If you’re planning a short trip over the channel  from the UK or a longer vacation on the continent, there are several essential tips to take on board, so that you can drive  safely and legally when you leave the UK. 

Before you set off, ask yourself the question – Is my car safe to drive? Arrange a service if required, and check the oil levels, water and tyre pressures. Make your spare tyre is in good condition.    If you’re leaving the train or ferry on arrival in France, there are a few essential items of equipment to have on board – a red warning triangle, spare light bulbs, a torch and a first aid box. Other European countries require reflective jackets, headlight beam converters – always check before you set off. You’ll also need your Passport, GB stickers for your car, your driving licence (both paper and plastic licences if you have them) vehicle registration documents and insurance documents it’s important to make sure your insurance policy covers you while you are driving abroad in Europe. Contact your insurer if in any doubt. 

 So you’re about to start the engine, head off up the ramp and explore the roads of Europe. You’ll need to plan and know your route, so invest in a good European road atlas. If you have satellite navigation, make sure you’ve bought your European CD with you. 

As you accelerate away from the terminal, you must be aware of local rules and speed limits.   Fortunately many road signs are now international, so it won’t do any harm to get a copy of the Highway Code out for the first time in 20 years and brush up on those road signs. Make sure you’re driving on the right side of the road, which is the right. Many people leaving England forget this important rule, with potentially catastrophic results. There are basically 5 different speed limits in France when it’s dry. The limits are lower in wet weather, but the normal ones to remember are 130 kilometers per hour on the autoroutes (about 80 miles per hour) 110 kph on dual carrigeways or non toll motorways, 80kph on the Perifique around Paris, 90kph outside built up areas, and 50kph in built up areas, which is similar to our own 30 miles per hour. Make sure you stick to these, as you don’t want to have amassed “douze points” before you leave the outskirts of Boulogne!   

When driving on motorways or autoroutes, the toll booths usually take credit cards and cash, but it’s worth having a supply of Euros on hand in case they are cash only. On the toll roads, you usually get a ticket at the beginning and pay when you leave, although some have a flat fee for your journey. 

A few important legalities to remember. In France, the minimum driving age is 18, and you must possess a full UK driving licence to drive. For the first two years after passing the driving test, new drivers are limited to the wet weather speed limits, so familiarise yourselves with these limits if you’re in that category. Children must be over 10 to sit in the front seat, although babies up to the age of 9 months can occupy the front passenger seat in a rear facing car seat.  

You may be going on a relaxing holiday with lots of opportunity to pick up cut price alcohol, but the old rule of never drink and drive applies as normal. 

If you are unfortunate enough to break down, pull over to the right, put on your hazard lights and get your warning triangle out and on display. The emergency number in Europe is 112. 

Take the time to prepare using this simple guide, and you can enjoy a safe trip. 

Your preparation can be split into three stages.

Follow these simple tips and you can change your own wheel in a jiffy without having to wait for the breakdown truck to arrive. To do this you must be prepared with all the necessary equipment. Apart from a working jack, and an inflated spare wheel with the legal amount of tread on the tyre, you’ll need some gloves, a bit of old carpet to kneel on, a couple of small blocks of wood –   50mm square, a flat bed screwdriver, a pair of cutters or a sharp penknife and a wheelbrace.

Before you start, make sure the car is parked safely away from traffic. If you are on the edge of a busy road and the car cannot be moved, it is safer to get the breakdown services to repair it. Stop the car, switch on the hazard warning lights and set up your warning triangle, if you have one.It’s straightforward enough to change a wheel, but there are many different types of jacks, and chances are if you have a relatively new car you won’t have used it before. Get the manufacturers handbook ready in case you need to refer to it.

Step 1 – Turn off the engine, and locate the spare wheel.

Step 2 – Apply the handbrake, put the car in first gear if a manual transmission, or P if automatic, then use your blocks of wood to chock the wheel diagonally opposite the one being changed.

Step 3 – Put on your gloves, get out the spare wheel, vehicle jack and wheelbrace. They are generally found in or under the luggage area, but check your handbook if in doubt.

Step 4 – Lay your piece of carpet down next to the flat tyre. If you have one, remove the wheel trim. You may need to get your 15 blade swiss army knife out to cut the tie cables, or use a pair of cutters if you have them. Prise off the trim with a flat bed screwdriver. Using your wheelbrace, loosen each nut on the relevant wheel by about half a turn – you may need a special socket for any anti-theft bolts or nuts.

Step 5 – Slot or slide the jack head in or under the jacking point nearest the flat. A good tip is to slide the spare wheel under the car, close to the flat but away from the jack, just in case the jack slips. Raise the car jack until the tyre is at least 25 millimetres off the ground.

Step 6 – Remove the bolts and lift off the wheel. Drag out the spare wheel from under the car and put the flat tyre in its place.

Step 7 – Fit the spare wheel. Positioning the wheel can be tricky, as you have to support the weight at the same time. You could rest the wheel on your shoe to help manoeuvre it into position. Refit the nuts and tighten them until they are just holding the wheel firmly. Take the flat out from under the car, lower the jack and remove it.

 Step 8 – Tighten one bolt securely using your wheelbrace, then tighten the one diagonally opposite. Tighten the remaining bolts in a similar way, then re-fit the wheel trim, if you have one.

Step 9 – When you’ve finished, put the spare wheel and any tools in their proper locations. Check the tyre pressure on your replacement, either with your own guage or at the first available garage. You should have the bolts tightened to their correct torque settings, but most people do not have a torque wrench, so a garage or tyre fitting depot can do this for you.

 Step 10 – Finally, get that flat tyre repaired or replaced ASAP. You don’t want to be driving around without a spare for any longer than necessary.