All drivers must be at least 25 and no older than 69 for most rentals.
23, 24 and 70-75 will have a supplemental insurance
applied to the rental.
All drivers must have a minimum of 3 full years of driving experience
(5 years for some companies automatic class cars)
and be accident free in that time.
All drivers must have a valid and full driving license for the class
of vehicle you are renting. You will be required
to produce your license at the car rental desk
so be sure to bring it with you. If the car will
have more than 1 driver they will also be required
to adhere to the above requirements .
International
Driving Licenses - You do not require an
Irish or international drivers license to hire a car
in Ireland, unless you're a resident of Ireland. The
license you hold from your country of origin or residency
is all you require as long as you adhere to the rules
above. Be sure to bring your license with you, as
you will not be able to hire a car without it.
Car insurance is compulsory in Ireland. When getting a quote from any agency be sure to find out exactly what
is included in your rate, especially if you have been
quoted with a very low rate. You don't want to be surprised
at the rental desk with huge add on fees.
Note:
Some travel insurances include certain insurances. If
your travel insurance carries car rental insurances
there is no need to pay for them again. By booking early
you can negotiate a better price for your rental. You
will need a copy of your travel insurance contract that
proves you have the insurance so bring it with you.
The majority of cars in Ireland are manual transmission (stick shift).
If you require an automatic make sure you request it.
A note
on CDW insurance: One of the additional optional
insurances you can pick up is called the SDW, Super
CDW or Master Cover. This is insurance on your CDW excess.
All vehicles have an excess/deductible starting at 600
euro. If you are in an accident you pay the first 600
and the CDW insurance covers the balance. The SDW will
pay that excess charge for you. Each company has a different
fee for this depending on which insurance company they're
using but you can expect to pay about 7-8
per day on top of your rental costs.
Note:
It's also key to note that if you have Mastercard
Gold or Platinum that your card may also cover the
CDW excess. You will be required to bring a copy of
your agreement with you that states this. You will be
required to pay for your car with this card so be sure
to bring it with you.
And no,
Visa will not cover CDW in Ireland any longer. You can
pay for your rental with Visa but it will not cover
the excess.
Taking the car out of the country
When renting your car in the Republic you are only
allowed to take the car to Northern Ireland. Cross channel
rentals are not allowed by most hire companies. If you
plan to combine your trip to Ireland with a trip to
England, Scotland or Wales, be sure to enquire with
the rental company if cross channel is allowed, what
the additional fees are, if there is additional insurance
and what guarantees you'll have for replacement if the
car is stolen, damaged or breaks down. You may find
it less expensive or more convenient to hire your car
in each country.
Note: If you're traveling in Great Britain,
you may take the car between England, Scotland and Wales.
Be sure to enquire about cross channel travel to Ireland.
Rules of the road and learning to
drive in Ireland
Ireland drives on the LEFT side of the road.
This is important to remember especially when making
turns, as your natural tendency may be to veer to the
right side of the road once you have completed the turn.
Most car rentals will have a small sticker on the dash
that reflects up on the corner of the windscreen reminding
you to keep left.
On multi lane roads, always stay in the left lane unless you are overtaking/passing
a vehicle.
The right lane is a passing lane only, not the fast lane.
At junctions or roundabouts ensure you are in the correct lane for
your destination. Do not pass in front of the car beside
you to make a turn if you are at a junction. Prepare
for the turn well in advance by moving into the lane
before reaching the junction.
Roundabouts
Throughout
Ireland you will encounter a large number of roundabouts.
Roundabouts are usually at intersections where there are
no signal lights or stop signs and are meant to smooth
the flow of traffic. Some very large roundabouts will
have signal lights.
Roundabouts operate as follows:
Treat them as normal junctions.
Traffic goes around clockwise.
A car already on the roundabout has right of way.
Yield to traffic coming from your right.
Signal
before making any turns. If you wish to take the 3rd
road off a 4 road roundabout, signal to the right as
if you're turning right. As you round the roundabout,
signal left just before the junction, getting into the
appropriate lane if the roundabout has more than one
lane. Exit normally. Only signal to the left as you
approach a roundabout if you mean to turn left. Be sure
to be in the left lane as you approach.
Road markings
Single
or double solid white lines
– Stay left. No passing.
Single
broken white line – Passing allowed only when safe.
Single
broken white line with arrows curving left
– No passing lanes ahead.
Double
broken white lines – Indicates solid white line(s) ahead.
Broken white line together with a solid white line – If the solid white line is on your side of the road passing is not
allowed. If broken white line is on your side, passing
is allowed.
Single broken yellow line on the left/shoulder – Indicates hard shoulder on a carriageway. This is not an
extra traffic lane. Use it only when there are no pedestrians
or cyclists on it to pull over to let a car pass you
out then return to your lane as normal.
Junction
boxes and ghost islands
Junction boxes are painted directly on the road surface, which
consist of criss-cross yellow lines that mean stay
clear. Do not enter these boxes unless you can make a complete turn or pass
through it.
Ghost
islands are similar to junction boxes in that they
are painted on the road surface and drivers are meant
to stay clear of them. Imagine that a cement island
is in it's place. You will encounter these at some junctions
before a turn and between some wider roads. Treat them
like junction boxes--do not drive over them or stop
on them.
Speed Limits
Starting
20 January 2005, Ireland changed over from Imperial
speeds to metric speeds. This means that speed limits
will now be recognized as kilometers per hour and NOT
miles per hour. Below are examples of the new road signs
that you will see as you travel around Ireland.
50kph replaces the old 30mph. This is the
speed limit for TOWNS & CITIES unless otherwise
posted.
80kph replaces the old 60mph. This is the
speed limit for REGIONAL roads, indicated by an
R before the road number on your map (eg: R478,
R660, etc.) This is the equivalent of 50mph now,
so the REGIONAL limit has been reduced by 10mph.
100kph replaces the old 60mph. This is
the speed limit for NATIONAL roads, indicated by
an N before the road number on your map (eg: N1,
N23, etc). 60kph is the equivalent to 62mph, so
the NATIONAL limit has increased by 2mph.
120kph replaces the old 70mph. This is
the speed limit for MOTORWAYS, indicated by an M
before the road number on your map, usually around
cities (eg: M1, M50, etc). 120kph is the equivalent
to 75mph, so the NATIONAL limit has increased by
5mph.
This sign has been abolished. Originally
it indicated "end of speed restriction." This sign
would have been used at the edge of towns and cities
and other built up areas, indicating that drivers
could speed up to the limit once they were clear
of town. If you see one of these signs while traveling
please remember the new speed above for 50kph unless
otherwise noted.
Note: All speedometers
have dual mile and kilometer per hour clocks.
There are
regular speed checks/check points on Irish roads so
obey the signs. If you are caught speeding there is
an on the spot fine of 50.
If the Garda (police officer) thinks you are were driving
at excessive speeds or dangerously you can be summoned
to appear in court. This carries a much higher fine.
You will be summoned within 6 months and will be required
to return to Ireland to appear before the judge at your
own expense. So YES, tourists are just as responsible
for watching speed as residents.
Alcohol and driving
The limit in Ireland is a blood alcohol level of 80 milligrammmes per
100 millilitres of blood. This is approximately one pint
of beer or 20 fluid ounces. It is a serious offence to
drive, attempt to drive or be in charge of a motor vehicle
while under the influence of alcohol. Driving on the “wrong”
side of the road is difficult enough without alcohol to
impede your reactions. If you
are going to drink do not drive.
Parking
Parking in Dublin City
Be careful of where you park in Dublin City. Traffic wardens also include
clampers. Should you park your car in the wrong
place you will come back to find a big yellow lock or
“clamp” attached to one of your wheels. There is a fee
of 75
(approx. $95US) to have the clamp removed, and you could
be waiting all day for the clamp removers. In some cases
the car will be towed and there is higher fee to recover
it. Dublin is a nightmare to drive in and park in.We
suggest you use public transport (DART, bus) or take a
taxi to get around city center and hire your car as you're
leaving the city, or return the car as soon as you return
to Dublin.
Parking disks
Other major cities and larger towns offer a disk-parking scheme.
This involves purchasing a “parking disk” and displaying
it on the dash or window of the car. Parking disks are
available form most newsagents and shops in the areas
that have disk parking schemes.
Note: Different areas within the city have different time limits for parking
so check the street signs to determine the length of
time you can leave the car parked. Generally, the closer
to the city center you are the shorter the time you
can park.
Note:
Every town and city has a different parking disc
so you cannot buy a book of discs for your trip and
expect to use them around Ireland. They must be purchased
in each town and city.
Traffic wardens patrol the streets and an expired disk or a car with
no disk will result in a parking ticket. If you return
to your car and find a ticket, follow the instructions
on it to pay the fine. If you fail to pay the fine,
the charge will automatically revert to the car hire
company and will be charged on your credit card along
with any fees the car hire company imposes. So it is
better to take care of it personally as soon as possible.
Retain your receipt of payment!
Use common sense
When parking take account of your surroundings. If the area looks unsafe
or have a bad feeling find somewhere else to park. Where
possible use supervised or off street parking.
Choose accommodation that has off street parking, private car park/parking
lot.
Never leave valuables (cameras, bags, jackets, luggage, etc.) in view
in the car while it is parked. Place them in the boot
(trunk), out of sight.
When parking in the country make sure you park so as not to cause an
obstruction or danger to other road users.
As a general rule yield to traffic coming from your right at a junction.
If you are going to drink do not drive.
Road Signs
There are several types of road signs in Ireland but the two that are
most confusing are the mileage signs. You will see signs
in both miles and kilometers. While these signs are
generally white you will see them in green as well.
The abbreviation of km will always indicate the
distance in kilometers.
Brown signs are markers for points of interest and attractions and
they will have mileage on them as well.
Depending on where you are in Ireland you will see signs in English
and Irish. Irish signs are found mainly in the Gaeltacht,
Irish speaking, areas of Ireland.