I grew up in Britain. I passed my driving test in Britain aged 17.
I have lived in the Netherlands now for nearly 30 years. Only twice since then have a driven a RHD car in Britain or Ireland. The first time was only a couple of years after moving here. I kept trying to change gear with the door handle, but otherwise found it no problem.
The second time was just a couple of years ago in Ireland. Not only did I struggle with gear changing with the "wrong hand" but also with road positioning. After a couple of hours I had the road positioning down pat, though I had to really think about it every morning again, but the gear changing took a couple of days to get over.
But then I still try to change gear when I drive my husbands automatic here so that is probably just me .
I may have found the road positioning more difficult than most as I am used to driving a LHD car in the UK when I visit.

As a European, I am not terrified but try to avoid it as much as possible. It's simply a PITA and I have no intention to get used to something that you don't need in the civilized world.

Yet, and much more important, the scenic 7 day road trip across Great Britain or Ireland is a far far far less popular vacation for people from the Continent (why should you spend money to get where the weather is even worse than at home?) than for Americans.
Most European tourists going there will be either business travelers going to one of the major conurbations, or people on shopping trips going to London. Neither group will want or rent a car.
A small number will do the Ireland loop drive.
So you don't read much complaining or worrying as it is a very unusual type of vacation which only very few Europeans will even consider In the first place (compared with going to Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, France, Florida, California, Maledives, or South Sudan).

But you will have very experienced drivers who adjust very hard to the wrong side of the road. And drivers who get lost in a mall parking lot at home, but cope with the left side and right hand steering surprisingly well. It's easier when you travel with someone who can scream at you when you try to get the right side of the road.

I drive frequently on mainland Europe (from the UK) and have no problems switching – the main issue is getting used to road positioning, but for me it's a pretty minor consideration.

It comes down to how confident a driver you are. My partner hates driving in Europe and I have no problem.

Kate - do you drive a RHD or LHD car when in Europe? If you are in your own car it is a lot easier to drive on the other side in my experience.

Most Europeans who do go to Britain take their own car, so it isn't so bad. I have no problem with being in my own car in Britain. Never have trouble with road positioning or accidentally driving on the wrong side of the road. It's getting used to sitting on the wrong side of the car and driving, with everything the other way round which I find tough.

I agree with hetismij, driving on the wrong side of the road is easy to adjust, but switching from a LHD car to a RHD car is a nightmare. One totally lost the sense of how much clearance you have between your car and the car parked on the left hand side to you on the street.

The problem isn't which side you drive, or which side your steering wheel's on.

It's that, for Europeans, changing sides in Europe still means pretty much the same kinds of road conditions. For them, changing sides outside Europe usually means doing so in a much emptier country (North America for the British, Australasia or South Africa for the Continentals).

For English-speaking non-Europeans, though, driving in Europe inevitably means narrower, slower, more congested roads. Almost inevitably tougher than at home (New Yorkers just don't drive, and Sydneysiders do so rarely) - and switching sides adds to the problem.

It makes absolutely no difference to my perception of distance or clearance whether I'm driving my (RHD) car or a hired (LHD) car in Italy, because Italian roads aren't that different from those at home. I suspect it's a much bigger shock to someone navigating, say, Orvieto who's used mainly to trips to a Walmart carpark somewhere in suburban Nebraska.

American with now 16 months in the UK. Flanner's made some key points.

Some issues with going from US to UK (and LHD to RHD):

a) road positioning
b) road conditions (narrower, cars parked in road, hedges, walls, etc.)
c) different road signs (and sign locations)
d) unfamiliarity with area
e) congestion (when dealing with above)
f) non-directional (North, south, etc.) "directions"
g) etc.

One can get over the positioning fairly quickly and having a GPS/Sat Nav also helps. However, the level of concentration required is much higher. It was a month before I could have much of a conversation in the car and months before I turned on the radio.

I good chunk of that would apply for US to Europe but the added bit of swapping sides adds to the stress.

. . . a good chunk

I live in the UK so drive on the left but have driven a fair bit in the US and Europe.

It's easier in an automatic to adjust to the steering being on the wrong side of the car. I've driven manual gear cars in Spain and find the adjustment to changing gear with the wrong hand quite hard at first.

If you have a passenger, get them to remind you which side of the road to drive on every time you set off. It's easy to get confused setting off from petrol stations or supermarket car parks.

All your instincts are wrong so it takes some time to override them, but if you relax, have a passenger to guide you and don't try and drive straight off an early-morning arrival from the US, it should be fine.

Millions of visitors make this adjustment every year.

California driver here.

One time landed in Manchester after a long (one stop) flight from the West Coast and immediately got into a rental car to drive to Wales. Found the roads in Wales a bit of a challenge. There would be a sheer rock cliff on one side, a stone wall on the other and the road would be wide enough only for the oncoming local bus. WHAT THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? I found counting the sheep settled my stress level a lot - and there were plenty of sheep in Wales.

Another time had to drive to see good friend in Oxford. Got off the plane, got into a rental car immediately and drove off. Was testing the gear shift and since I'm left-handed, shifting with the left hand is easy for me. However, I couldn't find the reverse and nearly forgot to drive on the wrong side of the street. I was so focused on finding the reverse that I almost creamed a bunch of cars on my right. Drove all the way to Oxford without having to reverse the car - whew! Finally arrived and drove up my friend's long driveway. "Halloo! Halloo!" and she told me to reverse back down to a parking spot further down the driveway. Aw, heck! I don't know how to reverse this car - her husband finally came out and with many incredulous clucks and chuckles got the car into the parking space. I can't remember ever reversing that particular car.

>>Kate - do you drive a RHD or LHD car when in Europe? If you are in your own car it is a lot easier to drive on the other side in my experience.<<

Pretty much always LHD as I hire locally, and find it much easier than driving my British car overseas, where I find visibility at junctions much harder. I have zero problems switching hands on the gear stick, though I do still find myself heading for the wrong car door in the car park.

>>Found the roads in Wales a bit of a challenge. There would be a sheer rock cliff on one side, a stone wall on the other and the road would be wide enough only for the oncoming local bus. WHAT THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? I found counting the sheep settled my stress level a lot - and there were plenty of sheep in Wales.<<

Ha ha! easytraveller, we city dwellers ALL feel like that on welsh mountain roads, whichever side of the road we're used to!

Yank here. Forced to learn to drive on the left when we moved to Indonesia, but didn't really experience it fully (as in city driving and traffic) until we moved to Australia. The biggest obstacle was ME, getting over my fear and just getting on with it.

It's a piece of cake now, except for the few days of transition between countries. I have to think instead of just react, but adjustment is pretty quick.

I will never forget my first time renting a car (a standard) in Glasgow airport (we are Canadian). I say to the rental woman ..."It's our first time driving over here, is it hard to get on the motorway?" Oh it's easy she say, "Pull out of your spot, then it's roundabout, roundabout, roundabout, then under the motorway, then roundabout and then up on the motorway."

Let's just say it took awhile.

indy_dad's advice about roadsigns is excellent, many are the same as in the States but not all.

Learn roundabout/rotary etiquette and who has priority.

I agree with mjdh that it is much easier to adjust if you are in an automatic. We drove in California and I found the transition fairly easy. I have never tried a manual car with the gear stick on the wrong side which I guess would be interesting.

What I found surprising in California was the significantly lower use of indicators than I am used to and the fact that many of them were not a distinctly different colour from the brake lights. In the UK brake lights are red and indicators are orange so they are easy to see and we use the indicators the whole time. I found it disconcerting on the freeways with people changing lane around me with no indication. Here we indicate and as you shouldn't undertake generally motorways are fairly predictable. Until it all grinds to a near halt when you should then maintain lane discipline so the different lanes are undertaking and overtaking each other on both sides.

I would highly recommend splurging for an automatic rather than dealing with shifting gears. I know an automatic is usually more expensive but you'll have enough to deal with.

The first time my husband and I tried to drive in the UK, I was ready to abandon the car on the side of the road and just pay for it -- I was that traumatized. However, by the second day of driving we were OK. We have taken other trips and the adjustment has never been as bad as that very first time.

I would recommend not trying this alone as it seems to require the concentration of the two of us. My husband usually drives and I'm the navigator assisting him with the roundabouts and reminding him which lane to turn into, etc.

Detroiter here. I was afraid of it my first time in Ireland, but my friend and I caught on pretty quickly and it became fun. The passenger's job was to navigate and prompt the driver to stay in the correct lane. I was worried that we'd have to pay for damage when we returned the car, but the guy said they generally come back that way and the scratches would buff out. On my second and third trips I looked forward to the challenge. Last time there were four of us so we had a bigger car, which did produce a good amount of screaming. And a lot of laughs as we circled repeatedly on the roundbouts.

Love everything about Ireland. Wish I were there right now---for the weather.

American driving in the UK for 5 years:

Melnq8 says it perfectly -- you must think instead of react. So much of our driving has become instinctual. Looking one way then another at a t junction for example.

I also agree with learning the real rules of a roundabout. I assumed when we first moved here that I could just stay in the outside lane of a roundabout until my exit came up. I thought that was me "staying out of the way" of those that wanted to drive in the inside lanes! Quickly learned my lesson!!

I haven't driven a RHD for two years. When we go back to the states this summer I assume it will take a couple of "Left side! Left side!" shouts from my husband and then it will be smooth driving! We found that once you're on the road it's easy to remember, but turning out of a car park onto a road it's easy to forget which side.

Ah, yes, roundabouts. I didn't mention them above because I picked them up quite easily however it was much harder for my wife.

In addition to getting in the correct lane and indicating, the best advice/rule is to not change lanes within the roundabout until you exit. It's not instictive to peel off from the inside lane after having traveled 270 degrees around, but the system works!

Roundabouts are pretty easy IMO. It is conjoined roundabouts (2 or 3 shoved together) that can present a challenge. There is one in Ayr Scotland that I walked to in advance so I could scout out my route.

PS I hope Tony the OP doesn't drive while using his two phones.

I actually think driving a stick is better. Not necessarily easier, but definitely safer/better.

reason being (and I've observed this in 'real life') . . . W/ an automatic things can feel too normal/just like back home, and one can drift into sort of 'auto pilot mode'. That is when you get into trouble. The gear lever sitting over then on your left side and having to shift is just another mental cue that things are different. Helps keep one alert IMO.

As for the driving itself - I LOVE driving in the UK. The very narrow roads in busy tourist areas like the Dales or parts of Cornwall can be difficult. True single tracks aren't a problem -- w/ the passing places. It is the VERY narrow two lane roads that take more care.

In 2010 I drove for the first time in the UK. My rental car was a stick shift. Although I now drive an automatic at home, I drove stick shifts for years and always when I rent a car in Europe. For me, the two things that required the most adjustment were getting a sense of the clearance I had on the right hand side - my tendency was to drive to close to the right, and to look in the proper direction when entering a roundabout. All in all, I was somewhat uncomfortable the first day - after that most stress was gone. Limited access highways were no problem at all and unlike janisj, I very much enjoyed the narrow country roads and found them easy. City traffic remained somewhat stressful though.

major error - I meant getting used to judging clearance on the LEFT hand sidw.

I found that the worst thing to do is follow your instincts.

One one trip to the UK, I used my instincts twice. Both times I was almost involved in an accident.

Stay calm and think what you are doing all the time.

But, then again, you should be doing that at all times in your respective countries.

For Americans I always reco renting an automatic - since driving on the wrong side is enough to deal with - without having to switch to standard transmission in a car they are not familiar with.

We have had no problems - but have never driven right off a plane - but after at least 2 or 3 days on the ground.

A couple of hints:

Don;t drive to the point of exhaustion - if you do the automatic reflexes are likely to take over - and you'll be going the wrong way

Roundabouts (traffic circles) - there are very few of these in the US and most people don;t know how to navigate them in the right direction - never mind the wrong one (they have been largely eliminated since they cause a huge number of accidents.) If there is one near you - practice driving it instead of avoiding it. And be willing to circle a couple of times to get where you need to be - don't just dart to your exit road

And if you are not a confident and competent driver (if you have a habit of "scraping" or "bumping" or "nudging" or "touching" either other vehicles or immovable objects) - do NOT drive in a foreign country - no matter on what side of the road

My husband drives when we are in Europe and I'm on duty to remind him which side of the road etc if necessary. He sometimes drifts a little bit out of his lane while he adjusts, it's my job to correct him when that happens.

He is confident now, having driven quite a bit, but the dangers are when, as others have said, you switch to auto pilot. We were reversing out of a driveway one time and he automatically looked in the direction he would look when at home, to see if there was oncoming traffic and on seeing none, started to reverse and very nearly backed straight into a car coming the other way. That was a very close call!

The point of the question is not for my benefit, I have driven on the right in a right hand drive and drove a left hooker in the UK for years. The point was to get answers to the question and give reference to folk who are afraid of taking the plunge. Ireland is best seen with the freedom of your own transport but many post questions about tours, bus's and trains. Reassurance from those who have taken the plunge, bit the bullet or whatever phrase has to have value on a travel forum.

Many thanks to those who have answered.

I live in Texas. Drove in Scotland in 2007. The good thing we did was saving the driving part of the trip for the second week (spent the first week in London), so jet lag was not an issue. We got an automatic, and picked it up at the Edniburgh airport, heading out of town from there. Rural driving in Scotland was pretty easy. I had one screwup in Stirling on my first day (started to go the wrong way), and one time went the wrong way at a single track passing place, but no harm was done. Right turns, and judging distance on the passenger side were the two most difficult things, and I solved those both in related fashion--to keep a safe distance on the left, I simply focused on stay as close as possible to the center line and trusting that if it was a two lane road, that I would have enough room on the left. In making a right hand turn, what I did was to imagine a line marking the desired path through intersection (you see this a lot in Texas--they will have dashed lines guiding you through the turn if there is more than one lane of traffic turning left) and just tried to steer as close to that line as possible, ignoring everything else once I had the right of way.

basingstoke: "unlike janisj, I very much enjoyed the narrow country roads and found them easy."

I think you may have misunderstood me just a bit. I lived on teh edge of the Cotswolds for several years, w/some really narrow rds. The vast majority are absolutely no prob -- at all. I LOVE country driving! Have driven thousands of miles on narrow country lanes.

I was really only talking about some of the essentially single tracks that are two lane roads and don't have passing places. You really don't run into them too much -- off the beaten path in places like South Devon, parts of Cornwall, the Dales, and I just discovered - on Jersey. On those the locals know the curves/blind hills - visitors don't.

I was really only talking about some of the essentially single tracks that are two lane roads and don't have passing places. You really don't run into them too much -- off the beaten path in places like South Devon, parts of Cornwall, the Dales, and I just discovered - on Jersey. On those the locals know the curves/blind hills - visitors don't.>>

lol, jj - and quite often locals get it wrong! the art is to co-ordinate your speeds so that you pass at the widest point, and it is amazing how many people accelerate towards the narrowest point instead, so that one of you has to stop and wait for the other. I've even been overtaken by other cars who supposedly didn't realise that I was sat waiting for the oncoming vehicle to pass.

and inevitably you eventually meet someone coming towards you round a blind bend when one or other of you has to reverse - I suppose that happens to me on my way to and from work at least 2-3 times a week.

"I've even been overtaken by other cars who supposedly didn't realise that I was sat waiting for the oncoming vehicle to pass. "

That's happened to me too

Too bad Basingstoke, I thought we were brothers for a second. For some reason the biggest problem I have is, when turning right across traffic coming at me, I keep looking over my right shoulder to see if anyone is overtaking me on the right. Which makes zero sense.

jj - I now put my right indicator on to give them a bit more of a clue. I'm sure that the ones who overtake like that are the same ones who speed up towards the narrowest bit.

I really, really do not see how this can be an issue. Millions of Brits travel abroad every year and are forced to drive on the wrong side. We don't have an issue.

BG

You are missing (some of) the points. It's much more similar to go from the UK to say France than it is from the US to the UK for the reasons discussed above.

Well that does make sense janisj - BTW, I enjoyed driving in the Cotwwolds more than any other area - it was delightful.

"It's much more similar to go from the UK to say France than it is from the US to the UK for the reasons discussed above"

It isn't.

When we drive on the Continent, we have to change language, distance measurement and side of road all at the same time. Americans get into hissy fits just at the thought of changing sides.

There are two possible explanations for this, though I suspect there's a bit of both going on.

1. America puts something into its water supply that strips its entire population of moral fibre. The descendants of people who braved months in sailing ships across the Atlantic to steal (at as much personal risk as profit) territory from its rightful owners get reduced to jelly at the thought of driving along a country lane. And/or:

2. Almost uniquely, the population of the British Isles learn almost immediately that if they're going to drive, they're going to have to drive ambidextrously. You can't spit anywhere in Europe without it landing in a foreign country your country's been intermittently at war with for substantial bits of the past thousand years. But most Continentals, if they visit Britain, confine their travels to places accessible by public transport from an international airport. All other English-speakers live in places where they're surrounded by countries driving on the same side. The people of Britain and Ireland, however, have no real alternative to holidaying somewhere that drives on the wrong side and speaks some filthy foreign lingo (and that obviously includes Florida).

So we just get on with it, just as we walk around in the rain. Or, if you're an Americophile, with just as much aplomb as an American walks through crowds of people carrying guns - unconcerned that one might pull theirs out.

Changing driving sides a couple of times a year is no odder for the British or Irish than sticking mistletoe and holly up. For the overwhelming majority of American tourists in Britain it's a bizarre, and often frightening, experience they'll never have to deal with again.

flanner, you have expressed yourself with your customary tact and sensitivity.

personally I do not find it particularly difficult to "swap sides" when we are driving "sur le continent", whether i am in our own car or a hired one. IME, the first hour or so is the worst. it helps to have some knowledge of the local language and road-signs; the worst place i can remember was Chania in western Crete, where the only way we found our route was because DH had studied maths and could read the greek signs!

the worst thing about driving in the US was the funny road signs [just road numbers quite often, no place names, which was no help at all] and the speed limits, which were so low as to be impossible to keep to [as my speeding ticket for doing 65 on a freeway where apparently i should have been doing 65 testifies].

oops - it was 50 mph I should have been doing, not 65.

For us, drivng on the left side with either RHD or LHD, stick shift, round abouts, motorways----no problem at all. It's part of the travel experience.

The biggest problem for us in Ireland were the narrow roads with absolutely no shoulder, and hedges or rock walls right up to the edge, making visibility a real nightmare. Of course, these were the roads that were the most picturesque. Driving on the motorways was obviously quicker point to point, but in looking out you could be anywhere. The beauty of the country lies on those smaller roads. Signage or lack of signage was not a problem. Getting lost was kind of fun and people were very helpful in pointing you in the right direction.

Our first time in Ireland (Sept.'10) was so wonderful we returned 8 mo. later (May,'11) to see more, and we will definitely return again. Obviously, the driving wasn't that scary.

flanneruk----interesting statement about guns in the US. We do not believe in the gun carry law at all and unfortuneately we are in the minority, but I'll save those comments for another post.

"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it." – Anonymous

It's an easy transition. The only, (slight) problem I have is using the same hand to operate the gear shift and the turn indicator.

Mark

There cannot be any fuss about roundabouts. Just go round the correct way, 98% of the British population either don't know or don't follow the correct etiquette, so do as you please and just avoid hitting anything.

Gear changing : pay for an automatic

Directions : our signage system indications a direction relating to a lace name not something nonsensical like I 65 via I 33.

Driving in the US : never comprehended the cheek of the interstate highway patrol. A minuscule sign is placed on a state line which tries to avoid alerting you to the fact that the speed limit has dropped from 70 to 55. The police hide in trees, 7 yards over the state line and issue you with a ticket for doing 66 in a 55 zone whilst you are skidding under breaking, also whilst driving a "compact" hire car which is the size of an average Britsh oil tanker, has a 5.7 litre v12 and iffy breaks.

b_g - you were obviously there, watching.

BTW, i never paid the $100 fine and every time we've been to the US since, my heart has been in my mouth worrying that I'd be arrested!

with interest, i probably owe about U$10K by now.

Not watching but probably close behind.

One trip was all a blur, 234 states in 3 days. Think the worst example was from Ashville to Savannah, the limit dropped from 75 to 55, I could not understand why everyone had slammed their breaks on until we saw plod.

Our worst experience by a long way was transversing Camp Lejeune, NC which is home to those very nice military types. We were staying in Beaufort and headed across the base to get somewhere else. The A road, as it crosses the base, has a large sign and sentry hut clearly stating that drivers should stop. In the morning (v early) we stopped but nothing happened. We pipped and some 12 year old recruit came out of the box and told us off for waking him up, just sent us packing. In the afternoon going back over the base, we didn't stop at the sentry post. Another second 12 year jumped out of the sentry box, screaming for us to stop and had me on the floor with an m16 in my back.

Don't think he appreciated my advice for him to stop wetting his nappy.

,.. and tony2phones thinks roundabouts are hard work!

I have been lucky (New Englander) to have found the transition to driving on the left and shifting with left hand pretty easy. I drove standard shift for many years and long to return to one. Unfortunately they are hard to come by in the US.
The only problem I have is that every rental car seems to have a different way to get to reverse, so always check that out carefully before leaving the parking lot.

I do sometimes have trouble when returning home and find myself driving on the left in the day or two after return. Fortunately once is all it takes to bring me up and it is usually on one of the small side streets in town.

We always rent an automatic,one less thing to worry about.
Then concentrate,concentrate, concentrate, especially when turning,left or right! It's so easy to veer to the"wrong " side when making that turn!
Lastly, watch out for pedestrians!

I have driven on the left several times and only once have I had difficulty. That difficulty was turning from a 2 lane road onto a dual carriageway after a long day of driving. I did have an accident.

After that, our rule was never to drive more than 3 hours in one day, especially if I'm driving on the left.

I had more trouble with the narrowness of the roads in England and Ireland. I lost three hubcaps in Ireland without even knowing they were gone.

Oh, I remember a guy from our hotel in Córdoba complaining about Americans not knowing how to drive shift cars. It seems to me he was driving my car out of a funny underground garage with a circular driveway. I had to tell him that it's not a problem for me, as I had cars with standard transmissions for 15 years.

The only time I have trouble with standard transmission is when I have to stop for a red light on a hill. I was okay with my own cars, but I tend to stall when I'm driving a rental car.

Nightmare!

Only a bad dream if you get an automatic!

I have driven in Ireland, and recommend to other Americans planning the same: 1) to rent a car with automatic transmission, and 2) to pay for the additional insurance.

In all likelihood you will not only survive, but enjoy your motoring experience as well (it is a beautiful country!). However, the car may acquire some scratches and lose some hubcaps and trim.

This is a site I give now and then but could be of value to anyone planning to drive in Ireland

www.drivingschoolireland.com/contents.html

With all this "get an automatic talk" I'll add my two cents worth. IMO if you are proficient with a stick shift then it matters little if you shifting right or left handed - I found the switch quick and intuitive. If you are not comfortable with a stick, then your vacation is not the time to learn.

I think all the 'get an automatic' wusses probably can't drive a stick at home either. Its that or they haven't tried a stick in the UK and just assume it is a nightmare.

It ain't . . .

IMO...getting an automatic shaves off much of the overall anxiety...it's just one less thing to worry about. It does cost a bit more but well worth it to not have to shift. My husband did all the driving and he is quite proficent with a manual transmission but you have to use your left hand (he's right handed) and you shift in reverse order. Why not eliminate that part of the overall challenge? There is plenty else to keep you busy!

ashcanannie, the manuals I have driven in Ireland (5 over 18 years) did not shift in reverse order.

I find driving on the left and sitting on the right not all that difficult, nor driving a manual transmission....I just have to think about what I'm doing more than at home when I'm cruising familiar streets. Sorta like driving in San Antonio.

flanneruk: America puts something into its water supply that strips its entire population of moral fibre.

ROFLMAO!

Always thought it had to do with the water!

Or, if you're an Americophile, with just as much aplomb as an American walks through crowds of people carrying guns - unconcerned that one might pull theirs out.

It's not so much the guns. It's those baggy pants they wear to hide their Uzis in. They're so loose and hang so low, I'm always afraid that the guy's pants will fall off first before he can get his gun clear for firing.


As for roundabouts, they don't exist here in my part of the world. Really daft idea. The first time I drove in Europe was in my early 20s. I hit the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe at night and was so scared of exiting onto the wrong street, so didn't exit. The other cars were whizzing by and pushed me closer and closer to the center. Believe it must have been around midnight when all the Parisians had pretty much gone home and to bed that I finally dared to exit that roundabout. Ever since then, roundabouts give me the willies.

There is a reason Automatics are not popular. Ireland (and much of the UK) has roads with bends and hills. An Automatic car going down a hill towards a bend has no engine breaking so it requires a heavy left foot (or a wall or a ditch) to slow down. Two miles of this boils the fluid, polishes the linings and the thing wont stop no matter how hard you press the peddle.

Hmm.. It may surprise you, but many parts of the US and Canada have many more and much higher mountains than the British Isles. If you go downhill with an automatic you simply shift into a lower gear manually and you have the same effect of engine breaking as with a stick.
If two miles of downhill driving wrecks your brakes, you should think of buying a new car.

Automatics have not gained that popularity in Europe (aside from a certain machismo which considers the ability to fiddle around with a stick a "skill") as it had formerly been sucking up an extra liter of gas on 100kms, you needed a stronger (and again more gas guzzling) engine to compensate for loss of power and acceleration between manual and automatic - and both did not work well with Europe's smaller cars/ engines. And many markets are still very price sensitive so an extra 500-800 euros for automatic (when buying a compact or sub-compact for 9-12K) is a matter of consideration for many consumers.
It's the same as with power steering which had been considered a "ladies' thing" as any real man was able to handle his machine with raw muscle power. And today you got it in any car you can buy.

Nowadays, the high end machines from European car makers come with automatic by default (even in the European markets) and you have to pay extra if you want an old fashioned stick shift.

"There is a reason Automatics are not popular. Ireland (and much of the UK) has roads with bends and hills. An Automatic car going down a hill towards a bend has no engine breaking so it requires a heavy left foot (or a wall or a ditch) to slow down. Two miles of this boils the fluid, polishes the linings and the thing wont stop no matter how hard you press the peddle."

Actually they aren't so popular in the UK, because:

1) They are more expensive to buy than manuals
2) They use more of our hugely taxed fuel
3) Generally they also allegedly generate more CO2, so road tax is higher
3) People generally learn to drive on manuals (otherwise they can only ever drive automatics), and naturally carry on with what they know.

Most decent cars with auto boxes allow you to override the auto change, and select gears manually, so you can get engine braking (I must admit I managed to boil the brakes in a rental Dodge Caravan driving through Death Valley before I worked out that I could push the shifter to the side to give manual control of the gears).

Cowboy

In the UK it spis still the case that most car manufacturers charge around £1500 extra for auto. I would say it is easier to use auto on British roads due to their relatively smaller size and more complex road systems. I have had both and prefer large engine auto, the latest Volvo XC70 we are about have delivered is perfect.

Auto on a sports car is just criminal. Our Porsche is manual and I have driven them with triptronic, it's like adding water to single malt.

One item that is missing from many UK cars, which I cannot live without and which would improve general motorway skill levels, is cruise control. All Brits should be made to use it, to avoid the speeding down hills, crawling up hills syndrome.

I learnt to drive in the U.K. fifty years ago, and even then drove both automatic gearbox and manual gearbox cars. I first drove overseas in the U.S. thirty years ago, and found no real problems doing things the other way round, although some junctions were a bit tricky. I have since driven many thousands of miles in many countries, on both sides of the road and with the steering wheel on both sides of the car, with both automatic and manual gearboxes. The most challenging vehicle was probably my brother-in-law's 32-foot R.V. with a Toyota RAV4 towed behind. We shared the driving from Los Angeles to Glacier National Park via Yellowstone, although he did more driving than I.

A lot of it is attitude of mind and family background. My father started driving in the 1920s, and many members of my family took their cars to Europe from the early 60s onwards. It never occurred to me that it was difficult, although I know many others who tremble at the thought. For some reason, roundabouts are a problem for some, but you just have to follow the usual rule and give way to traffic already on the roundabout. Roundabouts have become surprisingly popular in continental Europe in the past 20 years, but the camber on French ones, for example, is totally different from that on British ones, and the French ones can literally throw you.

Our latest car is a Citroen with a six-speed electronic gearbox, invariably driven as an automatic. Although more expensive to buy, these electronic gearboxes are becoming more popular in Europe since they usually give better fuel consumption. It is easy with a manual gearbox to be in the wrong gear and not realise.

We have cruise control on our car, but never use it. Driving at a steady speed is difficult when a road is crowded.

"People generally learn to drive on manuals (otherwise they can only ever drive automatics), and naturally carry on with what they know."

Very true:

http://www.2pass.co.uk/auto.htm#.UALfMJH-2PQ

Not so true. I learned on an automatic and the first car I ever owned, a real beater, was also automatic, or more correctly fluid drive. Then a few years later I had the hots for a used Triumph Herald soft top (don't ask) unusual on these shores, took a driving lesson on a manual and then drove it home. That was many years ago and I have always had one stick shift since then until fairly recently.

What I was referring to was the fact that you can't legally drive a manual transmission car on an automatic trans licence in the UK, not that people who learn in automatics only ever want to drive automatics.

As I was reading through these posts, I remembered the time in Wales when I was driving up a long hill. I forgot that with a manual, I should shift down on a long incline, so the car kept going slower and slower. By the time it dawned on me what the problem was, there was a huge line of probably infuriated drivers behind me.

In Germany, I did something wrong at a roundabout. I still don't know what it was, but when I had to stop a little further on, a furious German man yelled at me and told me what a fool I was. He just went on and on! I didn't say anything, because I figured just letting him vent his outrage was easier than telling him that I was just a dumb American who wasn't used to roundabouts.

I sound like a menace on the road, don't I?

peg -we've all been there. was it you who wrote about turning the wrong way down a dual carriage-way? the number of times I've almost done that in France, particularly when driving my own car.

There are huge signs on the isolated junctions of the M6, they face the opposite direction on the slip roads and simply say " you are going the wrong way".

I have definitely become more flexible with age. Years ago, we took one of the first dirt cheap easyjet flights to Palma,it landed at 3am. I can only apologise to the inhabitants of the island for the standard of my driving.

Ann

Back to Wallander , see if it's any better this week. I have just bought a Volvo Xc70 (very sad) but still no silly ringtone as yet. Come to think of it, the ringtone would have been considerably cheaper than the car.

Back to Wallander , see if it's any better this week.>>

well, I'm enjoying it - if enjoying is the right word.

not expecting to see that it's sponsored by the Latvian tourist board though!

Cowboy, your comment about people from the continent not wishing to holiday in a place where the weather is worse made me laugh. I was once on an English Lit summer school for teachers in the UK -- there were several continent folks (mostly from Scandinavia). For anyone interested in English Literature -- Austen, Brontes, Byron, etc, there's only one place to visit! After that I did a walking tour of Scotland, and there were several Dutch people on that (that said, I'm not sure they ever went back as the weather was just miserable).

I'm not sure I'd want to drive in the UK for some of the reasons mentioned here. Just too much remember, and if you can't put the car in reverse, as one poster mentioned, it's just one more thing to have do deal with.

Far more developed plot, enjoyed it.

They are still doing little to develop any other characters which is the success of series like Montalbano.

Riga looked mmmmm....sunny, yes it seemed quite sunny.

Looks like I've come to the party late again. Playing catch-up I may have skimmed through something I needed to see. But, somehow or other, I don't recall noting anyone taking exception to the phrase "wrong side of the road." What a quaint idea. In whose opinion?

Flanner is his/her usual self in generalizations about Americans. In this case it's guns. Always refreshing. Not always as cute as he/she might think. Seldom accurate.

As to roundabouts, here in California they are being used more and more, not being phased out.

On one trip, but scarcely my first, to the UK, my wife and I took the courtesy bus from Hertz to pick up our car at Heathrow. Whilst I was doing the paperwork she took the bus to a different terminal to get our Heritage passes (many years ago when that was the simplest way to do it). I got the papers and walked out to the car by myself and, in full view of the Hertz staff, opened the door on the left side of the car and sat down in (under what would have been my normal circumstances),the driver's seat. Realizing my mistake immediately (the lack of a steering wheel was my first clue) I tried to recover by fussing about in the glove box as though to organize maps et al. Having satisfied myself that the office staff had been fooled, I then moved to the opposite side. Of course, they likely were not. What is more likely is that no one gave a toss.

When my wife returned from her mission she headed in the direction of the car. Oh no! She was headed to her accustomed seat on the her usual "passenger's side." I was standing at the boot end of the vehicle and began nodding quietly with my head directing her to the left side of the car. At last she tumbled to my motions and off we went and Robert is your father's brother.

The biggest thing I have trouble with is right turns on city streets where I need to fight that urge to cut it too sharply. My wife aids me greatly by constantly saying "Think left" in such situations.

The most important advice given above that I recall reading was to think, not just react.

And, finally, some of us drive cars with automatic drives because of physical requirements, not just a simple desire to throw money away or an inability to drive with stick shifts (which I learned to do over 60 years ago).

Cheers,
BigBlue

"Melnq8 on Jul 13, 12 at 7:27am
The biggest obstacle was ME, getting over my fear and just getting on with it."

Me too! When we moved to the US I didn't drive for 3 months (couldn't actually since the rental car provided by DH's company was in his name only) but when DH drove I paid a LOT of attention to road signs, when to change lanes at particular intersections and speed limits so that when I did take my first solo trip? I knew exactly where I was going it took me a couple of weeks but I did get finally get into the drivers side. I still have problems figuring out which side of the car to get into though

"annhig on Jul 13, 12 at 4:00pm
and inevitably you eventually meet someone coming towards you round a blind bend when one or other of you has to reverse - I suppose that happens to me on my way to and from work at least 2-3 times a week."

That my dear is why British cars have horns! To blast them as you approach a blind corner on a barely 1.5 lane road and warn drivers coming in the opposite direction that they are not the only car on that road
My Dad loved driving on Cornish roads.

"originalkk on Jul 15, 12 at 6:22am
3) People generally learn to drive on manuals (otherwise they can only ever drive automatics), and naturally carry on with what they know."

This is why DD2 drives an automatic in the UK, we were moving to the US, she didn't want to come, needed to drive a car and struggled with a manual car. I was leaving behind my automatic Lupo anyway so we gave up and she quickly got an 'automatic licence'.
I'm pretty certain that after 12 years she'd be able to drive a manual with some lessons but you are correct, she'll probably stick with what she knows. Her DH also drives an automatic because that way they can swap cars.

alya: "Melnq8 on Jul 13, 12 at 7:27am
The biggest obstacle was ME, getting over my fear and just getting on with it."

Me too! When we moved to the US I didn't drive for 3 months . . . but when DH drove I paid a LOT of attention to road signs, when to change lanes at particular intersections and speed limits so that when I did take my first solo trip?"

I was in the same situation when I moved to the UK. Was very young and didn't have the nerve to drive for about 2 months but watched/absorbed everything. Then on the VERY morning I was riding along to my husband's work and was to then take the car on my own for the very first time. . . a nit wit coming the other way on a blind hill on the B4027 decided to overtake and as he crested the hill the other driver (the overtake-ee) lunged to his left as did we and and there was almost enough room. But the nit wit managed to total all three cars. Scraped the whole side of the overtake-ee, missed our front drivers side but hit the back quarter hard enough to spin us around so we ended up pointing the wrong way. AND he was drunk!

And this was on a small country road w/ no traffic in the early AM. FREAKED me out and it was another month before I got the cojones to finally drive. But once I started . . . it was terrific (except for the drunks on blind hills)

>>When my wife returned from her mission she headed in the direction of the car. Oh no! She was headed to her accustomed seat on the her usual "passenger's side."<<

I did that to a taxi-driver at Miami Airport, the first time I went to America. When we'd sorted that out, I offended him mortally by buckling myself in (it had just become compulsory in the UK). But I managed to survive (the FBI was paying for me anyway, but that's another story).

Blue - very funny! I'm always doing that when we're driving a hire car abroad.

alya - yes, beeping the horn is a great help, especially when the ....coming the other way has the same idea at the same time!

Cripes Janis. that would have freaked me out too - Idiot! Never overtake on a B Road unless it's a straight road, which they almost never are

annhig, thankfully in 20 years of holidays in Cornwall we never had that problem. Maybe because we visited off season or just that we didn't tend to travel in 'Rush Hour'

In my country we drive to the right. When we are away on holidays, always hiring a car, and often changing makes and size - always hiring at least mid size, my husband never finds it hard to make the transition by driving to the left. I sense he is a bit uneasy only the first half an hour or so till he programs GPS, gets used to the hired car and driving to the left, but after that he is ok.

I guess the more experienced you get, the more you start gaining confidence, till you have no difficulties whatsoever with the transition.

Nightmare!

Only a bad dream if you get an automatic!

I am doing my research for an upcoming trip to the UK where the idea was to rent a car and drive for a few days. Until I read this my main concern was selecting a rental car that would accommodate my husband's height (6'6") Now I am more worried about him driving the car! It looks like having a large model will only add to the challenge.

Rubbish. Car size has nothing to do with safe driving. The competence of the driver is the key factor. 2" on the width of a car makes no difference even on the Bohreen outside our gate.

In the UK we just had a Hungarian truck driver do 10 miles on the wrong side of the motorway (drunk), no one hurt and he was stopped by three trucks stopping full width in front of him.

That must have been buttock tightening.

"That must have been buttock tightening"

LOL

Never had a problem switching up, especially with a stick shift. Wonder if it's because I'm left handed?!?

I think the only "mistake" we make is when we say "turn left here?" meaning turn right, so we call a right turn an "English left". Inside joke, I guess.

6'6" isn't a problem -- lots of tall people in the UK who drive.

no one hurt and he was stopped by three trucks stopping full width in front of him. >>

the judge awarded them each £250 - which should at least pay for a new pair of trousers each.

I never had a problem staying on the left. I found the 2 challenges to be:


1. Road positioning (basically you drift to far to the left in your lane - you will understand this once you are driving). Someone told me key is to not focus on staying on the left but to focus on keeping the center lane just to your right - this really works for me.

2. Everything is on the opposite side of the car. Everytime I went to change gears I almost opened the door and everytime I looked in the rear view mirror I looked out the window instead!

Adjusting to traveling on the "wrong" side of the road is not difficult when one is not under pressure and/or one has had an opportunity to adjust slowly, e.g.: driving in the English country-side for several days and then driving in London ( but take it from me and don't put yourself through the agony of driving in London). I drove from Dublin, to County Mayo, down the West of Ireland to the Ring of Kerry/ Dingle Penninsula , to Waterford and back to Dublin. Adjusting to the risks that OTHER drivers take was the most difficult experience ( e.g.: passing when approaching a hill that is blind for the driver....me.... in the opposite lane). Negotiating narrow roads was another problem. Early on, I had several near misses going through small villages where cars were parked and pedestrians we walking on the side of the road.
Consequently, I chose to drive more slowly than I otherwise might have and added time to each day's travel. Finally, coming out of a pub one night, my instinct had me driving on the wrong side of the road momentarily. I hadn't had much to drink, either.

SusanC: "everytime I looked in the rear view mirror I looked out the window instead"

I do that too for the first couple of days every trip. But I must say, I've never mistaken the door handle for the gear shift

Sometimes we start a kitty and every time the driver walks to the left side of the car (or the front seat passenger to the right side) we pay up 50p or a £ - adds up fast

But when I'm traveling alone, I just fake it. When I brain freeze and walk up to the passenger side I nonchalantly open the door, toss my handbag in the front seat - maybe open the glove box for good measure then saunter around to the driver's side. Like I'm fooling anyone

What a useful thread! I'll be visiting Ireland next month and will be renting a car and have a couple questions. I've driven roundabouts both in Europe and here at home, and I've been driving a manual for decades but I've never driven on the left side of the road. Based on your experience, 1) how far should I drive after I arrive and 2) how close can I comfortably drive near Dublin? I'm not planning on going to Dublin but it may be convenient to take the M50. It should be later in the morning so it wouldn't be during rush hour.

I've driven solo for a few hours after arriving in Paris without a problem and this time I'll be sharing the driving (although he's never driven on the left either).

Hi Shanti:

I'll address #1 "1) how far should I drive after I arrive"

I personally would not drive at all on arrival day. You might be absolutely fine, but more likely you'll be jetlagged. Not a nice introduction to the 'wrong' side of the road. Or - just drive a VERY few miles - like less than 25 or 30.

I have done it every which way - heck one time I jumped off a plane at LHR and drove ALL day all the way to Edinburgh. But that was foolish and the older I get, the harder the first day hits me.

IMO it is best to plan a very low key first day and rest up before tackling the narrow Irish roads.

Hi Janis,

That's kinda what I was thinking. Driving for a few hours on my first day doesn't bother me - if it's on the right side of the road but I am a bit leery of getting used to driving on the left side.

And remember - except on the motorways, 30 miles could easily take an hour or more. So if you definitely want to pick up the car that day, stopover somewhere less than 50 miles from the airport. 25 miles would be better.

Lots of folks spend their first day/night in Dublin car-less, see some sites, and pickup the car after a good night's sleep.