Watch out, watch out – there’s a gendarme about

Due to flight fuel surcharges and the credit crunch it would appear that some British holiday makers have yet to decide where they’re going on holiday – or if they are going away at all.

Holiday bookings home and abroad, according to travel companies and hotel groups, are down. But a whole raft of last minute promotional offers from ferry companies and the French Tourist Board might yet get Brits crossing the English Channel looking for some sunshine, relatively traffic clear roads and of course, cheaper fuel.

Right on cue come two warnings for non experienced motorists heading for France, which if ignored might just end up costing them more than flying abroad.

If you're driving in France in the next few weeks and fail to carry a fluorescent safety vest in your vehicle you’ll receive a hefty £100 on-the-spot fine – the new law came in to force on July 1st 2008. Be sure a Gendarme or a French Autoroute Policeperson will escort you and your credit card to the nearest hole-in-the-wall cash-point to extract the fine from you.

According to an online survey carried out by mail order specialists - Car Parts Direct - 76 per cent of British Motorists who intend to travel this Summer had no knowledge of the law.

Additional hefty fines also apply for not having a GB sticker, warning triangle or headlamp deflectors.  Other countries have more rules, such as compulsory Fire Extinguishers and the requirement to carry a First Aid Kit.

Car Parts Direct provides a complete European travel Kit that has been developed to include the motorist legal requirements when travelling to any European country and would bring added safety to motorists driving in the UK.

The Travel Kit includes a warning triangle, spare bulb and fuse kit, yellow jacket, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, plus a headlamp deflector kit and a GB sticker which is essential for European motorists. A tyre fix aerosol that can seal a flat is also included, due to the fact that nearly 10 per cent of all vehicle breakdowns are due to a puncture.

The kit is supplied in a compact carry case with Velcro backing to secure it in the boot of any vehicle, ready for immediate use. The European Travel Kit costs £69. To order online go to www.carparts-direct.co.uk or call 0871 918 1800.

Also P+O Ferries have added their wisdom to safe travel in France. They say British drivers heading to France have a blind spot for new safety rules.

A fortnight after it became law for all cars in France to carry a high visibility safety vest, less than half of British motorists sailing from Dover to Calais with P+O Ferries were up to speed.

Drivers arriving for sailings were asked if they complied with the legislation.  "More than half - 56 per cent - didn't.”The message simply hasn't got through," said the ferry company's Brian Rees.

More than one million cars travel with P+O Ferries to France each year and the company has some top tips for motorists:

• 1. Slow to 50km/h in villages, even when there are no speed limit signs. The village name sign marks the start of the reduced speed zone, which ends when you reach the village name sign with a line through it.

• 2. You can be 17 and drive in the UK, but in France the minimum age is 18.

• 3. Beware of flashers! In the UK, flashing your headlights is usually to help an on-coming vehicle take priority. In France it means: "I'm coming through."

• 4. Diesel is still about 20 per cent cheaper in France. Best fuel prices are at the hypermarkets, which are often close to motorway exits.

• 5. Be even more kind and courteous to cyclists. In the land of the Tour de France anyone on a bike is a superior form of life, no matter how they look in Lycra.

Happy holiday!