Despite Britain’s vote to leave the EU, nothing has actually changed yet; at least nothing that stops you from enjoying a European road trip. But before you load up the car and cross the channel, you could do with knowing about some of Europe’s more peculiar motoring laws.
Of course, you don’t have to drive to Europe to drive in Europe, so this list is equally handy if you’re planning to rent a car during your break away…
Bring your breathalyser to France
The country which most cross-channel motorists will encounter on their Euro drive is France so you should know that you’re legally obliged to always carry a valid breathalyser in your car.
Obviously, single-use breathalysers need to be unused, but they also have to carry the French ‘NF’ mark of quality certification and they only have a 12-month period of validity, so they need replacing every year.
Although it is technically illegal to drive in France without a breathalyser on-board, there is no actual penalty. There was supposed to be a €11 fine when the law was originally brought in, but it was postponed indefinitely so the police are powerless to dish out anything more severe than a disapproving look.
Never drink (nor eat) and drive in Cyprus
Sure, it’s tough to think of any country where it is okay to drink and drive, but in Cyprus, they don’t want you putting anything in your mouth whilst behind the wheel ever.
Considering that temperatures regularly and easily exceed 30°C, it seems pretty unreasonable that a quick swig of water on-the-go could potentially land you in a spot of bother with the rozzers.
If you do need to rehydrate whilst driving, the best course of action would be to pull over for a minute before continuing your drive. Unless you don’t mind risking a €85 fine and four licence points.
It’s pretty audacious for Brits to mock the Cyprians here, because British police have a previous history of penalising motorists for the same thing. In 2007, a Merseyside man was fined £60 after taking a bite of his sandwich whilst driving.
All day and all of the night in Scandinavia
In Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, there really is a light that never goes out, and it’s on your car.
Throughout Scandinavia, motorists are required by law to have their car’s headlights on constantly whilst driving, regardless of what time of day it is. Bright midday summer sunshine? Keep them beams-a-beaming, boyo.
This law stems from the fact that the northern Norway town of Tromsø has 60 days of solid darkness in the winter, from late November to mid January.
On-road only in Iceland
Iceland’s notoriously harsh weather means that vegetation takes so long to grow here, so the government made it illegal to drive off-road apart from in designated areas, or if there is a significant layer of ice and snow on the ground.
It makes sense because tyre marks on moss-covered areas can last for up to 50 years. Failing to abide by this law can result in a hefty fine.
Spain’s parking palava
Parking only allowed on one side of the road between the 1st and 15th of the month, switching to the other side of the road for the latter half of the month.
One foolproof way of staying on the right side of the law is to just do what the locals do.
If you’re not heading to any of the countries mentioned so far, maybe you are destined for one of these…
Denmark: Danish law states that motorists must check for children hiding beneath their car before setting off.
Germany: Almost everyone knows that ‘ze autobahn’ has no speed limit, permitting motorists to test their car’s top speed. But less well known is that it is illegal to stop or break down for any reason, even if your car runs out of fuel.
Russia: Okay not strictly Europe but they were in Eurovision so we’ll allow it. In Moscow, police can fine anyone driving a dirty car, and it’s up to the officer just what constitutes ‘dirty’, so schedule regular car washes if you’re staying for a long time.
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