Hehehe, yes I've had this experience. And in a country with somewhat more chaotic driving habits than the UK.
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Driving on the left - how hard can it be?
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Hehehe, yes I've had this experience. And in a country with somewhat more chaotic driving habits than the UK.
Thanks everyone.
Roundabouts don't scare me too much, St. Louis is one of a few US cities that have embraced them. As long as I don't get stuck in a roundabout that looks like this I think I'll be OK:
As for gear changing, well, I fully anticipate banging my right hand against the window when trying to change gear and missing a few gears at first - I tried sitting in the passenger seat of my parked car and shifting gears with my left hand, and it was...awkward. Especially being right-handed. So used to putting pressure towards me for 1-2 and away for 5-6, will be difficult for my brain to reverse that.
BTW, the rental is a diesel minivan since we have 6 people - Opel Zafira or similar. Never driven a diesel before, other than the lower redline and more torque, anything different I need to know about driving one, besides put diesel fuel in obviously. And I know Ireland's streets are narrower than American streets, but navigating the minivan through them shouldn't be too bad, right?
Roundabouts don't scare me too much, St. Louis is one of a few US cities that have embraced them. As long as I don't get stuck in a roundabout that looks like this I think I'll be OK:
As for gear changing, well, I fully anticipate banging my right hand against the window when trying to change gear and missing a few gears at first - I tried sitting in the passenger seat of my parked car and shifting gears with my left hand, and it was...awkward. Especially being right-handed. So used to putting pressure towards me for 1-2 and away for 5-6, will be difficult for my brain to reverse that.
BTW, the rental is a diesel minivan since we have 6 people - Opel Zafira or similar. Never driven a diesel before, other than the lower redline and more torque, anything different I need to know about driving one, besides put diesel fuel in obviously. And I know Ireland's streets are narrower than American streets, but navigating the minivan through them shouldn't be too bad, right?
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You won't have that problem anymore, the indicators are on the left stalk on all new cars.
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That's the magic roundabout in Swindon. It actually works very well, in that you can go round either way.
I'm weird, so I actually did one time sit in my passenger seat and tried shifting through all 6 gears with my left hand.
I'd imagine if i was in a hurry, I'd rip the transmission apart, because I'll always take manual over auto if given the choice.
I'd imagine if i was in a hurry, I'd rip the transmission apart, because I'll always take manual over auto if given the choice.
In Europe certainly. The OP was talking about driving in Ireland. Even Japanese cars built for the EU market (including UK and Eire) have the indicator stalk on the left hand side.
OMG faced with that, I think that you drive and pray, and give way to everything that is bigger than YOU.
It seems that more cities in the USA are finding that roundabouts are a good way to control traffic in neighborhoods. L.A. even has some now. The biggest problem I see is drivers who don't get that cars already in the roundabout have the right of way.
BTW, my favorite is at the Arc de Triopmph in Paris. I've never driven there but I've been a pedestrian many times. I don't know if there's any legal way to cross - I've always gone underground.
When I lived 3 years in Japan driving on left side while stationed there the whole time. That when I came back going back to the right side took me the same time to adjust back to right side! So IMHO going either way will take anyone 2-3 days to become comfortable driving on either side, it is that simple.
What you have to watch out for is the turn-on red laws each country has so learn the local driving laws. Some countries has them and some don't.
What you have to watch out for is the turn-on red laws each country has so learn the local driving laws. Some countries has them and some don't.
Remember this motto: Think Left!
Stay left, but look right, lol. The first time I was in a country that drove on the left side, it was Japan and I was riding in the back seat of a car, surprisingly disorienting. I found that motto to help me and now I can visit such places with some discomfort that quickly vanishes. The biggest mental challenge are round abouts. Stay on the outside for a close exit, move to the inside if the exit is not the first exit you'll pass. Just don't become complacent, always think left!
Of interest, round abouts are being installed in the States if you have not noticed.
Stay left, but look right, lol. The first time I was in a country that drove on the left side, it was Japan and I was riding in the back seat of a car, surprisingly disorienting. I found that motto to help me and now I can visit such places with some discomfort that quickly vanishes. The biggest mental challenge are round abouts. Stay on the outside for a close exit, move to the inside if the exit is not the first exit you'll pass. Just don't become complacent, always think left!
Of interest, round abouts are being installed in the States if you have not noticed.
Haha the picture you have there is in Swindon. If you end up there from Ireland, you'll know you've take a wrong turn or two! I haven't encountered anything like that on the Emerald isle or anywhere else here and always figured it was a way to further put anybody off visiting Swindon.
I think you'll be fine as Ireland is not as hectic to drive around as much of the UK, especially in cities. Be aware sign-age in miles can increase the nearer you get to your location believe it or not lol. I found that out on the way to Limerick a few years back. I can't comment too much on the transition with driving an auto and switching to a manual because most cars are manual here and its pretty much standard. I have driven an auto a couple of times and once I had stopped stamping on the brake thinking I still had a clutch, I was fine and felt it was like lazy driving lol.
You'll enjoy the challenge mate, Ireland is lovely and the people are really nice. If you visit the north just remember not to wear a green jumper on the Shankill Road and a Union jack t-shirt in the Falls and you'll come back in one piece. Enjoy your trip
Ha ha, that's the Magic Roundabout in Swindon (where I grew up.) I remember it being built (in the 70's) as the County Islands - we all automatically called it the magic roundabout after the kids TV series that was on back then. (Eventually the council relented and renamed it officially.)
It's actually a really simple thing to negotiate. As you enter you just point your car at the direction you want to cross it and look out of your right window and stop if you see a car coming at you from your right - otherwise just keep going. Everything else just stops for you like the parting of the red sea and you just cruise your merry way across.
If one route is congested then you can just go the long way round - sort of around the edge rather than straight across.You can even take the kids on a couple of 'laps' to make them laugh (Well, if you live in Swindon you've got have your fun when you can
)It's actually a really clever bit of design. (Although a friend of mine did write off his instructors car on it in the early 80's during his driving test and caused chaos but that says more about him than the design of the roundabout)
I think Milton Keynes has one now and the rotten scoundrels have even called it the magic roundabout...
Incidentally there's a roundabout appreciation society here in the UK. We love 'em. http://www.roundaboutsofbritain.com/
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Ah, Real Deal beat me to the post - it does make everyone go Ha ha though even when just thinking about it!
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I find traffics circles in many East coast City suburbs! You must be in one of those failed cities like Detriot, Chicago that didn't change when the Main Company left town or disappeared.
There's quite a few roundabouts in the Detroit suburbs or the city of Ann Arbor. Actually a bunch in Ann Arbor, plus their reserved light signal order to the rest of the area (left turn light first, then straight). City of Detroit proper though? Not a chance in hell, as far as I know.
I would seat one passenger always next to you, and set up some rules, like a copilot or navigator. They watch the road, other cars, and you. With prearranged signals if you veer to the wrong side. Including but not limited to touching the hand you should be steering towards.
I've been going back and forth between driving in the UK and US for many years now.
I remember the first time I had to drive a manual-transmission, right-hand drive car - a Fiat Punto my girlfriend and I picked up from the Avis at Heathrow, back in the early 1990s. That was intimidating, especially since GPS hadn't been invented yet, and my then girlfriend was possibly the worst map-reader in all history.
Probably the biggest challenge will be dealing with the incredibly narrow and twisty roads you'll encounter in Ireland. You literally will not believe that two cars can pass each other at 60 mph on a road thats barely wide enough. Driving at night, and when its wet, will be far more of a challenge than dealing with having the gearshift in the wrong hand.
As far as "side of the road" issues are concerned, its usually only a problem when making 90 degree turns. And, in general, its a problem not when you first start driving there - its after you've been doing it for a couple of days, and start to get "comfortable." Thats when you make a turn onto an intersecting road and accidentally find yourself on the wrong side. Just keep alert - and conscious of what you are doing - and you should be fine.
I remember the first time I had to drive a manual-transmission, right-hand drive car - a Fiat Punto my girlfriend and I picked up from the Avis at Heathrow, back in the early 1990s. That was intimidating, especially since GPS hadn't been invented yet, and my then girlfriend was possibly the worst map-reader in all history.
Probably the biggest challenge will be dealing with the incredibly narrow and twisty roads you'll encounter in Ireland. You literally will not believe that two cars can pass each other at 60 mph on a road thats barely wide enough. Driving at night, and when its wet, will be far more of a challenge than dealing with having the gearshift in the wrong hand.
As far as "side of the road" issues are concerned, its usually only a problem when making 90 degree turns. And, in general, its a problem not when you first start driving there - its after you've been doing it for a couple of days, and start to get "comfortable." Thats when you make a turn onto an intersecting road and accidentally find yourself on the wrong side. Just keep alert - and conscious of what you are doing - and you should be fine.
That is very sound advice, and I have to say that I laughed at the truth of it when I read it. Given that I live and work abroad so much, I often find that this is one adjustment that applies both ways in that returning, and re-returning seem to call for a change in perspective you get used to it after a day or so, but the first day, either at home, or back abroad, always calls for a little more concentration than might be usual .
True story for me.
One of the things I wanted to do when I got to Melbourne in 1995 was drive there. I knew it was different to what I learned, but I didn't know if I'd ever get that experience again. So on the way back home from the mall in Maribyrnong with my host family, they gave me the keys.
Thankfully, their car was an automatic. That helped for 2 things:
Then old habits kicked in. Came to a roundabout and a 4-way stop. Luckily, I had right-of-way with the roundabout, but the 4-way stop killed me.
Keep in mind, that back in the mid-90s, most US cars had the signal indicator and the windshield wiper on the same handle, and the steering column adjuster behind it, but both on the left side of the car, while the gear shifter, if on the steering column, was on the right...
Gear shifter was in the middle column between the seats: fine, no problem. windshield wipers were on the left of the steering wheel, with the column adjuster behind it, while the signal indicators were on the RIGHT side of the column. I'm at the stop sign, everyone is waiting on me to go, old habits kick in, I go to make a right turn, flick the switch on the left side of column, and promptly turn on the windshield wipers.. on HIGH... on a sunny day in Melbourne, Australia.
From that day forth, I stuck to public transit., unless they drove us somewhere.
Moral of the story: keep your yankee driving habits in check while driving overseas; if you're lucky, you'll come out of it only a little embarassed.
BL.
One of the things I wanted to do when I got to Melbourne in 1995 was drive there. I knew it was different to what I learned, but I didn't know if I'd ever get that experience again. So on the way back home from the mall in Maribyrnong with my host family, they gave me the keys.
Thankfully, their car was an automatic. That helped for 2 things:
- First, there is a separate license given down there between driving a stick/manual and an automatic; Getting license for the stick allows you to drive both a manual and automatic, while the one for the automatic only allows you to drive the automatic.
- Driver's side is on the right side of the car, so driving a stick, you'd have to change gears with your left hand.
Then old habits kicked in. Came to a roundabout and a 4-way stop. Luckily, I had right-of-way with the roundabout, but the 4-way stop killed me.
Keep in mind, that back in the mid-90s, most US cars had the signal indicator and the windshield wiper on the same handle, and the steering column adjuster behind it, but both on the left side of the car, while the gear shifter, if on the steering column, was on the right...
Gear shifter was in the middle column between the seats: fine, no problem. windshield wipers were on the left of the steering wheel, with the column adjuster behind it, while the signal indicators were on the RIGHT side of the column. I'm at the stop sign, everyone is waiting on me to go, old habits kick in, I go to make a right turn, flick the switch on the left side of column, and promptly turn on the windshield wipers.. on HIGH... on a sunny day in Melbourne, Australia.
From that day forth, I stuck to public transit., unless they drove us somewhere.
Moral of the story: keep your yankee driving habits in check while driving overseas; if you're lucky, you'll come out of it only a little embarassed.
BL.
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Okay I have to say every time I see this thread pop up I keep reading the title as, "Dying on the left - how hard can it be?"
Hehe, be careful yg17. I expect it won't be too hard, just be sure to carefully concentrate as others have mentioned.
Hehe, be careful yg17. I expect it won't be too hard, just be sure to carefully concentrate as others have mentioned.
I drove when I was in the UK, around London, outside the city in rural areas, and all the way to the west coast through Wales. Most of the ugly looks came from driving around the city Once I had a day under my belt, and we were either on major highways or small two lane back roads, it was mostly no sweat.
Once you get a feel for the road and that from the drivers position, most of the car is on the left (vs. the right) youre pretty good. FWIW, Im a huge manual fan and I have I have driven a few RHD manual cars (imported Japanese spec cars) but I (we) opted for an automatic, as that made one less thing to think about.
Once I had a day under my belt, and we were either on major highways or small two lane back roads, it was mostly no sweat.Once you get a feel for the road and that from the drivers position, most of the car is on the left (vs. the right) youre pretty good. FWIW, Im a huge manual fan and I have I have driven a few RHD manual cars (imported Japanese spec cars) but I (we) opted for an automatic, as that made one less thing to think about.
Of interest, round abouts are being installed in the States if you have not noticed.
I ran into one when I was over there last year... with stop signs on all four sides... *headdesk*
For that circumstance might as well have a 4 way stop intersection, lol.
It apparently reflect that most US citizens don't know how to navigate them.