Learning the codes
Page 56
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In view of our increasing involvement in Continental road travel since Britain's entry into the Common Market. the necessity of a thorough understanding of foreign driving codes becomes imperative, for drivers of commercial and private vehicles alike. In the private sector to date there is ample evidence of quite widespread ignorance of the codes, in terms of road accidents: in France, for example, failure to understand fully that country's application of the rule of priority from the right is a potent source of risk for foreign drivers, and according to a BBC report of April last year is a contributory factor in the alarmingly high French accident-rate.
For commercial and coach drivers, frequently travelling in several successive countries each with different applications of apparently similar rules, the problem must be very real. I should be interested to learn what measures are currently taken to ensure that British drivers of commercial vehicles and coaches are familiar with the codes of the countries in which they travel: erg to what extent such measures are legally enforced, and whether they involve considerable documentation; and also how foreign counterparts driving in the UK fare in these respects, especially since the advent of the Common Market.
My interest arises from the discovery that some governments make only very halfhearted attempts, if that, to distribute information about their driving rules for the benefit of foreign car-drivers; if the drivers of commercial vehicles and coaches are as badly handicapped in this regard as private motorists (by no means all of whom belong to organi
zations which circulate information to thei members), there is certainly room for im provement. I have found much support for the idea that more efficient and readily available documentation is necessary, from severe motoring, safety and other organizations, some of whom have discussed the questior in print.
The priority of the right rule in itself, at least as it applies in France, is a good casE in point. Too often it is either glossed over or misinterpreted, or both; sometimes, too, incorrectly translated. But, given an exact and careful rendering, are not foreign driving rules such as these almost compulsive material for those organizations concerned to improve the knowledge of all drivers in foreign countries? One thinks of the various media: press, TV and radio, all of which could use their impressive coverage in specialized motoring or even general articles and programmes for European minded listeners and intending holiday-makers abroad.
(Name and address supplied)