Travel

ACCIDENTS CAN BE COSTLY
Be careful

MANY THANKS to the reader who mailed me a recent set

of clippings from Maui News.
headlined, ‘‘Let’s show a liiile more aloha spirit”

editorial, was
and con-

One, an

tained the following bit of informaticn:

“We refer to the story in
Friday’s paper explaining that
when a tourist or a non-resident
is charged with a traffic of-
fence, it is our policy to *thook
*em’' — shades of Hawaii 5-0.

““It seems that state law sanc-
tions this procedure on grounds
that the motorist may not be
around to make an appearance
in traffic court at a later date.
Understand, these visitors are
given the full treatment — a
ride in the patrol car and the
mug shot and finger-printing
routine. Imagine their reac-
tion.”

I am told that the whole sorry
business came to light after a
tourist was arrested after a minor
fender-bender for which the unfor-
tunate driver was charged with
**following too close.’’ Not exactly
a hanging offence!

{ guess he didn’t like having his
picture taken or perhaps he ob-
jected to inky fingers, but after his
hotel manager bailed him out of
jail, he yelled.

I am also told that he did a fine
job of yelling since he’d had a bit
of practice along those lines.

He was a journalist. The copy
that circulated after his incarcera-
tion had the island’s tourism
authorities wishing the guy had
taken up another line of work.

However, for any of you inten-
ding to rent a car and tour Maui,
try and stay out of trouble. If you
can get into this much hot water
for a minor traffic offence, imag-
ine the fun you'd have with an im-
paired charge.

ote

Nearly everyone who travels has
at one time or another rented a
ear. In the United States, rentals

are simple — all you need is a cur-
rent Canadian driver's licence.

er eee er
travel

by Barbara
McCreadie
SET

For other foreign reutals you
nearly always require an Interna-
tional Driving Permit. | say ‘‘near-
ly’ as it’s rather difficult to find
out the regulations for some place
like Bongo-Bongo. Be prepared
with the permit!

To arrange for this document,
make a visit to your local B.C.
Automobile Association office —
ours is located in Park Royal.

You require two passport photos
— they will take them for you if

BRAKES

FRONT
DISC

REAR
DRUM

Most Imports & Light Trucks
Expires Sept. 30, 1987

$302 sans |
5608: parts :

37 - Sunday, August 30, 1987 - North Shore News

driving abroad

necessery.

The permit costs $7 and, takes
20 to 25 minutes to prepare gid is
valid for one calendar vear from
date of issue

eee

There are a let of conflicting
teports about renting cars in coun-
tries, such as Great Britain, where
driving is done on the left.

Some people beast about their
managing to stay alive, even in
downtown London. Mind you,
even pedestrians have a lat to
boast about if they don’t become
hood ornaments.

One of the hazards is a traffic
diversion known as a ‘‘ring road.”
To participate in the game, you
enter the ring and drive around in
circles until you spot an exit that
you can take without losing your
life. It may not be the one you
want but them’s the breaks.

Parking, too, is an interesting
challenge. It is a known fact that
half the cars in the British Isles
must be moving at all times so that
the rest of the drivers can find a
parking space. I heard an interest-
ing story from a British friend.

His ‘‘flatmate’’ worked odd

shifts and never seemed to be able
to find a place to park his car
when he returned from work.

He solved the problem by mak-
ing a replica of the local fire
hydrant and placing it on the street
in front of his apartment.

The hydrant fitted quite nicely in
the boot of his car, when he park-
ed in his “reserved space.’

The only advice I can offer to
drivers renting cars in Britain is:
unless you are unusually dexterous
with your left hand, rent an
automatic shift. | tried driving a
standard car on one visit and
ground up at least a pound of
gears before I got any skill at all.

I'm expecting a visitor from
England in October and it occur-
red to me that he might want to
use my car while he is here. The
good news is that ICBC assures me
that no additional insurance is re-
quired. All a foreign visitor must
have in order for our insurance to
provide coverage is a valid driver’s
licence from his home country.

However, in many foreign coun-
tries our proof of insurance is no
help at all. If you’re planning to
Tent a car, Or more important bor-
row a car, in some other country,
check insurance requirements very
carefully. It might save you a trip
to the local lock-up. Be especially
careful if the word ‘‘optional”’
creeps into the conversation.

The Great, Great Guy’s
Great, Gre<

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1987
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