Whenever you travel to a foreign country, renting a car is a great way to explore a new place without being tied to train and bus schedules. With a car, you get the freedom to explore a lot more than simply the big tourist attractions. However, when traveling to England, the prospect of driving in a foreign country and on the wrong side of the road is daunting. In the course of time I have found a few things that make driving in England a lot less stressful. Read on to find the best advice for driving in England.
When driving in England, your best point of reference is the steering wheel. The position of your steering wheel relative to your car, determines which direction you drive in and where you look first at intersections. So, when you are renting a car in England, remember the steering wheel as your point of reference. This way you can make important driving decisions quickly.
How to figure out fast which lane to drive on
The hardest thing to know when driving in England is which lane and which direction to drive in. And you have to know that very fast at every crossroad and roundabout.
Fortunately, I found a simple rule that makes total sense.
When choosing the correct driving direction, drive in the direction that would place your steering wheel closest to the lane divider.
This is the best rule for keeping your head straight when driving on the “wrong” side of the road.
So, how do you think about it?
The simplest way to figure out which side of the road to drive on is to make sure that your car's steering wheel is closest to the lane divider.
For example: you rent a car in England and the steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car. Back home in the US (and the rest of Europe), the steering wheel is on the left. Weird and confusing!
You get in the driver's seat and what do you do?
Here is the simplest way to think correctly.
Drive in the direction that will make your steering wheel be closest to the lane divider.
So, in England, driving north, with the steering wheel on the right you would have to drive on the left side of the road so your steering wheel is closest to the lane divider which is on your right.
This works in the US as well. The steering wheel is on the left of the car so you would drive on the right side of the road which will make your steering wheel be closest to the lane divider which is on your left.
It's simple and it works all over the world regardless on which side of the road you are supposed to drive on.
The simplest rule for knowing where to look first when you arrive at an intersection
At intersections look first in the direction where you steering wheel position is relative to your car.
The rule still has to do with your steering wheel position. If you're in England, your steering wheel is positioned on the right, so you need to look right first. If you are in the US, your steering wheel position is on the left, so you look left first.
The quick rule for knowing which direction to drive in at roundabouts
Roundabouts are different! At roundabouts drive in the opposite direction of where your steering wheel is relative to your car.
This again applies everywhere in the world. In general, everywhere in the world, the direction of any roundabout traffic is in the opposite direction of where you steering wheel is.
So, in England, your steering wheel is on the right, so you would go in the opposite direction, to the left when you get to a round about.
In the US, or in Europe, your steering wheel is on the left, so you would go to the right when you get to a round about. Simple and efficient!
Take My SMART Travel Course and learn how to plan your travel confidently through step by step videos. Save money and frustration and become a SMART traveler using my time-tested travel strategy.
Read My SMART Travel Book and learn my best travel tips from 20+ years of international travel experience in less than 40 pages. These will save you lots of money and frustration on your next trip.
Brilliant, thank you!!!