Before you head off to Portugal
and start fantasizing about driving the car down those old country
roads feeling the wind blow through your hair, it’s important to
take a look at the rules and regulations. The driving standards of
Portugal and the Algarve are so low they sit near the bottom of the
European road safety league.
The last thing I want to do is scare you off the roads altogether but it is important to understand the risks to ensure that you have a safe and pleasant holiday, after all no one want to spend time hanging out with the Portuguese police or have the worries of paying a hefty fine. That would be enough to ruin anyone’s holiday.
Let’s start from the beginning, the hire car. Make sure you take both parts of your driver’s license with you, or you will be walking to the beach. A valid EU driving licenses are accepted in Portugal, other document you will require are Passport, Valid Visa Credit card and proof of address in Portugal.
Ok, so now you have your hire car, but don’t jump in and crank the music up just yet. The first thing to mention is that in Portugal you drive on the right. Due to their reputation inadequate traffic policing, the police are now hot on poor driving, here is a list of things you must be aware of.
•I know it’s already been said but, drive on the right
•Seats belts must be worn (the driver is responsible and so will be fined if these are not worn)
•No children under 12 in the front passenger seat
•Do not try to drink and drive (the limit is somewhat lower that in the UK so beat not to take any risk as you will be making friends in police custody if you are caught)
•Do not drive with headphones
•Dogs must be restrained
•Always turn on headlight when you are in a tunnel
•It is illegal to overtake in free flowing traffic
•If you are unfortunate to be involved in an accident the driver must stop and help injured people, try and avoid any more danger and call the police (112) if the car cannot be moved out of the way.
•Do not use a mobile whilst driving (you will be fined on the spot if caught)
•No speeding (again you will be fined on the spot if caught)
The speed limits in Portugal are slightly higher than in the UK, however care must be taken, these are the limits:
•50 kph or 31 mph – Built up areas
•100 kph or 62 mph – Main trunk roads
•120 kph or 75 mph - Motorways
Nearly there just one final set of rules, parking. The best advice would be to park in designated off street car parks as the rules can be quite daunting:
•Always park on the right (the car must not face into the traffic)
•Obey no parking signs (you will be clamped and fined)
•In towns there is a 90 minute parking limit during office hours
•Do not park within 5 metres of a road junction, 25 metres before and 5 metres after a bus stop and within 6 metres of a tram stop
•Watch out for residents parking as some places require permits at all times
Finally one last thing is to expect the unexpected, always drive carefully and be aware of other drivers.
The last thing I want to do is scare you off the roads altogether but it is important to understand the risks to ensure that you have a safe and pleasant holiday, after all no one want to spend time hanging out with the Portuguese police or have the worries of paying a hefty fine. That would be enough to ruin anyone’s holiday.
Let’s start from the beginning, the hire car. Make sure you take both parts of your driver’s license with you, or you will be walking to the beach. A valid EU driving licenses are accepted in Portugal, other document you will require are Passport, Valid Visa Credit card and proof of address in Portugal.
Ok, so now you have your hire car, but don’t jump in and crank the music up just yet. The first thing to mention is that in Portugal you drive on the right. Due to their reputation inadequate traffic policing, the police are now hot on poor driving, here is a list of things you must be aware of.
•I know it’s already been said but, drive on the right
•Seats belts must be worn (the driver is responsible and so will be fined if these are not worn)
•No children under 12 in the front passenger seat
•Do not try to drink and drive (the limit is somewhat lower that in the UK so beat not to take any risk as you will be making friends in police custody if you are caught)
•Do not drive with headphones
•Dogs must be restrained
•Always turn on headlight when you are in a tunnel
•It is illegal to overtake in free flowing traffic
•If you are unfortunate to be involved in an accident the driver must stop and help injured people, try and avoid any more danger and call the police (112) if the car cannot be moved out of the way.
•Do not use a mobile whilst driving (you will be fined on the spot if caught)
•No speeding (again you will be fined on the spot if caught)
The speed limits in Portugal are slightly higher than in the UK, however care must be taken, these are the limits:
•50 kph or 31 mph – Built up areas
•100 kph or 62 mph – Main trunk roads
•120 kph or 75 mph - Motorways
Nearly there just one final set of rules, parking. The best advice would be to park in designated off street car parks as the rules can be quite daunting:
•Always park on the right (the car must not face into the traffic)
•Obey no parking signs (you will be clamped and fined)
•In towns there is a 90 minute parking limit during office hours
•Do not park within 5 metres of a road junction, 25 metres before and 5 metres after a bus stop and within 6 metres of a tram stop
•Watch out for residents parking as some places require permits at all times
Finally one last thing is to expect the unexpected, always drive carefully and be aware of other drivers.
Car hire information Portugal
Contact us
More Information