EU road traffic rules explained by new smartphone app

When considering EU traffic rules do we really know what the speed limit is on Spanish motorways? Do we know if we need to wear a helmet when cycling in Sweden? What safety equipment must you have in the car when driving in Slovakia?

From now on holiday makers do not need to spend a lot of time searching for this information. They can have it at hand wherever they are with the European Commission’s new smartphone app “Going Abroad”.

The app is available for iPhone and iPad, Google Android and Microsoft Windows phones in 22 languages. Apart from the important road safety information for all EU countries, the app also contains a road safety quiz and a memory game to entertain passengers during long car journeys.

European Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, in charge of transport, said, “The summer holiday period is the busiest time on Europe’s roads. It is so easy to take your car abroad, but many people don’t realise that rules and road signs differ across the EU. The ‘Going Abroad’ app provides convenient and user-friendly information to help minimise this risk.”

The app covers information about all topics that carry the biggest risk for accidents, including speed and alcohol limits, traffic lights, and the use of mobile phones. It also informs users about obligations to wear seat belts in cars and safety helmets on bikes and motorbikes.

Its release just before the start of the summer holidays is timely because July and August are the deadliest road traffic months with on average some 50% more road deaths than in the “safest” month, February.