Driving in the Netherlands doesn’t need to be difficult as long as you familiarise yourself with a few key rules, tips, and information. The most important of which are that to drive a car in the Netherlands you must have a valid license recognised by Dutch law, be at least 18, have third party insurance, and be driving a registered vehicle.
What else do you need to know? Read further to find out all you need to know about driving in the Netherlands.
Unless otherwise indicated speed limits in the Netherlands are 50 km/hr in the city, 80 km/hr on roads outside of the city, and 100, 120, or 130 km/hr on the motorways.
While it is not an overly common sight, the Netherlands does use laser guns to check driving speeds. The radio stations run announcements of where these have been spotted, so they quite often move somewhere else after a short time. You are more likely to get a speeding ticket via one of the many, often hidden, photo cameras. So do mind your speed while driving in the Netherlands. There are also some red light/speed cameras to be found at road junctions. [clickToTweet tweet=”Speeding fines in the #Netherlands are calculated based on algorithm rather than a table. ” quote=”The speeding fines in the Netherlands are calculated based on an algorithm rather than a table with categories. This means the fines continually increase for each km/hr.”]
On some sections of the motorway, your speed is measured and averaged over a longer stretch of road. These areas are usually indicated by boards that say Trajectcontrole or by extended stretches with a lower speed limit (often 80 km/hr) than is normally allowed on the motorway. You might notice these sections by the fact that everyone else is adhering to the speed limit!
Driving in the Netherlands with a rental car won’t get you out of speeding tickets as these will be automatically billed to your credit card afterwards via the rental company.
1. In the Netherlands, we drive on the right-hand side of the road. This means that at roundabouts, you are giving way to traffic coming from the right.
2. Seat belts are required for all passengers, both in the front and back of the car. Children under 18 years of age and less than 1.35m tall must be seated in a suitable child seat.
3. The blood alcohol limit for driving in the Netherlands is 0.5.
4. At road junctions, you must give way to cars coming from the right, even if you are on the bigger road. There are a few times when this doesn’t apply:
5. Always look over your shoulder before turning or opening your door. Bicycles are everywhere in the Netherlands, and they almost always have the right of way.
6. Equally, trams almost always have the right of way.
7. Driving while holding your phone is subject to a huge fine. Hands-free is okay, but the moment you touch the phone, you are at risk.
8. Using your car horn in the Netherlands is only permitted to give warning of an emergency situation. Beep the horn to let your friends know you have arrived and you could end up with a fine.
Stay out of the bus lanes while driving in the Netherlands or you might find yourself with a ticket. Photo Credit: Bjoern Wylezich/Shutterstock
9. Avoid driving in the bus lane (usually indicated by the words lijn bus on the road). Equally, watch out for lanes that are only meant to be used by lorries/trucks. They don’t appear a lot, but when they do you should be able to spot them by signs above the lane and cars moving over a lane or two.
10. Most Dutch driving in the Netherlands, do so with their headlights on during the day. A campaign in the Netherlands showed how this was safer and it is a habit that seems to have stuck.
11. Driving during rush hour, especially on the west side of the country where the big cities are, can quickly turn into sitting in traffic during rush hour. To avoid the traffic, set out after 9:30 in the morning and avoid 16:30-18:30 in the evenings. Traffic on Fridays tends to start a bit earlier, around 15:30-16:00. On hot, sunny days the major roads to the coast can become quite congested.
12. There is plenty of water in the Netherlands meaning it isn’t uncommon to have to wait for an open bridge. When this happens to you, it is common to shut your car engine off while you wait.
Tip: You can download a document in English from the Dutch government’s website which explains all the road traffic signs and regulations in the Netherlands.
Most parking in the Netherlands is paid parking. This includes some residential areas in the more major cities. Parking zones are indicated by blue and white boards. Avoid zones that have signs mentioning the word vergunninghouders. These areas are for permit holders only. To pay for on-street parking, you will need to get a parking ticket from the machine. Mobile parking is also an option, but you will need to be registered to take advantage of it.
In some areas, parking is free but only for a limited amount of time. This will be indicated on the parking boards (usually with a clock like image and the maximum amount of time). To park here, you will need to put a clock in the windscreen set to your arrival time. Clocks can usually be purchased at nearby newsagent shops.
Car parks/parking garages are an alternative to on-street parking. You will receive a ticket as you drive in, which you will need to pay at a ticket machine before you collect your car and exit. Car parks can be expensive in the city centre, so it is always worth checking if the location you are visiting has special parking rates for booking in advance. For example, many of the car parks in Rotterdam have their own special discounts. The Markthal also runs its own offers.
The cheapest option for parking and visiting the city is by utilising the Park and Ride (P&R) car parks. Usually located slightly outside of the city, you can park your car here for a couple of Euros a day and then utilise public transport (or a shuttle service in some cases) to get to the city centre. Be sure to always check the terms and conditions before you travel, however, as not meeting the requirements (proof of public transport travel to/from the city, for example) can result in you paying the full price.
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