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Switzerland

Switzerland has long guarded its neutrality and to this day remains independent of any other state or group of states. Famous for its dairy produce, chocolates and its banking system, visitors will find much to enthral them in the Alpine scenery for which Switzerland is also justly famous.

Driving on the right hand side of the road may be a new experience for some visitors as may well be the use of kilometres to measure distance - one good thing about using a rental car is that it will be adapted to local conditions with the steering on the left hand side and the speedometer marked in kilometres per hour.

The availability of rentals cars is very good throughout Switzerland and there is usually no problem in arranging for a hire car to be left at a different location from where it was originally rented.

The speed limits in Switzerland are:

On Auto-routes (Equivalent to British Motorways or Divided Highways designated as Auto-routes) the limit is 120 kilometres per hour. This equates to 75 miles per hour. On other roads not showing any lower restriction the limit is 80 kilometres per hour, that's 50 miles per hour. In towns the limit is 50 kilometres per hour, or 31 miles per hour.

Drivers face severe penalties if found driving with more than 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. This is the same as the limit in Britain.

Persons under the age of 18 years are not allowed to drive in Switzerland even though they may hold a driving licence issued in another country.

The wearing of seat belts is compulsory and children must be 7 years old or over to occupy a front passenger seat, unless in a child restraint.

Disclaimer

These notes are intended only to draw attention to some of the rules and regulations that apply to driving in Switzerland. They are not an exhaustive or complete set of regulations and may be superseded by changes in the law at any time. The publishers can accept no responsibility for any problem that may arise because drivers have failed to satisfy all the relevant legislation in any country in which they may use a vehicle hired through this site. It remains the responsibility of the driver to satisfy himself or herself that they are aware of all the relevant legislation that affects their conduct and the driving of vehicles in any country in which they may find themselves.

Click on a location for car hire options:

Appenzell	Ascona Locarno	Bad Ragaz	Basel
Bern	Biel	Chur	Crissier
Davos Platz	Fribourg	Geneva	Geneva Balexert
Interlaken	Kloten	Lausanne	Locarno
Lucerne	Lugano	Martigny	Montreux
Neuchatel	Samedan	Sion	St. Gallen
St. Moritz	Thun	Vevey	Zermatt Taesch
Zug	Zurich