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Just returned from attending a stag party in Montenegro. While I was there, I mistakenly took the car on left side of the road and as luck would have it, there was an undercover police car coming from behind. I was pulled and given a ticket for 150 Euros. The officer didn’t speak a word of English so I couldn’t really explain to him that it was an honest mistake and I didn’t do it on purpose.
Long story short, he let me go after I paid the PCN to him, but I am now worried that the incident will be reported to DVLA. I checked the internet which is full of contradicting information on the subject. Some websites mention that points and penalties incurred abroad are not admissible in the UK after Brexit, and some say they are specially if it is from an EU member state. Montenegro is not an EU member state, so I am not sure what to make of this situation.
Lastly, how y’all change your driving style when abroad? I always find it difficult to adjust when the steering is on the left and try and avoid driving in such countries if possible.
always find it a bigger problem with my own car and especially if coming out of a hotel in the morning onto a quiet country road without markings
Speeding tickets in Belgium, Austria, Germany, Latvia, Slovenia, Romania, Italy, France with varying methods of delivery from being stopped, to getting tickets through the post, in rental cars and in my own vehicle… Nothing has affected my UK licence
Some countries will stop you entering their border (if flying) until you have paid a fine (from driving)… But the good thing is that Customs/Dogane don’t seem to care about outstanding tickets in their country
I don’t think Harry Dunn’s parents would want you to be “let off” because it was an “honest mistake”.
The officer probably spoke English but was just pretending not to.
Did you pay in cash? Then nothing is getting reported to anybody!
Chance of this having repercussions in the UK is zero. Because there wasn’t an accident. Suggest you continue to “avoid driving in such countries if possible.”
The continuance question when driving is ‘am I nearer to the kerb than the passenger?’.
I prefer automatic transmission, I drove a lot in Crete recently and auto was a dream.
“Lastly, how y’all change your driving style when abroad?”
I drive on the correct side of the road.
Sorry, couldn’t resist 😀
Anyway, chill. There’s zero consequence in the UK. I recently got a speeding ticket from Melbourne which arrived at my home address many months after the fact. Didn’t know whether to be annoyed or impressed at the long reach of their system 😀
I keep a white handkerchief bunched, or piece of A4 white photocopier paper folded twice into 1/4 size so it stands up a bit, at the bottom right of my windscreen on top of the dashboard in a country where vehicles drive on the right. In both UK and local cars. I place it when I Iock the car on the ferry, ready to drive off when the ferry arrives, or in a local car as soon as I take possession of it and before I move it. I remember to remove it on the ferry back, after finding myself on the wrong side of the road in the UK when I didn’t!
I don’t use tissues for this as they tend to go soft and flatten and too vulnerable to wet windcreen and car fan.
Some countries will stop you entering their border (if flying) until you have paid a fine (from driving)… But the good thing is that Customs/Dogane don’t seem to care about outstanding tickets in their country
Friend of mine was once asked to cough up on a previous speeding fine before he could enter New Zealand.
But they only took cards and had proper forms that he got saying the fine has been paid etc
I find this thread amusing as the past couple of years I’ve driven under 1000 miles a year at home and 8-10,000 miles across various countries so I have the reverse problem. I found myself on the right (wrong) side of the road after leaving a supermarket after a recent trip.
Mrs Qwerty once went around a roundabout in Spain the wrong way, cars scattered in all directions horns blaring, typical Spanish driving was her response.
For the first day or two, I chant “On the right, in the right” at each junction. Then brain is re-progammed.
Pal on a motorcycle paints a P in Tippex on the bottom right side of his mirror to show which side the Pavement should be on.
Just returned from attending a stag party in Montenegro. While I was there, I mistakenly took the car on left side of the road and as luck would have it, there was an undercover police car coming from behind. I was pulled and given a ticket for 150 Euros. The officer didn’t speak a word of English so I couldn’t really explain to him that it was an honest mistake and I didn’t do it on purpose.
I have to say after driving nearly 1000 KM in Bosnia and Montenegro the year before last, you must be the unluckiest person in the world.
Everyone seemed to be on the wrong side of the road all the time. I’m not exaggerating when I say I had more than a hundred incidents of cars coming around ever bend on the wrong side, irrespective of whether it was an inside or outside/left hand or right hand bend, they always drift to the opposite side of the road.
Just returned from attending a stag party in Montenegro. While I was there, I mistakenly took the car on left side of the road and as luck would have it, there was an undercover police car coming from behind. I was pulled and given a ticket for 150 Euros. The officer didn’t speak a word of English so I couldn’t really explain to him that it was an honest mistake and I didn’t do it on purpose.
I have to say after driving nearly 1000 KM in Bosnia and Montenegro the year before last, you must be the unluckiest person in the world.
Everyone seemed to be on the wrong side of the road all the time. I’m not exaggerating when I say I had more than a hundred incidents of cars coming around ever bend on the wrong side, irrespective of whether it was an inside or outside/left hand or right hand bend, they always drift to the opposite side of the road.
I know exactly what you mean, same experience when Mrs Qwerty drives, both at home and overseas. Although to be fair, I only sit in the boot on her overseas drives, lying in the rear suffices in the UK.
Sigh of relief. Thanks guys. Richie’s suggestion is what I will try and follow next time, if that happens again! And sorry to hear what happened in Harry Dunn’s case. Wasn’t aware of his case but googled it up. Really tragic what happened. ☹️
I am fine driving LHD cars in Europe / USA, but when I took my own car to Spain I took a “Cycling Hi-Vis Armband – Neon Yellow” (available at Decathlon and other places) and clipped it around the steering wheel spoke – it was always in sight as a reminder. I also do the chant 🙂
Thank god the only consequence was a fine.
I regularly drive in other countries in both UK and overseas cars and have never had an issue with this at all, I don’t really get how it’s possible to drive on the wrong side of the road even in the middle of nowhere…
Its easy done esp in your own car Early morning leaving hotel in the middle of nowhere narrow road no markings so you drive in the middle of the road then a car comes round a corner and you automatically pull to the left !
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