Road signs abroad confuse drivers

Road signs pose a problem for some British motorists abroad

One in five British motorists say they do not understand road signs abroad, a survey has revealed.

A lack of such knowledge could have contributed to 14% of the drivers being tooted and shouted at by irate local drivers.

Eleven per cent admitted to having driven on the wrong side of the road while abroad, the survey for Sainsbury's Bank car insurance said.

Six per cent received a speeding ticket and 5% a parking ticket while abroad.

Breakdown

Nearly half of UK drivers have encountered problems while behind the wheel overseas, the survey found.

The survey of 678 motorists also found 9% had had a car breakdown and 3% had been stopped by police for doing something wrong.

"Most holidaymakers wouldn't dream about going away without travel insurance, but we're worried that some motorists are overlooking the need to arrange adequate cover for their trip, which could prove a very costly mistake," said car insurance manager for Sainsbury's Bank, Joanne Mallon.

"There are some notable differences in driving laws between countries and a quick check before you depart could save you inadvertently falling foul of these."

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Do road signs abroad confuse you? Have you ever realised you are driving on the wrong side when angry drivers start shouting at you? Share your overseas driving experiences here.

Personally I find driving on the right makes much more sense - we only drive on the left because British warriors were predominantly right handed 300 years ago or something like that. It's about time this country bit the bullet and totally committed itself to swapping to driving on the right and the full metrication of distance and speed signs. There would be some short term pain but the gain over time would far outweigh the swap-over costs.
Ray, UK

The shift from one country's driving assumptions to those of another country causes confusion for most tourists. After several weeks driving in Scotland and England I found myself swinging to the "wrong" side of the road back here at home. Our well-travelled British hosts compared driving stories with us. The best one is how a reach for the logical gear shift position in a rented car ends up with your hand well positioned to roll down the window.
Arch Campbell, Canada

I have lived in Canada over 10 years (from UK) and found myself driving on the wrong side of the road after pulling out of the parking lot of Home Depot store..... very scary!
Peter Hewett, Toronto

It's really hardly surprising that UK motorists seem so clueless about foreign road signs, when they seem completely incapable of following the ones in the UK. Our driving standards are the worst in Europe.
Guy, UK

It's often the rules of the road that are not signposted that cause the most problems. Belgium in particular has some rules for 50 kph speed limits in urban areas, and you need to know that an urban area can be defined by a plaque showing the name of the town or village that you're entering. Also, vehicles coming from the right have priority unless there are road signs indicating otherwise. You have to adapt your driving style accordingly.
JT, Belgium

Generally the signs are ok but there are some that I do not understand, but then I would say it is my own fault for not studying the signs before I go away. I am currently writing this from Swiss-Italian border, from a shopping centre near Chiaso.
Taj Sahmbi, UK

Done the lot. Drove on the wrong side of the road. Got tooted at on the Autovia when I got confused about which was the fast lane and which the slow. Couldn't figure out where my headlights were, so had to drive through 3 tunnels without any lights on. And why is it in Spain, that their signs at Give Way points say 'STOP'? Think about it!
karen, UK

While staying in a Paris suburb several years ago, we were told by the hotelier that it was fine to park on the road outside the hotel. There were some faded markings but we didn't look too closely at them. One morning we came out to find our car gone. The local police station wasn't far up the road, so we walked in to report our car stolen. When we gave them the registration number, they told us it wasn't stolen, but had been taken to the police car-pound. Apparently we had been parking in a space reserved for police cars...
Martin, UK

The most confusing thing is getting used to travelling using kilometres as speed and distance measurements. Isn't it about time the UK caught up with the rest of the world and change to the metric system!
Barra Best, N.Ireland

I've just come back from southern Spain where I found the road signage absolutely appalling. Often there were no signs (especially for particular road numbers) at all, or there would be one, and then none at all. In one incident I went round a roundabout in Cordoba three times - there wasn't a single sign pointing ANYWHERE on the whole roundabout! Signs were small, different colours, positioned extremely badly (i.e. confusingly before or after a junction) - I'm not at all surprised people have so much trouble. As for the person who thinks British driving standards are the worst in Europe....I can only assume he's never been to Spain or Italy??
D, UK

I am currently in Brazil (Sao Paulo) where the road signs, laws, and basic common sense have absolutely no bearing on a motorist's behaviour behind the wheel. Most of the time I spend dodging whatever has fallen off the vehicle in front and hoping that at least one of the brake lights of the vehicle in front is functioning. Car jackings and kidnappings are a regular occurrence in some parts of the city so stopping at red lights at night is not recommended. I just hope i don't forget where I am the next time I am back in the UK driving. My driving has certainly gone down hill since being here!!
Russell, Brazil

Everyone knows the "moose crossing" sign from Sweden, but how many understand the parking sign which means "you must park on the side of the road with even-numbered houses on even weeks of the year, and on the side with the odd-numbers on the odd weeks"? A cause of many parking tickets...
Ed, Sweden