European driving laws, general and by country
Passionate drivers are drivers in love with their car everywhere, whether at home or abroad. With the European Union, member states have access to transit the roads of each-other’s territories, so for anyone traveling there, there is interesting to research the European driving laws, general and by country as well.
Road safety is an aspiration both for the EU and for all states. There is a general European framework about the level of alcohol permitted in the driver’s blood and the speed limit allowed. Under the general European laws, the speed limits for motorways vary from 120 to 130 km per hour. Germany is the only exception, not imposing a limit, but giving a recommendation to keep the speed under 130 km per hour.
In what regards rural roads, they vary from 80 to 90 km per hour, while urban roads have a speed limit of 50 km per hour.
Speed limits also vary according to weather conditions, generally going 10 to 20 km down in cases of rain or snow.
In what concerns the minimum driving age, although there is a general consensus on the age of 18, there are exceptions. The Irish are allowed to drive at 17, as well as the English (where the minimum age can go as low as 16). In Norway, teens aged 16 can drive with supervision and in Italy, 17 is the minimum age of assisted drivers.
Drunk-driving is a serious offense everywhere in the world, but for some countries it’s ok to have had… just about a sip of alcohol. Thus, Romania and Hungary have 0% alcohol in the system allowed. The highest level of alcohol allowed is 0.08% in Malta, while Italy is also lenient, with 0.05 to 0.08% allowed.
If this is the situation with traffic laws, you will probably be happy to know that International car rental conditions at least are not as difficult as that!
