The European Commission Wednesday launched a new smartphone app to help holiday makers acquainted with local road traffic rules in foreign lands, the bloc said in a statement.
The app, namely "Going Abroad", covers all important road safety information for all European Union (EU) member states, such as the speed limit on Spanish motorways, safety equipment required in Slovakia, etc.
It is available for iPhone and iPad, Google Android and Microsoft Windows phones in 22 languages. Apart from road rules, the app also contains a road safety quiz and a memory game to entertain passengers during long car journeys.
European Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, in charge of transport, said: "The summer holiday period is the busiest time on Europe's roads. It is so easy to take your car abroad, but many people don't realise that rules and road signs differ across the EU. The 'Going Abroad' app provides convenient and user-friendly information to help minimise this risk."
According to the statistics, July and August are the "deadliest" road traffic months with on average some 50 percent more road deaths than in the "safest" month of February.
The app, released just before the start of the summer holidays, covers all topics that carry the biggest risk for accidents, including speed and alcohol limits, traffic lights, and the use of mobile phones. It also informs users about obligations to wear seat belts in cars and safety helmets on bikes and motorbikes.
Road safety work in the EU has made great progress over recent years. Between 2001 and 2010, the number of fatalities on EU roads was reduced by a total of 43 percent. Between 2010 and 2013, it was reduced by a further 17 percent.