Travel Tip: Hiring Car Abroad
Whilst soaking up to sun on the Costa del Sol you’re a world away from the stress and troubles of normal working life. No deadlines, no road rage and no commuter traffic making you late for work.
However, if you decide to hire a car there’s more than just your driving license and car insurance to think about, you could be putting yourself in more danger than you would at home. In Spain there are twelve times as many fatal accidents as the UK for the number of vehicles on the road. And the figures aren’t much different in other holiday destinations such as Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Italy.
With these shocking statistics – you need to make sure you hire a safe and reliable car. Following a survey by ‘Holiday Which?’, two out of every five hire cars inspected in the Costa del Sol were unsafe. Problems include:
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•Under-inflated tyres – can seriously affect road handling
•Bald tyres – can be lethal at any time
•Cut or bulge on tyre – increases the risk of a blow-out
•Faulty airbag – which fail to operate in an emergency
•No parcel shelves – a danger when luggage is in the back of car
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As a result of these dangers it’s vital that before signing the car hire contract you check a number of things. duck2water Car Insurance (www.duck2watercarinsurance.co.uk), who specialise in car insurance for drivers with over 4 years no claim history, offer ten useful tips:
1.Car insurance
Make sure you have adequate car insurance – does it include unlimited mileage? Does it have sufficient CDW (collision damage waiver)? What is the excess? Is the car covered whilst driving off-road (e.g. to get to a remote beach or picnic spot)?
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2.Emergency number
Ensure you have a contact number for the hire company in case the car breaks down or is involved in an accident.
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