Malta, Turkey and Spain.
The report goes on to describe the different faults found on the vehicles that you would normally be hired for adventurous excursions. If the condition of the vehicles was not bad enough, insurance polices to cover the hire vehicle were just as bad with unexpected costs adding to the confusion.
Excess and credit card charges also added to rental costs adds to the misery that many face on holiday, based on the AA Euotest results had not improved much since the previous 2005 test.
Purchasing you hire agreement here in the UK on the internet can help with at least the agreements being presented in English of which many documents abroad were presented in their native language. You can read the AA’s finding direct at their website by following this AA Eurotest Car Hire survey link.
