If you are travelling to the Algarve, Portugal this summer for a holiday, here are some useful driving tips:
- Ensure all car paperwork is with you in car (including driving licence)
- As a general rule, stay to the right initially, you will be in the slower lane
- With the steering wheel on the left hand side, ensure that you allow enough room on the right hand side of the car to pass stationary/moving vehicles (it is easy to under-estimate the clearance on the passenger side)
- Don´t assume that other drivers will give way to you. Chivalry on the roads isn´t common here
- Remember that on roundabouts you have to give way to the left (the opposite to the UK)
- Multi-lane roads (dual carriage-ways) often have traffic lights to allow traffic to cross
- The heat in summer here is intense. Air conditioning from May to September is recommended
- Sun glasses are recommended for driving due to the light intensity, especially in summer and always have a bottle of water in the car
- The legal limit for alcohol is lower than in the UK (20mg per 100ml max)
- If you rent a hire car, consider taking Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) Insurance. The excesses can be very high
I have condensed this information from a page on my website: http://www.faro-airport-car-hire.my-algarve.com
July 25, 2008 at 4:30 pm
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August 20, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Thank for these tips, I might not have known about the drinking limit otherwise.
August 20, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Great comment Pauline, many of my readers like to drink a lot here in the Algarve, and I always recommend ingesting moderate amounts of alcohol, especially when driving