The Dutch Bureau for Tourism & Congresses (NBTC) expects a quarter of the Dutch to spend the summer vacation in their own country, but there are also plenty of holidaymakers who take the car to France, Germany and Italy. More than half (52%) say they have had car trouble in a study.
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Causes of bad luck
Germany (27%) and France (26%) in particular appear to be breakdown-sensitive destinations, according to new research by Auto-Parts Specialist Winparts. The most common causes of breakdown are leaky tires (16%), battery problems or electrical malfunctions (15%) and overheating of the cooling system (14%). Internal engine damage (13%) is also a common problem.
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Share your location
The ANWB Alarm Center is preparing for an even busier summer than the previous one, said director Victor Geskes on Monday in De Telegraaf. Via the ANWB on the way app you can report bad luck immediately, that saves hassle and time. “Turn on ‘Share location’,” says Geskes. “You used to get an explanation that someone was outside a Spanish village near a country road and three olive trees. Now you can just share a location. That helps us enormously to get help and increases our productivity.”
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Long wait for help frustrating
According to Winparts, the biggest annoyance is waiting for help, says 48% of the respondents. Other frustrations are high costs and the language barrier. Although more than half (62%) is back on its way within three hours, it takes days in some cases. One in ten awaits help even longer than 24 hours.
In many European countries, having a warning triangle is mandatory. © Getty Images/Istockphoto
Preparation
It is not that the Dutch are poorly prepared, on the contrary. No less than 91% checks the tire pressure, oil level and coolant before departure. 68% also include spare parts or aids. Most items included are warning triangles (80%), reserve lamps (70%), fuses (66%) and starting cables (56%).
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Nevertheless, last year on peak days an average of 15,000 digital reports and phone calls were received at the ANWB, coming from home as abroad. For this summer, the ANWB may expect more than 1 million reports for the entire season.
Check the coverage
“Before departure, it is wise to look carefully at your coverage to see if you are sufficiently insured for the destination country,” says Michel Ypma, insurance expert at Independer.
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Ypma says that 54 percent of people who go on holiday by car this year do not check the car insurance. “That is a remarkably high number. Certainly when you consider that some coverings are not valid abroad as standard.”
Vacation outside the EU
YPMA advises to also check whether replacement transport has been included in the insurance. “Don’t forget to always have the green card with you. Countries such as Montenegro and Andorra are emerging holiday destinations. Although these are located in Europe, they are not members of the EU.”
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Dangerous roads
In a number of countries you have to pay extra attention. Relatively speaking, most fatal traffic incidents take place in Bulgaria and Romania, according to an analysis of Independer. Latvia, Croatia and Greece complete the top five. Sweden is by far the safeest country to drive from all EU member states. Relatively few fatal traffic accidents also happen in Germany and Spain.