The questions of our correspondent answers the Director General of the Greek car rental company TheNewCrete www.thenewrentcar.com Sergey Karagyaur.

Sergey, more and more tourists come to Crete (and generally to Greece) in the winter and spring. Tell, please, are there any changes in legislation that Russians need to know about when they are going to travel around Crete by car?

Now for renting a car in Greece, Russian tourists must necessarily have a driver’s license of international standard. Such a rule existed before, but no one followed it, including the possibility of driving and renting a car after submitting national Russian license. Due to the fact that insurance companies very often did not cover the damage in the event of emergency caused by third-country nationals renting cars in EU countries, it was decided to reanimate these rules. They are now binding. In case of violation, the tourists who rented the car and the company (provided it) will be fined, and the rented transport will be confiscated. In Greece, car rental companies have received confirmation on the release of this rule again.

What rule would you like to remind motorists this year?

Carelessness, I would call it, but a costly one in case of violation. In accordance with the changes in the Greek traffic rules, you can be fined up to 100 Euros for being behind the wheel of a car …in slippers! Of course, you don’t feel like closed shoes when there are +35°С and up on the thermometer, and you are going to the beach. However, the law is strict: according it, “open shoes can cause a traffic accident.” In hot weather on mountain roads, in cases of emergency, slippers can jump off your feet. Better not to risk it. Driving in flip-flops is subject to a “fine of 100 Euros and the withdrawal of the driver’s license for 30 days”. In other words, if you do not want to lose 100 Euros and walk around Crete for a month, forget on slippers when getting behind the wheel.