How To Stay Safe While You’re Driving In A Foreign Country

It doesn’t matter whether you are going to hit the road for a weekend trip or rent a car while exploring a faraway exotic destination, you should be well prepared for facing numerous challenges that come with driving abroad. Lucky for you, the art of staying safe is not rocket science and all you have to do is just stick to some simple yet efficient rules. The main thing is not to leave to chance even the slightest details, so here you have it: useful tips on how to stay safe while driving in a foreign country and bring home only pleasant memories.

 

Check Your Driving Documents

In the majority of cases, to be able to drive abroad, you will need an International driving permit in addition to your valid driving license. You have to obtain the permit at your local automobile association or similar authority before leaving your home country. You can also check on IDA's website how to get international drivers license and apply online for it in a just few simple steps. how to get international drivers license.

 

Keep in mind that it is not possible to get or renew IDPs abroad, so make sure to keep both your IDP and national driving license in a safe place. If either of these documents will be lost or stolen, your Embassy won’t be able to help you with this issue. You will need to file a loss or theft report to a local police station and depending on the country, you may get a kind of receipt you may use to continue driving.

 

Get Insurance For Driving Abroad

Even though your regular vehicle insurance can provide the minimum third party cover in some foreign countries, chances are that for your next destination you will need additional insurance. Anyway, if you want to feel really safe and to cover for things like theft or vehicle and health damage resulting from a car accident, you will certainly have to obtain a new policy. It’s a good idea to consult a trusted car accident lawyer in your area before taking insurance for driving abroad just to be sure that if a collision happens, you will get the compensation you deserve.

 

Plan And Research Your Route

This one is pretty obvious but you’d be surprised to know how many people fail to plan their trips. A good plan goes far beyond just mapping your route from point a to point b, all the more so, in these days and age modern technologies do all the legwork for you. Just switch on your car navigation and do not look back, right? Well, not really, especially if you drive across the country that is not on the list of the most developed places on Earth. 

 

Long story short, be ready to take over if your car GPS looks like it doesn’t have an idea about what’s going on and where you should go. That’s why it is very important to do your homework and study the whole route in advance, taking advantage of numerous resources available on the internet. Do not forget to print out your final path and mark on it all places of interest such as gas stations, road cafes, and similar spots. Also, find out whether you can use credit cards everywhere and if not, make sure to have a certain amount of local money. 

 

Get Emergency Numbers Ready

No one can know where and when an accident can happen but being prepared for the unexpected is what can mean the difference between a total disaster and a happy end. Find out all emergency numbers for the country you are going to travel to while still at home and keep them ready. 

 

Even though saving them on your mobile phone may look like a brilliant solution at first glance, to be on the safe side, have them written down on paper as well. Your mobile can be destroyed as a result of an accident or its battery can discharge, and you need to react at lightning speed, so believe us, an ordinary piece of paper can turn into a real life-safer.

 

Check Out The Foreign’s Country Driving Culture

If you are going to enjoy the roads of your neighbors, chances are you won’t run into any significant differences when it comes to both rules and behavior. However, driving in some countries is everything but not what you’re used to. Familiarize yourself with the local traditions in advance in order to avoid unnecessary problems.

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As you can see, staying safe while driving in a foreign country is not a kind of mission impossible. Make sure to follow these simple rules and rest assured, you will enjoy every minute of your trip.

 

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