Traffic drives on the right. Major towns are connected by toll-free motorways. Motorways are signposted with a white ‘E' on a green background, major roads with an ‘N' and minor roads with a ‘P'. The speed limit on motorways and dual carriageways is 120kph (75mph), on single carriageways outside built-up areas is 90kph (56mph) and in built-up areas is 50kph (31mph).

The minimum driving age is 18 years. A valid national driving licence is required and national stickers must be displayed. EU nationals taking their own cars to Belgium are advised to obtain a Green Card, as basic insurance is mandatory for driving in Belgium. Children under 12 are forbidden to travel in the front seat without a child restraint. Seat belts must be worn in the front and back of vehicles. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.05%. Driving licences will be withdrawn for at least six hours if the breathalyser test is positive.

A warning triangle must be displayed at the scene of a breakdown or accident. After paying a membership fee and subscription, at the site of the breakdown, services can be obtained from the Royal Automobile Club de Belgique, Rue d'Arlon 53 (tel: (02) 287 0911; website: www.racb.com), or Touring Club de Belgique, Rue de la Loi 44 (tel: (02) 233 2202; website: www.touring.be). The latter has a reciprocal agreement with the AA, while VTB VAB Auto Assistance, 100 Rue Pastoor Coplaan, Zwijndrecht (tel: (03) 253 6101), has a reciprocal agreement with the RAC.

Emergency breakdown services: Royal Automobile Club de Belgique (tel: (02) 287 0900 or (078) 152 000); Touring Club de Belgique (tel: (070) 344 777); VTB VAB (tel: (070) 344 666).

Routes to the city: The extensive motorway ring road around Brussels offers easy access into the city centre. Routes E19 and A12 lead north to Antwerp - from there, the E19 continues over the border toward Rotterdam and Amsterdam in The Netherlands. Route E19 also extends south to Paris, becoming E15. Route E40 links Brussels with Ghent - from there, Ostend is reachable via route E17. Route E411 links Brussels to Namur and route E40 to Liège, continuing east over the border toward Cologne, from where the E35 heads toward Frankfurt.

Approximate driving times to Brussels: From Antwerp - 35 minutes; from Ghent - 45 minutes; from Ostend - 1 hour 20 minutes; from Namur - 45 minutes; from Liège - 50 minutes; from Amsterdam - 2 hours 25 minutes; from Paris - 3 hours 20 minutes; from Frankfurt - 4 hours 15 minutes.

Coach services: Several companies provide bus services to nearby Belgian cities - all are much slower than the equivalent train routes. De Lijn (tel: (070) 220 200; website: www.delijn.be) operates buses between Brussels and Flanders, while TEC (tel: (010) 235 353; website: www.tec-wl.be) provides a similar service to French-speaking Wallonia. Most buses depart from Gare du Nord, in the Espace Nord, although some depart from Place Rouppe, in the Marolles district. There is a general enquiries line (tel: (02) 515 2000).

Eurolines (tel: (02) 274 1350; website: www.eurolines.com) operates international services to major European destinations. It has direct routes to Cologne, Munich and Luxembourg from Noord I, CCN Noordstation, Rue du Progrès - Vooruitgangstraat 80  (tel: (02) 274 1350) and services to certain destinations in France, Portugal and Spain from Zuid/Midi, Place de la Constitution 10 (tel: (02) 538 2049).