Cheap car rental in Hungary - Traffic Safety and Road Conditions

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Traffic Safety and Road Conditions

TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning Hungary is provided for general reference only and may not be accurate in a particular location or circumstance.

Safety of Public Transportation: Good
Urban Road Conditions/Maintenance: Good
Rural Road Conditions/Maintenance: Fair
Availability of Roadside Assistance: Good

In Hungary, fatal traffic accidents number approximately 1,200 per year, with about 7,000 traffic accidents per year resulting in serious injury. Road travel is more dangerous during the Christmas season, summer months, and at night. Roadside assistance, including medical and other services, is generally available. English is usually spoken at the emergency numbers listed below. In case English is not spoken, dial 112.

Ambulance: 104 or 350-0388
Police: 107
Fire: 105
24-hour English-speaker: 112

Bus, train, and taxi services are readily available for inter-city travel.

Hungarian motorways and highways are generally in good condition. Urban roads and road maintenance are also good. In rural areas, however, roads are often narrow, badly lit, and can be in a state of poor repair in some areas. Pedestrians, agricultural machinery, and farm animals often use these small rural roads. This requires increased caution on the part of drivers. Additional information on road conditions is available from "Utinform" at phone number (36)(1) 336-2400.

Hungary has a policy of zero tolerance for driving under the influence of alcohol. Police often conduct routine roadside checks where breath-analyzer tests are administered. Persons found to be driving while intoxicated face jail and/or fines. Possible penalties for a car accident involving injury or death are one to five years in prison. Police have instituted a widespread practice of stopping vehicles, particularly in Budapest, to check driver identity documents in a search for illegal aliens and residents in Hungary, and to check vehicle registration and fitness documentation. It is against the law to use a hand-held cell phone while driving anywhere in Hungary.

Hungary recognizes international driver's permits (IDP) issued by the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the American Automobile Touring Alliance when presented in conjunction with a state driver's license. American driver's licenses will be accepted in Hungary for one year after arrival, provided that a certified Hungarian translation has been attached to the license. Those with IDPs do not need to have the license translated, but must present both IDP and state driver's license together. After one year in Hungary, U.S. citizens must obtain a Hungarian driver's license. For further information on this procedure, please visit our website at http://www.usembassy.hu/conseng/index.html.

The speed limit for cars and motorcycles on the motorway is 130 km per hour (approximately 80 mph); on highways, the limit is 110 km per hour (approximately 65 mph); and in town and village areas, the speed limit is 50 km per hour (approximately 30 mph). Special seats are required for infants. Children under age 12 may not sit in the front seat of an automobile. Seat belts are mandatory for everyone in the car. Unless another instruction sign is displayed, yielding the right of way to cars approaching from the right is the general rule. Turning right on a red light is prohibited. If another car flashes its high beams at you, it means the driver is giving you precedence at an intersection or calling your attention to the presence of something that may affect your driving.

Tickets for traffic violations are written up by the police, thus documenting the infraction and any applicable fine(s). The police will give the offender a postal check (money order), on which the amount of the fine to be paid is written, and this postal check may be presented and paid for at any Hungarian post office. Sometimes, in disputes about fines or the offense, the police will confiscate the person's passport and issue a receipt for the passport with an "invitation letter" to appear at the police station the next day or day after to resolve the dispute. The passport is returned after resolution and/or the payment of the fine.

For additional general information about road safety, including links to foreign government sites, see the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, home page at http://travel.state.gov/road-safety.html. For specific information about Hungarian driver's permits, vehicle inspection, road taxes and mandatory insurance, please contact the Hungarian National Tourist Organization Office in New York via the Internet at http://www.gotohungary.com.