AA - Check car insurance before driving abroad

The AA has warned holidaymakers to check their car insurance policies before driving abroad.

Holidaymakers have been advised that they need to be aware of whether or not they will be comprehensively covered when off British soil.

"If you have car insurance of any sort in a European country, you are automatically covered by law for the minimum legal requirement in the country you are visiting - usually third party only," said public relations manager for the AA, Ian Crowder.

He added that only having third party covers means that if a holidaymaker was to hit another car or property or cause injury during their travels, their insurer would only meet the third party's costs, not their own.

If holidaymakers are comprehensively covered, however, the AA advises them to ask for a European Accident Claim Form.

This document provides basic information in a range of languages, enabling travellers to obtain the names, addresses and insurance details of the other parties involved in an accident.

Around three million British motorists head to the continent by ferry and the channel tunnel every year, according to statistics published by the RAC Foundation

The foundation also claims that UK motorists who drive to Spain or Portugal are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than they are at home.

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