With the prices of summer holidays abroad becoming more expensive year after year, a lot of people, including us, tend to explore what our glorious island of Britain has to offer instead. Albeit dependant on the weather most of the time, but there are some beautiful spots especially on the southern coastline and right up in the Scottish Highlands. One thing not many people realise is that there are a lot of beaches and walks that actually feel like you are in more exotic lands.
A big thing that comes with a British holiday is the ability to drive your own car wherever you want, and the fuel you would put in is the cost of your flights anyway. You’re most likely to be driving much more on your British holiday than you would in everyday life though, so why not give yourself a bit of a refresher on the rules of the road. Did you know there are new rules added each year? Because I certainly didn’t. Luckily for us, the guys at Kwik Fit have released an eBook highlighting all the new driving rules that came in to play this year.
MOTs and servicing
One rule that does appear in there are the new rules to MOTs for your car. I recently had my car MOT tested and was shocked to receive back a document containing a variety of different levels to the test, things I desperately need to get fixed before it passed, and things that are only recommended, such as worn tyres that might need changing soon. Obviously, it’s advised to get these fixed as it’s only going to break down at some point, and there’s nothing worse than breaking down far away from home whilst travelling.
By Standret Shutterstock
So what does it involve? Well, there are now 5 categories when you get your car tested, and if it fails on the “dangerous” and “major” sections then it is failing that test. Make sure you get this checked over in good timing before booking your trip and from a reliable source like Kwik Fit.
Out on the roads
This next one, I certainly didn’t know about. Obviously when you’re out on the British roads you are most likely going to encounter a cyclist at some point, but did you know there is a specific distance you should be when overtaking? The new rules that has come in is that the car must be at least 1.5 metres (4 ft. 11 inches) away from the cyclist when going past, otherwise you could be hit with a £100 fine.
Also, when you are on the motorways around the country, you’ll notice a lot of areas are introducing ‘smart motorways’ which has caused a lot of traffic in the build up to their creation. One thing you do need to consider when on your family trip is if you see a red X above a lane, it means the lane is closed due to an accident or roadworks, so make sure you switch lane or it’s another £100 fine off your holiday.
