Switzerland has an excellent, well-maintained road and highway network. But if you’re not used to European driving regulations and customs, motoring in the more congested parts of Switzerland can be stressful and even potentially dangerous if some basic rules are not observed. Here are a few of them:

• Drive on the right.
• Yield to traffic coming from the right, unless they have a yield or stop sign.
• Yield to vehicles already in a traffic circle or approaching the circle from the left.
• Pedestrians at crosswalks and trams (streetcars) have the right of way.
• Beware of sudden lane-merges and unexpected, forced lane-changes.
• Driving with dipped headlights or approved running lights is mandatory, even during daylight, and always in tunnels, whether lighted or not.
• Blood alcohol limit is 0.5 pM.
• The central emergency telephone number is 112 (free of charge, also for foreign mobile phones).
• The breakdown service phone number is 140.
• In an accident, set out a warning triangle a good distance behind your car. Always notify police, and give first aid to injured people.

For more tips on driving in Switzerland, listen to Stefan Müller of the Touring Club of Switzerland (TCS), the country’s major motoring club, in conversation with Bob Zanotti.