Brits driving abroad may lack confidence, but not courtesy

Brits who drive regularly in Spain soon get the hang of it, but for those unused to the roads and culture, it can be challenging at first.

A survey by holiday booking company Holiday Extras has revealed the many foibles and concerns that Brits have when driving abroad, concluding that the majority have very little confidence in themselves when they get behind the wheel in a foreign country.

However, what the survey fails to address is just how much patience, courtesy and constraint the average British driver has when confronted with the every-man-for-themselves culture often found on the roads of Mediterranean Europe…

According to the survey, two-thirds of Brits who have driven in mainland Europe would like road signs to also be in English – a demand that drivers from many other countries also made. But Brits have even more problems besides being unable to read the road signs.

Some 26% of those surveyed said that they had struggled with driving on the right-hand side – a problem that leaves our continental cousins unaffected – while 36% said that general navigation of foreign roads is problematic for them.

Conversely, only 11% of those polled remarked that they found driving abroad enjoyable, compared to a whopping 60% who said they felt they lacked the knowledge required to drive comfortably and safely in a foreign European country.

“It seems we’re pretty hopeless at driving when on the Continent,” remarked Holiday Extras Communications Director, Ant Clarke-Cowell, a little unfairly. Any Brit raised on the rather more sedate roads of the UK will find driving in parts of Spain a little hair-raising at times.

The driving culture in Spain is a little more aggressive and selfish, and the notion of respecting the wishes and space of your fellow road-users can sometimes feel a little absent when navigating the highways of the Costa del Sol.

This is not necessarily down to a lack of confidence on the part of the Brits – although it can certainly sow the seeds of doubt in one’s own driving ability – but rather a stark, speedy reminder that cultures can differ immensely the more you travel throughout the continent.

For tips, hints and advice on driving in Spain, visit VIVA’s handy transport and travel pages to find out more about what to expect and how to behave on Spain’s roads.