Driving Abroad
When driving in Europe, there’s a good chance that you’ll need to be carrying items in the car that you might not normally have in the UK. In many cases these items are a legal requirement and a failure to have them in your car may land you with a heavy fine. Therefore it’s a good idea to check what’s legally required, what’s recommended and what else is good common sense.3
Below we have covered just a few of the highlights but The AA provides a great amount of relevant information which is country specific and we’ve provided the links below. Clicking on the country flag below will take you to the right page on theAA.com.
BREATHALYSERS In January 2013 the French authorities back-tracked on their initial stance regarding fines and announced that the implementation of the €11 sanction for drivers not carrying a breathalyser had been postponed indefinitely.
So according to the AA’s website, “theoretically you are still required to carry a self-test breathalyser when driving in France but there is no current legislation demanding a fine for non-compliance.
The original official announcement stated that one unused, certified breathalyser must be produced showing the French certification mark NF. Carrying two single-use breathalysers will ensure that if one is used or damaged, you will still have a spare to produce. The breathalyser produced has to be in date – single-use breathalysers normally have a validity of twelve months.”
GB Sticker It’s compulsory when driving abroad to display a GB sticker on your car, unless your vehicle already has number plates that include the GB symbol (Europlates).
HIGH VISIBILITY JACKETS It’s compulsory to carry a high visibility jacket in a number of EU countries, including France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Poland. Consider having one for each member of your family travelling in case you all need to leave the car and keep them in the passenger compartment, not the boot.
WARNING TRIANGLES Warning triangles can be placed on the road to alert other drivers if you have a breakdown or emergency. They’re a legal requirement in most EU nations, although the number required differs from country to country. When driving in Spain, the law states motorists should use two warning triangles.
HEADLAMP CONVERTERS & SPARE BULB KITS When driving in Europe, you must use headlamp convertors by law. This is because in Europe they drive on the right, and headlights designed for UK roads could dazzle oncoming traffic. Fitting headlamp converters repositions the angle of your beam.
Most European nations recommend carrying a spare bulb which will allow you to change your headlamps in the event of a problem. If you’re heading to Spain or France you must carry this by law.
Adapted from Halfords.com
Ireland Separate download 
Switzerland & Liechtenstein Separate download 
Other countries can be access from this theAA.com page