Driving Tips In Denmark By Andy Burrows At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Denmark has an excellent road network, with wide, smooth surfaces, well-lit highways and accessible towns and cities. Roads are also very well signposted and traffic jams are rare in all but the busiest of cities.

Road network

Denmark’s road network is chiefly made up of main roads that crisscross the length and breadth of the land serving all towns and villages, while the motorways provide fast access to the most important parts of the country and connect with Germany in the south and Sweden in the east. Motorways follow the European marking system, with an ‘E’ preceding the numbering, as with the E20 linking Copenhagen with the west, and all other roads are simply marked numerically.

The only time you’ll have to pay when driving in Denmark is when crossing the bridges to and from Fyn island and when going to Malmo, Sweden. All other motorways and highways are free.

Parking

Parking is strict and metered with a time limit of one hour on Copenhagen’s streets and up to three hours in other major cities. To park on a Copenhagen street in the city centre, first obtain the necessary parking disc from a post office or petrol station and display it in your windscreen. Don’t go over the time limit or you’ll likely be fined and/or have your car towed and impounded.

Road rules

The Danes drive on the right and drivers must be 18 years and up and be carrying a valid license and insurance documents. Tourists should keep the rental papers in the car with them and their international driving permit together with their home license. Seatbelts for all passengers are compulsory.

Those driving in from elsewhere should make sure they purchase a red warning triangle - which is also compulsory in Denmark - fit Euro-style registration plates, and attach headlamp deflectors, if their car is right-hand drive.

Denmark traffic police are heavy going and will quickly implement an on-the-spot for many motoring offences. As with most European countries, speeding and drinking driving are the two most harshly dealt with offences, particularly the latter which sees drivers prosecuted with any more than 0.5mg/ml of alcohol in the blood; one of the lowest levels permissible in Europe.

Speed limits

Radar traps are frequently employed on Denmark’s highways in order to catch speeding motorists and on-the-spot fines are common and harsh.

Urban areas:50kph/31mph
Rural roads:80kph/50mph
Motorway:110kph/68mph

Fuel costs
All grades of unleaded petrol are available, as is lead replacement, LPG and diesel. Most petrol stations accept international credit cards, although auto-dispensers may only take domestic debit cards.

Prices are in krone (KR) per litre:

Unleaded 95: 10.35 kr/l
Unleaded 98: 10.64 kr/l
Diesel: 8.65 kr/l

Road safety

With Denmark’s favourable traffic accident figures and high-quality roads it’s easy to get into a comfort zone thinking you’ll never get into bother. However, Denmark is just as potentially dangerous as anywhere else and you should remain vigilant while driving at all times, particularly so near Copenhagen and up country. Stay at least two seconds stopping distance behind the car in front, take regular breaks on long journeys and look out for cyclists in the cities.

If you break down on a motorway, look out for an emergency phone and dial 112 for assistance. Lines are open 24 hours and police, fire and ambulance services are also available on this number. While fully comprehensive insurance is not a prerequisite for driving in Denmark, it is advisable, as is becoming a member a motoring organisation in your home country who have affiliate links with other international motoring organisations.

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