Beware deadly roads in Portugal.

Drivers in Portugal are nearly four times as likely to be killed on the roads as those in the UK, warns the AA Motoring Trust as football fans are there for the Euro 2004 Championships.

Each year, more than 1,600 people die on Portuguese roads ( equivalent to 21 deaths per 100,000 population ( making the country top of the European road death league table.

Speeding, drink-driving, dangerous overtaking and poor lane discipline are largely to blame, along with the poor state of some of Portugal's roads.

Andrew Howard, Head of Road Safety at The AA Motoring Trust, says: "Thousands of fans are either taking their own car to Portugal or hiring when they get there. They must remember that, no matter how much experience they have of driving in the UK, it can be a completely different experience overseas ( especially in Portugal, which has a notorious road safety record."

RAC is tops

THE RAC has been ranked the top roadside rescue and recovery company in the annual JD Power and Associates independent customer satisfaction Roadside Assistance Study based on feedback from 23,700 car owners.