U.K. Car Pedal Configuration?
 

We're renting a car next month in the U.K. and while I'm prepared for the steering wheel to be opposite of what I'm used to, I was under the impression that the pedals were the same as American cars - gas on the right, brake on the left. I was told, however, that the pedals are also reversed. Is this correct?

No, they're the same.

Who on Earth told you that???

Either he/she was:
- trying to scare you and put you off driving,
- joking and figured you'd know it,
- or really, REALLY dumb . . . . .

When I returned from Ireland a few years ago, someone asked me that very question. Some people assume that a car made for driving on the left will have everything on the opposite side of what we're used to. However, nobody who has ever driven on the left would tell you that. I think your friend was just making a silly presumption when he/she has never actually done it and didn't know what they were talking about.

Well, that's a relief! I figured I had enough to deal with without worrying about stomping on the gas when I thought it was the brake!

A man who travels regularly to Scotland told this to my sister, but perhaps he was just trying to pull her leg.

if you are not used to driving in the UK, please take some time to learn the rules and the road signs. learn how to navigate a complex roundabout (which lane is correct etc). road signage can be much more subtle here for major hazards, so it's best to know the rules before you go. I'm sure you can find a driving guide on amazon.

Some things are mirror-imaged, some things are not.

Many cars with the RHD configurations have the turn signal stalk on the right hand side, in a mirror image to their LHD counterparts; but it's not universal. There are exceptions.

Gear shifter (in a manual) and pedals have the same pattern. So, first gear is still going to be to the left of 3rd gear; so you'll <b>push</b> the gear level away on your left hand to get into 1st; instead of <b>pulling</b> towards you with your right hand here.

Walkinaround: I printed out a quite lengthy set of U.K. driving instructions several months ago and have been reviewing it. I'll do my best!

Rkkwan: Even though I drive a manual transmission at home, we're renting an automatic so that's one less problem to think about.

Thanks for the advice!

Only on vintage cars (pre-war usually) are the pedals configured differently.

From left to right the pedals are c-b-a clutch - brake - accelerator(= gas).
I've never driven a left hand drive car but I suspect you'll have more trouble getting used to changing gear with the &quot;wrong&quot; hand. The most important thing though is to remember which side of the road to drive on. Stick to a sensible speed and you'll give yourself a few precious extra seconds before roundabouts, traffic islands etc. Unless you give yourself a very narrow margin of safety you'll get away with the occasional push on the wrong pedal (assuming you're alert enough to realise you're speeding up or slowing down). Drive off on the wrong side of a country road and you won't get very far.
Take care, take your time, - and enjoy.

The biggest problem I had with a RHD car was constantly turning on the wipers when I wanted the turn signal.

If I were you, I'd read the Highway Code.
It's online at http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/

It has illustrations of road signs, how to navigate roundabouts etc.

I am always between the US and UK and it helps on a regular street (traffic going in either direction that is) to have the steering wheel closer to the middle of the road (the white lines). It has so far kept me right! Hope that helps!

craigellachie - you'd be amazed how quickly your brain/hand coordination adjusts. I'm from the UK, but frequently have to switch sides on the continent, and have no problem adjusting to the change of hands for the gear stick.

The biggest problem most people encounter at first is that your sense of space is off - you're so used to sitting on a certain side and judging the width of the car that way, that you tend to stear the car too closely to the kerb.

Of course, the other problem is looking like an idiot when you (frequently) accidently get into the passenger seat when you're the driver!

i agree with kate. for me it's easy to drive a left hand drive car when in the US or on the continent. one would think shifting would be a difficult adjustment but it's not.

to compound the problem of judging space that kate mentions, is, of course, that you are driving a car that you are unfamiliar with and for the case of drivers from N America and Australia, in general, the margin of error is much less due to narrower roads, much tighter car parks, and roadside parked cars making the space to pass very narrow.

One poster on Fodor's said when he picked up his rental car at the airport, he parked between the lines of a parking space in the airport lot and put small strips of tape (band-aids/plasters) on the inside of the windshield to mark where the parking spot lines where, which helped him to know where the car was in relationship to his side of the road. It sounded like an inexpensive, easy aid that I'm going to try.