Going on a road trip in a foreign country has become the new travelling trend. Some people assure that there is no better way to discover a country; travelers can get off the hot tourist spots and spontaneously find unknown villages, friendly locals and authentic cuisine. In other cases, people just relocate to other countries and need to hit the roads quickly because in some cities a car could be the only transportation system available. Nevertheless, driving abroad can be tricky because each country has different laws and regulations in place, based on environment and infrastructure. For instance, the Road Traffic Act of Botswana states that “no animal shall be carried on a motor cycle in such a way as to obstruct the driver’s view or prevent his exercising complete control over such motor cycle”. Drivers caught doing so could face large driving fines of a whopping £368, or a prison sentence of 6 to 24 months!
Since motor cycles are the most popular transportation system in Botswana, it used to be very common to see drivers carrying everything on these two wheels’ motor vehicles; from animals to kitchen appliances.
Other rules are not as severe as those listed above, but are similarly quite uncommon. in Russia, dirty cars face driving fines of up to £25 after city officials enacted the ‘clean car month’ in 2016. This law was created to encourage Muscovites to wash their mucky motors after the long Russian winter. During the colder months, the mud and grit that accumulate on roads get onto vehicles, and by spring time all cars used to be extremely filthy.
Every country creates their own Driving Fines based on their conditions and culture. As a consequence, rules that are natural and familiar to some people, can be extremely strange or even funny to others.
This could be the case in New South Wales, where splashing pedestrians can land you a fine of up to £1,255. But here is the catch: this fine is only in place for splashing on people if they are waiting for the bus. Yes, according to this Australian law, it is completely acceptable to splash on other pedestrians.
Be careful though, the law in the UK is stricter than this: splashing mud on pedestrians is illegal and drivers should be ready to pay up to £5,000 or get penalty points in their driver license. So, if you are the pedestrian being splashed on by a vehicle, make sure to record the number plate to report this careless driver to the police.
Hopefully this small list of rules while driving abroad will help you keep out of trouble during your holidays. Make sure to look into the rules before you are hitting the road, as some of them can be very tricky. In Italy for instance, you are required to drive with snow chains at all times, whether you are on your summer or winter holidays!
Enjoy these 5 graphics that were created by insurance comparison company Compare the Market and learn more about some of the strangest driving dines around the world!
