A major European summer road safety campaign was launched today as part of a drive to half the number of road fatalities by 2010.
The European Road Safety Charter Summer Campaign takes place from the 29th of July to the 15th of September as part of the European Road Safety Charter awareness campaign and seeks to make contact with European road users on their way to holiday destinations.
The campaign is taking place during the peak summer holiday season on French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese tolled motorways, targeting European road users on their way to their holiday destinations. Bi-lingual leaflets containing safety advice are to be distributed at most toll stations in the four tourist destinations.
Many Irish holidaymakers, including large numbers of families, travel to Europe via car every year.
An AA spokesman said today that Irish people planning to go abroad with their cars needed to keep practical matters in mind.
"Their cars should be serviced, they should bring a spare set of bulbs, beam deflectors should be installed and, it might seem obvious, but they need to be conscious of the fact that they're driving on the opposite side of the road," he said.