As many of us drive every day of the week, we don't think we need to take precautions when renting a car abroad. Recent research by National Car Rental showed that 41 per cent of travellers planning to travel abroad in a rental car did not check the driving regulations of countries they were visiting. Not surprisingly, it also found that 26 per cent experienced a near-miss when driving abroad.
As a result of this research, National has launched Drive Safe, an international online road-safety initiative which helps to prepare travellers for the challenges of motoring in the countries they are visiting. The initiative is based on a website, nationaldrivesafe.com, where any one of 43 countries can be selected on the home page. Eight different sections can then be chosen: summary, city driving, country driving, road rules, road-safety initiatives, driving regulations, local knowledge, and summary of driving terms. Surfing the site demonstrates how different regulations can be in different countries and the problems drivers can experience if they have not prepared. The site also has the facility to sign up for country updates and to be advised when new countries are added.
Of course, the exact method of staying safe differs from country to country. Avis makes customer safety its number one priority by adapting its business model to different market conditions; in Asia its Chauffeur Drive product is more popular than self-drive. In South Africa it is pioneering a luxury, on-demand solution called Point-to-Point, which for the price of a taxi
allows the customer to call uniformed drivers to take them wherever they want to go. These services are available to all customers via the Avis call centre.
With situations around the world changing quickly, you need well-trained staff to advise on the local situation when collecting your car. Budget, for instance, trains staff to be sensitive to the wellbeing of customers, even walking renters to their cars if requested, while Thrifty offers personal safety advice in all its locations and Europcar features safety advice on its website.
So what can you do to stay safe? The key is forward planning: if you are going somewhere new, do research, buy a guide book, plan your route from the airport, and rent a car with which you are already familiar so that you can concentrate on the unfamiliar road, not the unfamiliar controls. For convenience and safety's sake, ask the car-hire receptionist the location of the nearest fuel station.
Air-conditioned cars should always be hired so windows can be kept closed to prevent "snatches" at junctions and doors should always be locked. Manufacturers are increasingly providing locking systems which initially only open the driver's door, to prevent "watching" thieves jumping into the passenger seat when the car is first opened in car parks. As with all aspects of travel, much personal safety advice is common sense, but don't make obvious mistakes when distracted, such as leaving handbags and briefcases on display.
Personal alarms often recommended for women when travelling should also be carried by men. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust recommends one with a loud continuous shriek: a sound not normally heard, making it shock and disorientate. Passers-by will often not want to become involved, but a shouted "call the police" will show that you are in trouble. Since many airlines do not allow gas canisters on board, take the battery-operated variety.
Aside from generalities, Hertz has identified one common situation where travellers are vulnerable – not knowing where you are going and asking for directions. It has therefore launched NeverLost, a portable navigation system covering 27 countries with instructions in 11 European languages and a database of Hertz return locations and points of interest.
Europcar offers Navman systems for rental at major UK airports and many on their fleet are fitted with sat nav as standard, while National has also formalised its portable sat nav offer, which is available in South Africa and14 European countries. Other major rental companies are increasingly following suit.
Breakdown also makes travellers vulnerable. All the rental companies provide roadside assistance, although this is of no use if your phone battery is flat when calling for help, so ensure you have overseas roaming facilities and batteries are fully charged before departure. All rental cars have sockets so in-car chargers should always be taken, and are probably more convenient than mains ones.
Then there are the travel scams: fake accidents with an "injured" person lying in the road, for instance. In these circumstances, stay in the car with doors locked and phone the rental company's roadside assistance number which will be in the car (or the police if you know the number). We hear reports of fake plain-clothes policemen and immigration officials who stop you, flash some ID and claim they need to search your bags. If you insist on going to the nearest police station they will soon disappear.
Don't assume it won't happen to you. A couple of motoring journalists experienced in overseas travel were recently driving a new car on a press launch in Spain. A passing motorist pointed animatedly at a wheel of their car, and when they stopped, sure enough they were mugged. They really should have known better, easily said when it hasn't happened to you.
These incidents may not happen that often but with a little thought and forward planning they needn't happen at all.
nationaldrivesafe.com, avis.com, budget.com, europcar.com, hertz.com, suzylamplugh.org
