Europe myth #5... Driving in the UK is difficult so rent an automatic
 

So you're driving on the wrong side of the road...big deal just get used to it.<BR><BR>So you make a mistake and miss your turn off...big deal, just drive on until you are comfortable to turn around. <BR><BR>Don't try to make any fast changes and on the spot decisions. Go round the round about 5 times if you have to until you are confident to get off.<BR><BR>Just take it easy and its not so hard. Oh, and by the way, there is a lot of talk about how driving in the UK is more exhausting than whatever you are used to. The only reason why you can't drive 500 miles in a day is because there are so many interesting things to see. But if you wanted to drive that far its not a problem...even on the small roads.

Good posting Jack! My experience of driving abroad tells me the worst thing you can do is get stressed out about it before you even leave. Worrying about it means you probably will find it all much more of a trial than it need be. Just try to think logically about how you go round around about clockwise etc. Remember the road system is designed to be as easy as possible to use. I know it doesn't always work out like that but hey thats life.

Jack - I have to disagree with you on this one. Your points are valid, for the most part. After a car accident in Cambridge last month, I have to conclude that if I had't been concentrating on shifting with my left hand, I perhaps would have seen the car barreling at me from my left as I was trying to make a right hand turn. I drive a stick at home, so it wasn't the concept of shifting and driving - it was trying to make my normally useless left hand work the way it was supposed to!

Driving on the left isn't hard, but it is different for us used to right side. One must concentrate a bit harder at first at least, and the value of having an automatic is that it is one less thing to worry about. On our recent trip to Scotland our car was standard transmission, and while I did not have any problem with that, previous cars have been automatic. I did find that the combination of left side driving and left hand shifting did take a bit more thought but not a big deal. I would say that for first timers driving on left an automatic might be a wise choice even if the cost of the rental is quite a bit higher.

I used to live in Ireland, and had many scary experiences riding in cars driven by American friends who kept telling me "Driving on the left isn't hard at all!" Don't know where they got this false sense of security, but finally I had to ban all visitors from driving me around. Every single one (and we had 19 visitors within 10 weeks at one point) of them drove too fast on the small country roads and too slow on the motorway, as one example.<BR><BR>So please forgive me if I sound a bit skeptical of people who say driving on the left isn't so hard for people who are used to driving on the right. Unless maybe it's just only my friends who can't do it.

This is SO subjective ! Some people can switch sides of the road without much effort, some can even switch hands for shifting, some can even adjust to narrower roads. But most people need all the help they can get, so an automatic does make sense in most cases. Gives you one less thing to think about, so leaves more attention to give to road conditions and scenery!

Just an ascerbic observation: Can't drive worth a dang here, probably can't drive worth a dang there. And, Ann, rarely does anyone say "Hey, look at me. I'm a bad driver!" Maybe it is the company you keep: 19 overly fast drivers out of 19 visitors?<BR><BR>Some people can't play an instrument and sing at the same time. Some can and they are awful. Jack O' the Box is right and wrong at the same time. I think that if you are questioning whether or not you should . . . then don't. And if you can afford the incremental cost increase of an automatic . . . why not?<BR><BR>The only bad advice about driving abroad is talking someone into it who has reservations about it in the first place.

At 19 I spent a summer in England. The family would often let me drive their Volvo. It was a standard. If I can do it , anyone can do it. Have confidence:)

these have bene really good comments, even the ones that disagree.<BR><BR>Personally, I took some time to drive in a car park slowly to get a bit used to it first. Sure, i kept indicating with my windscreen wipers and a couple of times I looked at the cars coming from the wrong direction and so I got a bit lucky as well, but i guess the message is don't be too scared of it that it puts you off a great holiday. <BR><BR>I also wanted to add that on the small roads it was difficult for me to get used to how wide my car was so if I was worried about the speeding car coming opposite then I would let them by and slow down or stop if I could so if they pranged into me it would be there fault. Maybe i shouldn't have done that but it was better than being stressed about the new experience and driving off the side of the road.