Driving in South Africa for the World Cup 2010

The World Cup 2010 is kicking off in less than a month and thousands of Brits will be travelling to South Africa to support England. The easiest way to travel to South Africa's football stadiums is by car.

If you are planning on driving in South Africa, remember to get clued up on the rules of the road before you travel and invest in a good map.

Make sure you book your hire car in advance. If you turn up at the airport expecting to hire a car on the spot, you might find the car hire companies are all booked up. Lots of tourists will be hiring cars for the World Cup 2010.

South Africans drive on the left, which makes things a bit easier for us Brits, but unlike at home, they display speed limits in kilometres.

The rules of the road are similar to those in Britain - wear a seatbelt, don't talk on your mobile phone whilst driving and don't drink and drive.

One thing that might throw you when you are driving in South Africa is a four way stop - the rule is to give priority to the first to arrive.

Keep an eye out for African wildlife that often has no fear of cars! Leaping antelope sometimes cross the road around dusk.

South African roads can be long and straight so make sure you are well rested for your journey. South Africa is a large country and you could be facing a 15 hour drive to the next World Cup match. If you are travelling with a partner or group of friends, you might want to consider sharing the driving.

Try to arrive early at the football ground to allow plenty of time to get parked up and remember to make a note of where you've parked.

South African petrol stations are manned by attendants - they're not self-service. You can sometimes travel long distances before you come across a petrol station so make sure you keep the tank filled up.

Don't forget to take your driving licence along with the paper copy and take photocopies of your licence in case you lose it. Make sure you buy travel insurance which will cover you if you are involved in an accident on the road.

Digg    Reddit    Facebook    Tweet This