If you are planning to ride of drive abroad on holiday this summer, do you know the rules of the road for the countries you will be riding or driving in?
If not, then maybe my latest blog may help, written with the assistance of my colleague Paul McClorry who is a specialist in overseas claims and road crashes abroad.
If riding in rural France, well worth 5 mins familiarizing yourself with the local signs (2 of each) that let you know who has priority at junctions / roundabouts.
Ref filtering, I found the Dutch incredibly helpful, the Germans incredibly unhelpful. Presume (donât know) legality of filtering is different in Holland/Germany. Also for those tempted to undertake, Germans hate it and will definitely react, try and prevent this. Presume it is illegal there given their strong reactions.
On the spot fines, if you like to risk it, make sure you have the cash as fines can easily be over the 300 euros you can get from an ATM. And be prepared for fines in the post from fixed cameras. I checked the colours of cameras on Google, but there is no uniformity here. Pain in the arse if you are touring.
In The Netherlands on an equal priority junction remember to give way to the right (and you have priority over the left). âGive to the right take from the left.â If you are un sure then approach the junction slowly so as you donât get in an accident like these ignorant bell ends driving in Germany (same rule). Video should have been titled, âI caused an accident because Iâm ignorant.â
On a serious note, local drivers will confidently take priority so you can expect this if you just drive onto a junction.
All good points, thank you for that.
I am just trying to provide an overview and give examples so that it made people aware of the importance of researching different countries before attempting to drive in them.
I could not cover everything and every country for an article. People will be asleep in less than 2 minutes 
Roundabouts (squares etc - not that many) in Greece, priority is for the person entering the roundabout 9 times out of 10.
Creates a hilarious chaos in the centre of Athens sometimes as itâs clear the rule makes no sense and there are no markings where to stopâŠ
Basically always give priority to the right to be safe a bit like the above (unless they have a stop sign)
On Dutch roundabouts you give way to traffic on the roundabout. Be very aware if the sharks teeth on the ground. If they point to you, you must give way (roundabouts and junctions). On some roundabouts there is an integrated cycle lane that has priority and on others the cycle lane doesnât have priority so you really have to pay attention to the sharks teeth.
In France priorité à droite (priority to the right) still exists, particularly in towns.
I was here last week and got a bit of a surprise when a car came âflyingâ out of this side road onto the âmainâ road I was on (me travelling the same direction as the photograph is taken). He was correct, he had priority. Luckily no harm done. I was more aware the next time.
See my point about the signs. Key ones to look for are the yellow diamond with a ljne through it, and an âxâ in a triangle. Both mean priority from the right and as you found, the locals will pull out, even from driveways.
More common on smaller roads and in townsâŠ
Iâm aware of those signs and Iâm usually on high alert when I see them but I donât remember passing either in this case. I think it is assumed because it is in a town that people should be aware of prioritĂ© a droite.
I think the best is, as ever, to ride defensively and assume people will pull out on you. I find myself checking every side road for a Give Way line as I approach it. If you donât see a Give Way line then traffic âpulling outâ of that road has priority.
