Design Context: August 2014

Can you identify these foreign road signs? British drivers can only identify half - and it's pushing up insurance claims, survey finds

Millions of British motorists drive abroad every year, but many could be putting themselves in danger because they do not understand the foreign road signs, a new survey suggests.

Insurance4CarHire put together a survey asking 2,000 British drivers to identify a selection of foreign road signs. Drivers correctly interpreted only half of the selection of road signs, the insurance company found.

This is Money has selected 15 of the questions so you can see how you would have fared. The answers are underneath the final question.

Spanish road signs cause the most confusion, with Britons correctly identifying only 38 per cent of road signs, the poll found.

The survey suggested that there is a link between confusion around road signs and the number of insurance claims it receives.

Lauren Mason from I4CH said: 'Unfamiliar road signs is one of the factors that contributes to UK motorists having to make insurance claims when driving abroad.'

She added: 'These findings highlight just how foreign the experience of driving abroad can be for UK motorists. Whether it's driving on the wrong side of the road, following different rules or just obeying a different set of signs, it can all add to the hassle of driving a car abroad.'

Younger drivers had the most difficulty identifying the meaning of the signs, with those aged 18-34 recognising just 41 per cent compared to 48 per cent for those aged 55-64.

Confusing road signs is just one of the hazards faced by British holidaymakers driving abroad.

Drivers have also been warned to check their insurance policy before driving their own car in a different country.

While millions of British families take their own cars to the continent during the school break, as many as one in six motor insurance policies do not automatically offer full cover abroad, a second study recently revealed.

Figures compiled by comparison website GoCompare found one in six out of 245 policies would not cover you abroad unless you paid extra.

While these mostly offer third-party cover, they may not pay out if your car is involved in an accident or needs repairs. This means you face hefty charges to get your car home.

Policies also vary widely over the amount of time they will cover you while abroad. Some will offer you only three days per trip while others will cover you for as long as 180 days.

This is Money has also warned drivers abroad to watch out for the so-called 'full/empty policy' enforced by some Spanish car hire firms, where hire companies charge customers for a full tank of petrol when they pick up the car and tell them to return it empty.

Drivers are also advised to read the small print carefully when booking a hire car abroad for hidden fees.

These could include young driver fees, fees for returning the car to a different place from where you picked it up, and compulsory excess charges.