ABTA is advising customers to take sensible precautions when driving abroad and to make themselves aware of local driving laws.
p>ABTA is advising customers to take sensible precautions when driving abroad and to make themselves aware of local driving laws. According to a recent report issued by the Make Roads Safe campaign and the FIA Foundation, internationally 25,000 tourists from all countries are killed on the roads each year. The figure for UK tourists is much lower with only a very small proportion of the 60million who travelled abroad last year being caught up in fatal road accidents. ?
ABTA's head of destinations and sustainability, Nikki White, said: ?Although statistically the chances of being caught in a road accident whilst on holiday abroad are small, accidents can and do occur.
"Many operators work closely with local companies providing transfers and car hire arrangements to operate appropriate safety standards and also with the Foreign Office to raise customer awareness on how to minimise potential risks as part of their 'Know Before You Go' campaign, which gives comprehensive and detailed advice on how to make your experience of foreign roads as safe as possible.
"However with 55% of UK holidaymakers travelling independently rather than with tour operators action clearly needs to be taken by individual governments where required and customers research relevant local rules of the road before travelling.?
The association and the Federation of Tour Operators have drawn up a Code of Practice for transport providers which its members have distributed to many of the suppliers they use. General health and safety is also a key priority for ABTA and its members who are currently working to encourage the European Commission to introduce a directive that would require consistent Health and Safety standards for accommodation providers throughout the European Union.
