Summer travel: Other countries, other rules
Traveling through Europe by car, motor home, motorcycle or bicycle? Before you leave Switzerland with your own vehicle, you need to prepare a few things. To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is essential to adapt your own vehicle equipment to the requirements of the destination country.
Good planning of the Vacation trip saves time and hassle. Does the vehicle's equipment comply with the various road laws of European countries?
First aid kit in Italy and Austria - Fire extinguishers in Greece, Poland and Latvia
The CH sticker and the breakdown triangle are part of the basic equipment for carefree travel by car throughout Europe. The majority of countries also require the carrying of a Safety vest according to the European standard EN 471. The use of this vest in case of breakdown is mandatory on French roads and in Italy in case of poor visibility outside cities. A First aid kit must be on board when driving in Austria. In Greece, Poland or Latvia, carrying a fire extinguisher is mandatory. Some cities in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Great Britain or even the Czech Republic require an environmental badge. It is therefore important to inform yourself about the environmental measures of the respective countries before departure.
Caution when parking with the camper or caravan
In principle, the same rules apply to campers and caravans as to passenger cars. However, depending on the country, there are specific regulations for their use. A category B driving license allows you to drive a camper with a weight of up to 3.5 tons or to drive a minibus with a maximum of 9 seats and a trailer weighing 750 kg. For larger vehicles, a category C, D or higher driver's license is required. In Italy, camping buses and caravan trailers weighing more than 3.5 tons must be equipped with reflective speed vignettes. These show the maximum speed on freeways (80 km/h) attached to the right-hand side and the maximum speed outside towns (70 km/h) on the left-hand side. The sites allowed for campers and caravans are strictly regulated in Europe. Only Sweden allows wild camping throughout the country. The TCS has summarized the applicable regulations in Europe for campers and caravans on its website.
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