ADAC warns holiday drivers: environmental zones, speeding fines and digital toll traps can cost hundreds of euros abroad

Before the journey

German holidaymakers setting off by car should know the rules of their destination country, the ADAC says. The automobile club warns that even minor inattentions can land drivers with bills of several hundred euros. ADAC expert Tobias Paust advises that a short pre-trip check of the most important regulations spares travellers unpleasant post or credit-card charges later.

Wer sich vor der Reise über die wichtigsten Regeln im Urlaubsland informiert, erspart sich unliebsame Post oder auch unangenehme Kreditkartenabbuchungen.

The warning comes as around 2.5 million schoolchildren in North Rhine-Westphalia prepare for the summer holidays, with the school year ending on Friday 17 July. Heavy traffic is expected on motorways, at airports and on the railways.

Environmental zones and access permits

A growing number of cities restrict traffic through environmental zones or access permits. Drivers without the required sticker or registration face fines in countries including France, Belgium, Spain and Italy. The ADAC urges travellers to check local requirements before entering urban areas, as enforcement cameras make it hard to plead ignorance.

Speeding and mobile-phone penalties

Speed limits are enforced more strictly in many European countries than in Germany. The ADAC cites Norway, where exceeding the limit by 20 kilometres per hour carries a fine of 750 euros, and the Netherlands, where the same offence costs at least 230 euros. Mobile-phone use at the wheel is punished even more severely: 935 euros in Norway and 440 euros in the Netherlands. Dutch authorities now deploy special "mobile-phone cameras" to catch offenders.

Fuel prices at the border

Fuel prices can differ by as much as 60 cents per litre compared with Germany, depending on the destination. The ADAC recommends checking prices beyond the border before departure. Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia, Belgium and Spain are cited as noticeably cheaper for petrol and diesel. The Netherlands and Denmark are usually more expensive than Germany.

Toll roads, vignettes and digital traps

Motorways, bridges, mountain passes and tunnels are subject to tolls in large parts of Europe. Travelling without a vignette or using the wrong lane at a toll station can lead to high demands. Vignettes are required in Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, while distance-based charges apply in Italy, France and Croatia. In France many drivers remain unaware of the first digital toll bridges, where payment must be completed within 72 hours online, at motorway service areas or in tobacco shops. The penalty for missing the deadline reaches 375 euros. The ADAC also notes large price differences between local parking providers, often coupled with opaque tariff models and extra costs, and advises that reserving parking in advance can sometimes be cheaper.