Dan Stephenson

I'm vacationing in Britain next month and will be renting a car. I've never driven in
Britain before (I'm a Texan) so driving on the left will be new for me. Is there
anything I should "know"? For example, a coworker suggests it is easy to jump curbs
and blow tires because of the unusual geometries.

Thanks in advance, please post.
--
Dan Stephenson

(remove from email address to reply via email)

John Walton

Police can be in surprising places. We were lucky not to get caught just outside of
Chipping-Camden right after Easter one year. I'd stick to the speed limits. In the
Cotswolds it almost seems as if they are expecting the unexpected driver.

"Dan Stephenson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:AA3B81A97088BB3A.E3417191E604F9...lp.airnews.net...
    > I'm vacationing in Britain next month and will be renting a car. I've
never
    > driven in Britain before (I'm a Texan) so driving on the left will be new for me.
    > Is there anything I should "know"? For example, a coworker suggests it is easy to
    > jump curbs and blow tires because of the unusual geometries.
    >
    > Thanks in advance, please post.
    > --
    > Dan Stephenson
    >
    > (remove from email address to reply via email)

paulfriedman

Round-abouts will drive you crazy. Driving on the left was not much of a problem for
me or for most people I've talked to.

Paul

"Dan Stephenson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:AA3B81A97088BB3A.E3417191E604F9...lp.airnews.net...
    > I'm vacationing in Britain next month and will be renting a car. I've
never
    > driven in Britain before (I'm a Texan) so driving on the left will be new for me.
    > Is there anything I should "know"? For example, a coworker suggests it is easy to
    > jump curbs and blow tires because of the unusual geometries.
    >
    > Thanks in advance, please post.
    > --
    > Dan Stephenson
    >
    > (remove from email address to reply via email)

licrimlawyer

On Mon, 15 Jul 2002 04:11:25 GMT, <[email protected]> wrote:

    >Round-abouts will drive you crazy. Driving on the left was not much of a problem for
    >me or for most people I've talked to.
    >
    >Paul
    >
    >
    >"Dan Stephenson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >news:AA3B81A97088BB3A.E3417191E604F9...lp.airnews.net...
    >> I'm vacationing in Britain next month and will be renting a car. I've
    >never
    >> driven in Britain before (I'm a Texan) so driving on the left will be new for me.
    >> Is there anything I should "know"? For example, a coworker suggests it is easy to
    >> jump curbs and blow tires because of the unusual geometries.
    >>
    >> Thanks in advance, please post.
    >> --
    >> Dan Stephenson
    >>
    >> (remove from email address to reply via email)
    >
    >
I drove on the left in Ireland--can't give you specifics about Britain. But, there
are two things that may pose a problem: the rearview mirror; and, shifting with the
left hand.

You will find yourself looking up and to the right for the mirror. It's automatic for
those of us who have driven for 30 years on American roads. Over there, you will see
the sky. Somewhat disconcerting.

Assuming that you use a manual transmission here, you will unconciously reach for
the shifter with your right hand AND HIT THE DOOR. The shifter is on the left.
This, too, will take some getting used to. By the time you get used to it, it's
time to go home. :-[

I. Wilson Gittl

Despite Paul's opinion regarding roundabouts, I find them the best thing
since Kleenex.

Just wait until there is an opening. Once into the roundabout, you need fear no one
coming in. If you have, for some reason, missed the sign for the town you, you are
safe to go around again and again without fear.


The palest ink is better than the best memory. --Chinese proverb There is no end to
collecting books. --Book of Ecclesiastes To three possessions shalt thou look:
Acquire a field, a friend, a book. --Samuel haNagid, Vizier to the King of Granada

Elio

"Dan Stephenson" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:AA3B81A97088BB3A.E3417191E604F9...lp.airnews.net...
    > I'm vacationing in Britain next month and will be renting a car. I've
never
    > driven in Britain before (I'm a Texan) so driving on the left will be new for me.
    > Is there anything I should "know"? For example, a coworker suggests it is easy to
    > jump curbs and blow tires because of the unusual geometries.
    >
    > Thanks in advance, please post.
    > --
    > Dan Stephenson
    >
    > (remove from email address to reply via email)

Based on my experience, the more risky situation when driving on the left may arise
when You resume driving after a stop in less trafficated roads where You don't have
reference with other cars. In that case You may have a tendency of going to the right
side of the road as You are used to do at home until You realize the mistake. To
prevent the risk i use to put a sticker in front of the driving seat with a big "Keep
Left" sign. I found out that this really helps me.. Regards Elio

Chris Raistrick

On Sun, 14 Jul 2002 22:52:48 -0700, Dan Stephenson wrote in
<AA3B81A97088BB3A.E3417191E604F94D.8F19F5761EC521E [email protected]>:

    >I'm vacationing in Britain next month and will be renting a car. I've never driven
    >in Britain before (I'm a Texan) so driving on the left will be new for me. Is there
    >anything I should "know"? For example, a coworker suggests it is easy to jump curbs
    >and blow tires because of the unusual geometries.

Traffic lights are before the junction so don't wait 100ft behind them.

Street signs aren't over the junctions and in no way standard so, if you are looking
for a street, try to find out where it's going to be (say at a library or if the hire
firm has an A-Z) in advance and/ or take it slow when searching for it.

Buses have right of way when leaving a bus stop in many cities.

--
Cheers,

Chris

Chris Cooke

There's an introduction to all the rules of the road in the UK here:

http://www.roads.dft.gov.uk/roadsafety/hc/

--
-- Chris.

Eric Holeman

In article <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Assuming that you use a manual transmission here, you will unconciously reach for
    >the shifter with your right hand AND HIT THE DOOR. The shifter is on the left. This,
    >too, will take some getting used to. By the time you get used to it, it's time to go
    >home. :-[

Best of all, you'll walk to the left side door and unlock it for the first week or
so. Then, when you get home, you'll walk to the right side door.

--

Eric Holeman eholatenteractcom Chicago Illinois USA

The Oik

"Eric Holeman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > In article <[email protected]>,
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    > >Assuming that you use a manual transmission here, you will unconciously reach for
    > >the shifter with your right hand AND HIT THE DOOR. The shifter is on the left.
    > >This, too, will take some getting used to. By the time you get used to it, it's
    > >time to go home. :-[
    >
    > Best of all, you'll walk to the left side door and unlock it for the first week or
    > so. Then, when you get home, you'll walk to the right side door.
    >
and set off the alarm on most UK cars when you unlock the 'wrong' door first....

Stephen C. Gall

    > Round-abouts will drive you crazy. Driving on the left was not much of a problem
    > for me or for most people I've talked to.

As long as you know the rules about driving in roundabouts, they work
surprisingly well.

Keep in mind that in Britain, traffic moves through a roundabout going in a clockwise
direction. Picture the roundabout as the face of a clock. You would drive around the
clock face and you'll normally have entry/exit points at 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock, 3
o'clock and 6 o'clock. Assume that you enter the roundabout at the 6 o'clock entry
point. If you intend to take the first exit (ie exit at 9 o'clock) you should enter
the roundabout in the leftmost lane and upon entering, activate your left turn
indicator and exit. If you plan on taking the second exit (ie exit at 12 o'clock) you
should enter the roundabout in the leftmost lane and as soon as you pass the 9
o'clock exit, activate your left turn indicator and exit. Here's the tricky one, if
you plan to enter the roundabout at the 6 o'clock point and continue three quarters
of the way around to the 3 o'clock exit, you enter roundabout with your right turn
indicator on. When you pass the exit immediately before the exit you plan on taking
(ie when you pass the 12 o'clock exit) you change from your right turn indicator to
your left turn indicator. You would then leave through the 3 o'clock exit.

Once I mastered the roundabouts I had no problem driving in Britain.

Stephen Gallagher

Stephen C. Gall

    > Just wait until there is an opening. Once into the roundabout, you need fear no one
    > coming in. If you have, for some reason, missed the sign for the town you, you are
    > safe to go around again and again without fear.

The other thing to keep in mind is when you are driving onto a dual carriageway
(known in North America as a divided highway). Make absolutely sure that you turn
onto the left side of the divider. I only made that mistake once in Britain when I
turned onto the right hand side of the divider. Luckily it was early in the
morning, so there was no oncoming traffic. I realized my mistake after only a few
seconds, and I came upon a break in the divider so I was able to get onto the left
side of the road.

Stephen

Desmond Coughla

Le Mon, 15 Jul 2002 11:09:33 GMT, Stephen C. Gallagher
<[email protected]> a écrit :

    >> Round-abouts will drive you crazy. Driving on the left was not much of a problem
    >> for me or for most people I've talked to.

    > As long as you know the rules about driving in roundabouts, they work
    > surprisingly well.

{ snip }

An excellent synopsis (if I may say so) of the rules of roundabouts in the UK.
Regrettably, however, what you have cited, are the rules according to the Highway
Code. The reality is somewhat different, and goes like this ...

1. Enter the roundabout in the lane that suits you
2. Go around the roundabout, using whatever lane suits you, even if you change your
mind halfway around
3. Never use direction indicators. They're for poofs.
4. If you cut someone up and they sound their horn, threaten phsyical violence.
5. If someone uses the correct lane and you almost run into him, threaten
physical violence.
6. In all cases, you are right.
7. If you are wrong, see (6).

--
Desmond Coughlan |****#1 YGL#4 YFC#1 YFB#1 UKRMMA#14 two#38 Yamaha FJR1300 |BONY#48
ANORAK#11 desmond @ zeouane.org http: // www . zeouane . org

Stephen C. Gall

    > I drove on the left in Ireland--can't give you specifics about Britain. But, there
    > are two things that may pose a problem: the rearview mirror; and, shifting with the
    > left hand.
    >
    > You will find yourself looking up and to the right for the mirror. It's automatic
    > for those of us who have driven for 30 years on American roads. Over there, you
    > will see the sky. Somewhat disconcerting.
    >
    > Assuming that you use a manual transmission here, you will unconciously reach for
    > the shifter with your right hand AND HIT THE DOOR. The shifter is on the left.
    > This, too, will take some getting used to. By the time you get used to it, it's
    > time to go home.

What was funny for me, is that I used a trip to Scotland to "learn" how to drive a
manual transmission. After I returned home to New York, I had an opportunity to drive
a manual transmission car in the US, and I kept trying to shift with my left hand.
After a while you get used to it.

Stephen Gallagher

A.Spencer3

Stephen C. Gallagher <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    >
    > As long as you know the rules about driving in roundabouts, they work
    > surprisingly well.
    >
    >
And, of course, there's the rather vital point of allowing vehicles coming from the
right priority until you are able to enter! But - and I'm a Brit - no-one, including
the Highway Code, explains what to do 'officially' when you have cars at each entry
point (especially on a mini-roundabout). Who enters first? At the moment, it seems to
be the quickest off the mark with crossed fingers!

Surreyman