Don't leave it to the last minute to find out what you need to do – you might need to get a dealer to make an adjustment for you. It’s always a good idea to have a first aid kit in your car, just in case someone gets hurt. Carrying a first aid kit is also a legal requirement in many European countries. Headlight converters are available for all headlight types including standard, halogen, swivel, projector and Xenon/HID. In addition, in recent years the ‘yellow headlamps’ rule in France has been done away with. This meant that headlamp beams could be white, but it was still a requirement that the beams on British cars should be redirected towards the right-hand side of the road when driving (in France and indeed anywhere in Europe).

If you have a left-hand drive (LHD) car that has been driven from Europe to the UK then we sell special left-hand drive headlamp deflectors for these cars.

What Do Headlamp Converters Do?

Fire extinguishers are not compulsory but are recommended in the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Country Our he adlamp deflectors come with easy to follow fitting instructions for cars and vans. You can use these on every type of headlight on the very newest cars on the road today or "Classic Cars" with the old headlights which have line patterns in the glass. Converters are fixed onto your headlight with adhesive and this obviously has to be strong enough to ensure they don’t just fall off with the weather, speed of driving or time you are away. This, therefore, does mean that you may need a little more elbow grease when removing them. The removal process can also be different depending upon how long you have had them on your vehicle and also how much driving you have done with your headlights on. If you’re taking your own vehicle to Europe for less than 12 months, then you'll need to carry your V5C log book with you. Using or carrying a police speed trap detection device is illegal in most European countries and penalties can include a fine, driving ban, or even imprisonment.

If you find you have to overtake, exercise extra caution as it is not easy in a right-hand drive car and may be safer when you reach a stretch of dual carriageway. It is also worthwhile keeping some spare money to cover any unexpected costs that crop up along the way.

Your UK car will as standard have the beams set for driving on the left hand side of the road and therefore when on the right hand side of the road throughout France, or any other mainland European country, you will be a menace to other drivers.

Yes they are compulsory. It is the law in France and most other mainland European countries that UK cars fit these headlight beam deflectors. This is simply to make sure you don’t cause an accident by dazzling oncoming traffic. The rules differ slightly in Spain, Ireland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The cards aren't a replacement for travel insurance so you should always have insurance as well. In nearly all European countries it is illegal to use car navigation systems which actively search for mobile speed cameras or interfere with police equipment (laser on radar detection). Car navigation systems which give a warning of fixed speed camera locations are legal in most countries with the exception of France, Germany and Switzerland where this function must be deactivated. Both employees and self-employed workers will pay less in National Insurance from next year, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced in today's Autumn Statement.

The Cost Of Switching To European Headlights?

Regardless of local requirements it is always a wise precaution to carry a spare set of vehicle bulbs and adjust headlamp beams for driving on the right. A spare bulb kit will not prevent a fine if you are travelling with faulty lights, but it may avoid the cost and inconvenience of a garage call out. On some cars it is inadvisable or impossible for anyone other than a qualified technician to change a headlamp bulb or lamp unit e.g. high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps and carrying spare bulbs is not an option. However, it is recommended that spare bulbs are carried for any lights which may be easily and/or safely replaced by the owner/driver. This means when you use your vehicle in France and other countries where you drive on the right, if you didn’t have the converters you could dazzle oncoming drivers at night and when your lights are on a dipped beam. The Penalties For Not Having Them On Your Vehicle.

Any driving holiday when you are using your car for long periods of time may increase wear and tear on your vehicle. You can't always predict delays and bad weather. So even if you're only going for a short trip and don't expect to drive at night, it's a good idea to carry headlamp beam converters with you, just in case. You don't need to if your lights can be adapted without them. Snow chains are important for any winter trip and are compulsory in some countries, even if you've got winter tyres fitted. Observing the local rules will make your holiday go much smoother – attempting to discuss a driving offence with a police officer in a foreign language or using broken English and sign language is never easy!The advice from the Foreign Office is always to drive defensively when abroad and to expect the unexpected. This is better than the forward only method but comes with more expensive production costs. So, very few manufactures have this optional extra. (Some but not all Citroens have this I believe) You can call 112 anywhere in the European Union in case of an accident, assault or any other distress situation. Drinking and driving If you fail to comply with this law in France you may be liable to a fine. Dazzling other drivers can be extremely dangerous and could lead to an accident. French police currently fine people on the spot for not having converters on your headlights. When compared to the relatively cheap cost, you’d be silly not to comply with this important regulation. What Vehicles Need Headlight Deflectors? Some countries also ban you from using a sat nav system that can show fixed speed camera locations so you might have to disable the function before you go.