Comparison of European traffic laws

Last updated December 09, 2024

This is a comparison of European traffic laws.

Many countries in Europe have different policies on traffic laws, which are tabulated below. Speed limits on motorways (expressways), dual carriageways (divided streets), single carriageways (undivided streets), and urban areas may differ. Some countries have an upper limit on permitted blood alcohol level (typically maxing out at 0.05%), but other countries do not allow any blood alcohol content at all. Furthermore, rules may also differ whether drivers may be required or recommended to bring seatbelts, triangles, first aid, fire extinguishers, spare bulbs, and tow ropes. Countries also vary with respect to minimum driver's age (typically either 17 or 18) and the minimum child age for them to be allowed in the front seat.

General

Country code	Country	Speed limit on motorway (km/h)	Speed limit on dual carriageway (km/h)	Speed limit on single carriageway (km/h)	Speed limit in urban area	Permitted alcohol level (%)	Toll roads	Seatbelt required	Minimum child age (front seat)	Triangle required	First aid required	Fire extinguisher required	Spare bulb required	Minimum driver's age	Tow rope required
A	Austria	130	100	100	50	0.05	Yes	All	—	Yes	Yes	Recommended	No	17	Yes
AL	Albania	110	—	90	40	0		Yes^[1]	—	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	Yes
AND	Andorra	—	—	90	50	0.05		Front	10	Yes	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	Yes
B	Belgium	120	90	70 (Flanders); 90 (Wallonia)	50	0.05	No^[2]	All	12	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	18 (17 with supervision of parents)	Yes
BG	Bulgaria	140	—	90	50	0.05	Yes	All	10	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	18	Yes
BIH	Bosnia and Herzegovina	130	100	80	50	0.03		Yes^[3]	12	Yes	Yes	Recommended	Yes	18	Yes
BY	Belarus	110	—	90	60	0.03	Yes	Yes^[4]	12	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	18	Yes
CH	Switzerland	120	—	80 (100 on limited-access roads)	50	0.05	Yes	All		Yes	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	Yes
CY	Cyprus	100	—	80	50	0.05		All	12	Yes, 2x	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	Yes
CZ	Czech Republic	130	90 (110 on expressways)	90	50	0	Yes	All	—	Yes	Yes	Recommended	No	18 (17 for B1 cars)	No
D	Germany ^[5]	no or speed limit sign (130 recommended)	no or speed limit sign (130 recommended)	100	50	0.05	No^[6]	All	—	Yes	Yes	Recommended	No	18 (17 with supervision of >30 years old driver)	No
DK	Denmark	130	—	80	50	0.05	Yes	All	—	Use required in case of accident	No	Recommended	No	18	No
E	Spain	120	120	90	50	0.05	Yes	All	—	Yes, 2x	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	Yes
EST	Estonia	110	110	90	50	0		All	—	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	18 (16 with supervision of a person with 2+ years of driving experience)	Yes
F	France	130 (rain/wet 110)	110 (rain/wet 100)	80	50	0.05	Yes	All	10	Yes	Recommended	Recommended	No	18 (15 with supervision of a person with 5+ years of driving experience)	Yes
FIN	Finland	120^[7]	—	80–100	50	0.05	No	All	3	Yes	Recommended	Recommended	No	17 (16 with supervision of a 25+ years old person with 5+ years of driving experience)	Yes
FL	Liechtenstein	—	—	80	50	0.08		All	—	Yes	Yes	Recommended	No	18	Yes
GR	Greece	130	—	90	50	0.05		All	12	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	18	Yes
H	Hungary	130	110	90	50	0	Yes	All	12	Yes	Yes	Recommended	No	18 (17 with supervision of someone with 10+ years drive-experience)	Yes
HR	Croatia	130	110	80	50	0.05	Yes	All	12	Yes	Yes	Recommended	Yes	18	No
I	Italy	130	110	90	50	0.05	Yes	All	12	Yes	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	Yes
IRL	Ireland	120	—	80 (local & regional roads); 100 (national roads)	50	0.05	Yes^[8]	All	—	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	No	17	Yes
IS	Iceland	—	—	90 (paved roads); 80 (gravel roads)	50	0.05		All	14	Yes	Recommended	Recommended	No	17	Yes
L	Luxembourg	130	—	90	50	0.05		All	11	Yes	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	Yes
LT	Lithuania	130	110	90	50	0.04		All	12	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	18	No
LV	Latvia	—	90	90	50	0.05		All		Yes	Yes	Yes	No	18	Yes
M	Malta	—	—	80	50	0.08		Yes^[9]	11	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	Yes
MC	Monaco	—	—		50	0.05		—	10	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	Yes
MD	Moldova	—	—	90	50	0		All	12	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	18	Yes
NMK	North Macedonia	130	—	80	60	0.05	Yes	All	12	Yes	Yes	Recommended	Yes	18	Yes
MNE	Montenegro	120	—	80	50	0.05	Yes	All	12	Yes	Recommended	Recommended	No		Yes
N	Norway	110	—	80	50	0.02	Yes	All	—	Yes	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	Yes
NL	Netherlands	100 (day)^[10] 130 (night)	100	80	50	0.05	Yes^[11]	All	12	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	No	18 (17 with supervision of someone with 5+ years drive-experience)	Yes
P	Portugal	120	100	90	50	0.05	Yes	All	12	Yes	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	Yes
PL	Poland	140	100 (120 on expressways)	90 (100 on expressways)	50	0.02	Yes	All	—	Yes	Recommended	Yes	No	18 (16 for B1 cars)	No
RO	Romania	130	100 (110 on expressways)	90	50	0	Yes	All	12	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	18 (16 for B1 cars)	No
RSM	San Marino	—	—	70	50	0.08		All	12	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	Yes
RUS	Russia ^[12]	110	—	90	60	0	Yes	All	12	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	18	Yes
S	Sweden	110	—	70	50	0.02	Yes	All	—	Yes	Recommended	Recommended	No	18	No
SK	Slovakia	130	90	90	50	0	Yes	All	12	Yes	Yes	Recommended	Yes	18 (17 with supervision of someone with 10+ years drive-experience)	Yes
SLO	Slovenia	130	100	90	50	0.05		All	12	Yes	Yes	Recommended	No	18	Yes
SRB	Serbia	130	100	80	50	0.02	Yes	All	12	Yes	Yes	Recommended	No	18 (17 with supervision of someone with 5+ years drive-experience)	Yes
TR	Turkey	120	110 (cars) / 90 (rest)	90	50	0.05	Yes	All	10	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	18	Yes
UA	Ukraine	130	110	90	50	0	Yes	All	12	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	18	Yes
UK	United Kingdom	113 (70 mph)	113 (70 mph)	97 (60 mph)	48 (30 mph)	0.08 (0.05 Scotland)	Yes	All	—	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	No	17	No
Country code	Country	Speed limit on motorway (km/h)	Speed limit on dual carriageway (km/h)	Speed limit on single carriageway (km/h)	Speed limit in urban area	Permitted alcohol level (%)	Toll roads	Seatbelt required	Minimum child age (front seat)	Triangle required	First aid required	Fire extinguisher required	Spare bulb required	Minimum driver's age	Tow rope required

Related Research Articles

Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed, expressed as kilometres per hour (km/h) or miles per hour (mph) or both. Speed limits are commonly set by the legislative bodies of national or provincial governments and enforced by national or regional police and judicial authorities. Speed limits may also be variable, or in some places nonexistent, such as on most of the Autobahnen in Germany.

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Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, and passengers of on-road public transport.

A dual carriageway (BrE) or a divided highway (AmE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are designed to higher standards with controlled access are generally classed as motorways, freeways, etc., rather than dual carriageways.

The road hierarchy categorizes roads according to their functions and capacities. While sources differ on the exact nomenclature, the basic hierarchy comprises freeways, arterials, collectors, and local roads. Generally, the functional hierarchy can more or less correspond to the hierarchy of roads by their owner or administrator.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-quality dual carriageway</span> Road category in Ireland

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A speed limit is the limit of speed allowed by law for road vehicles, usually the maximum speed allowed. Occasionally, there is a minimum speed limit. Advisory speed limits also exist, which are recommended but not mandatory speeds. Speed limits are commonly set by the legislative bodies of national or local governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M6 motorway (Ireland)</span> Road in Ireland

The M6 motorway is a motorway in Ireland, which runs from Dublin to Galway. The M6 extends from its junction with the M4 at Kinnegad all the way west to the outskirts of Galway City, but the Athlone bypass and the approach to Galway city - while of dual carriageway standard - have not been designated motorway and are still signed as N6. The motorway was officially completed and opened to traffic on 18 December 2009, and was the first city-to-city direct major inter-urban route to be completed in Ireland. The M6 and M4, which form the Galway–Dublin route, consist of a grade-separated 2+2 dual carriageway road with a top speed limit of 120 km/h. At approximately 144 km (90 mi), the M6 is the third longest motorway in the state and will be 159 km.

A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. Traffic collisions often result in injury, disability, death, and property damage as well as financial costs to both society and the individuals involved. Road transport is statistically the most dangerous situation people deal with on a daily basis, but casualty figures from such incidents attract less media attention than other, less frequent types of tragedy. The commonly used term car accident is increasingly falling out of favor with many government departments and organizations, with the Associated Press style guide recommending caution before using the term and the National Union of Journalists advising against it in their Road Collision Reporting Guidelines. Some collisions are intentional vehicle-ramming attacks, staged crashes, vehicular homicide or vehicular suicide.

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The Highways in Albania are the central state and main transport network in Albania. The motorways and expressways are both part of the national road network. The motorways are primary roads with a speed limit of 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph). They have white on green road signs such as in Italy and other countries nearby. The expressways are the secondary roads, also dual carriageways, but without an emergency lane. They have a speed limit of 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph). They have white-on-blue road signs.

References

↑ "Global status report on road safety 2013: Albania" (PDF). World Health Organization. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
↑ "Laws and Tips for Driving in Belgium - EUroadlegal.co.uk". EUroadlegal.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
↑ "Global status report on road safety 2013: Bosnia and Herzegovina" (PDF). World Health Organization. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
↑ "Global status report on road safety 2013: Belarus" (PDF). World Health Organization. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
↑ "Germany Traffic Code" (in German). www.gesetze-im-internet.de. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
↑ "Laws and Tips for Driving in Germany - EUroadlegal.co". EUroadlegal.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
↑ The general speed limit on Finnish motorways is the same as the general speed limit outside built-up areas (80 km/h). The maximum speed that can be allowed is 120 km/h. In winter speed limit in motorways is 100 km/h
↑ "Laws and Tips for Driving in Ireland - EUroadlegal.co.uk". EUroadlegal.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
↑ "Global status report on road safety 2013: Malta" (PDF). Retrieved 30 June 2016.
↑ "Snelheid in het verkeer: de regels | ANWB". www.anwb.nl. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
↑ "Dutch Toll Roads – A guide to toll roads in The Netherlands - rhinocarhire.com". rhinocarhire.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016. (There are two tunnels, in which you have to pay toll)
↑ "Russian Federation Traffic Code" (DOC) (in Russian). www.gibdd.ru. Retrieved 2013-07-15.

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[1] "Global status report on road safety 2013: Albania" (PDF). World Health Organization. Retrieved 30 June 2016.

[2] "Laws and Tips for Driving in Belgium - EUroadlegal.co.uk". EUroadlegal.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2013.

[3] "Global status report on road safety 2013: Bosnia and Herzegovina" (PDF). World Health Organization. Retrieved 30 June 2016.

[4] "Global status report on road safety 2013: Belarus" (PDF). World Health Organization. Retrieved 30 June 2016.

[5] "Germany Traffic Code" (in German). www.gesetze-im-internet.de. Retrieved 2013-07-15.

[Germany_EUroadlegal-6] "Laws and Tips for Driving in Germany - EUroadlegal.co". EUroadlegal.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2013.

[nb-7] The general speed limit on Finnish motorways is the same as the general speed limit outside built-up areas (80 km/h). The maximum speed that can be allowed is 120 km/h. In winter speed limit in motorways is 100 km/h

[8] "Laws and Tips for Driving in Ireland - EUroadlegal.co.uk". EUroadlegal.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2013.

[9] "Global status report on road safety 2013: Malta" (PDF). Retrieved 30 June 2016.

[10] "Snelheid in het verkeer: de regels | ANWB". www.anwb.nl. Retrieved 2023-10-17.

[11] "Dutch Toll Roads – A guide to toll roads in The Netherlands - rhinocarhire.com". rhinocarhire.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016. (There are two tunnels, in which you have to pay toll)

[12] "Russian Federation Traffic Code" (DOC) (in Russian). www.gibdd.ru. Retrieved 2013-07-15.

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Comparison of European traffic laws

Contents

General

See also

Related Research Articles

References