Americans Driving on the Left

[JayhawkCO]

I swear there's a thread about this somewhere, but for the life of me, I can't get the search terms right to track it down. I just booked a rental car for a trip where I'll be in Scotland next summer. I've never driven in an LHT country before, the only countries I've driven in internationally being Canada, Iceland, and the Philippines. Anything stick out for anyone that has driven in the UK or elsewhere that is beyond "you just have to get used to it"?

[kphoger]

I haven't personally driven a RHD vehicle before, but I've heard it's really easy to reach for the turn signal and (a) there's no stalk there at all or (b) you turn on the windshield wipers instead.

Also, did you reserve a manual or automatic?  I've done shifting from the passenger side of a vehicle plenty of times here in the USA, but that can take some getting used to.

What I do remember being really tough in England was for the driver of our LHD bus to find a place to legally park and let passengers out–because the door emptied out into traffic while in England.  That doesn't apply to you, of course...

[JayhawkCO]

I sadly don't drive a stick really well here, so definitely reserved an automatic. I rented a relatively small car to make parking easier. And, I rented from the airport (in Glasgow despite me starting my trip in Edinburgh) because I won't have to drive much in larger towns. I'm thinking we'll go from Glasgow to the Isle of Skye and hang out mostly there.

[formulanone]

I suppose you just follow the signage and road markings, as well as what the other vehicles' drivers are doing. But I only had four hours' experience in a place that was almost entirely two-lane roads and low speed limits.

I think the only tricky parts were: remembering that left turn movements are easier, and now right turns are the one which require a little concentration. That, and getting back into the vehicle on the correct side...

[J N Winkler]

I swear there's a thread about this somewhere, but for the life of me, I can't get the search terms right to track it down. I just booked a rental car for a trip where I'll be in Scotland next summer. I've never driven in an LHT country before, the only countries I've driven in internationally being Canada, Iceland, and the Philippines. Anything stick out for anyone that has driven in the UK or elsewhere that is beyond "you just have to get used to it"?

I have driven in the UK and Ireland in vehicles equipped with automatics (center-column shifters in all cases).  I'd say the transition from RHT in LHD (North America) to LHT in RHD (British Isles) is pretty easy for an alert and attentive driver, so far as vehicles are concerned.  The more difficult adjustments have to do with signing and typical streetscapes.  There are some technicalities to signing, especially in the UK, that are not intuitive to Americans (e.g., speed limits based on lamp column spacing, or different types of 20 limits such that you see signs saying "End 20 zone.  Speed limit 20").  And although engineering standards for unit lane width and so on are very similar to those used in the US, streets and roads are just narrower in general, so you have to be much more alert to the need to alternate with oncoming vehicles.  About 99% of the public road mileage in the UK is paved for dust suppression, but the proportion that has been engineered in the modern sense is much smaller.

Scotland in particular used to be full of long-distance single-lane A-roads, especially in the Highlands.  I think some of them may even have had primary route status.

It is quite common for rural roads to have turf dikes at their edges.  Roads so equipped tend also to have narrow ditches on either side that begin about a foot behind the edge and are hidden by vegetation.  You don't want to pull off (e.g., to take a picture) and have one of the wheels drop into the ditch.  The underside of the car will then be beached on the verge, and though it likely won't be damaged, you will need help to get all four wheels back on terra firma.

The traffic engineering community in the UK does not believe in advisory speed signing for curves.  (The methods we use in the US, such as the ball bank test, are not considered reliable.)  Thus, while there is a prescribed sign for advisory speeds, it is used far less frequently than in the US.  Driving on rural single carriageways that have not been developed to WS2 standards (similar to Super Twos in the US) is thus a bit like driving in Montana, where MDT is similarly sparing with advisory speed signing.

I recommend reviewing the Highway Code and Know Your Traffic Signs before you go.

I haven't personally driven a RHD vehicle before, but I've heard it's really easy to reach for the turn signal and (a) there's no stalk there at all or (b) you turn on the windshield wipers instead.

This has never been an issue for me in the UK.  I recall (and a check of current Vauxhall ad copy seems to confirm) that controls for the turn signals and wipers are on the same sides of the steering column as in the US.  There are other LHT/RHD jurisdictions where they are reversed.

I think the only tricky parts were: remembering that left turn movements are easier, and now right turns are the one which require a little concentration. That, and getting back into the vehicle on the correct side...

When I was driving, I really struggled to remember to go for what would be the passenger side in the US.

On a more serious and safety-critical note, I found turns out of driveways into single-carriageway roads were dangerous, especially when recently arrived from a country with a different circulation rule.  On my first day driving in the UK, I made the same mistake Anne Sacoolas did--I turned right out of a driveway into the right lane--though I self-corrected in fairly quick order.

[KCRoadFan]

I gotta admit, when I saw the thread title, I thought it referred to places throughout the US where, for one reason or another, people find themselves driving on the left (such as that section of I-5 north of LA where the two carriageways swap sides for a few miles).

[J N Winkler]

Just to add:  the adaptation that took the longest for me was for the inside rearview mirror not to feel incorrectly adjusted.  I think it was an eye dominance issue.

[Alps]

When I flew to NZ, I got in the car, shifted it in reverse, got out of the lot (to show that I knew what I was doing so they wouldn't take the car back), and then was like "o KAY so i'm on the left now... now what" and I immediately saw old signs and had to photo them and "o KAY so i'm taking photos while left driving" and after an hour I just settled into it.
(I made 3 mistakes that trip - all 3 were pulling out of an overlook and going right before realizing my mistake. Fortunately no remote driving due to gas prices so no one came across me doing that.)

[Duke87]

So, funny enough, my only experience driving on the left is actually in the United States. The Virgin Islands, specifically, where they drive on the left but the cars are all US-spec so as far as the vehicle itself is concerned everything is exactly where you're used to it being.

Adapting to that situation was very quick and easy and I found myself driving on the wrong side of the road exactly zero times, though I did have to wait an extra half second while navigating my first couple right turns to make sure I was doing the right thing.

The most interesting thing I found is that my way of handling this mentally was to simply swap the definitions of left and right in my head and then everything else clicked into place no problem. At least for handling driving - it made talking to other people a little confusing since I'd keep saying "left" when I meant right and vice versa. Indeed, even now, in the prior paragraph I almost typed "my first couple left turns" and had to catch myself and correct it. No matter where I am or what road I am looking at, I will always think of a "left turn" as being one which goes in the direction that crosses oncoming traffic and a "right turn" as being one which goes in the direction that does not.


What I haven't ever done is operated a RHD vehicle, so I can't speak to that from experience, but I imagine it would be more challenging.

[J N Winkler]

What I haven't ever done is operated a RHD vehicle, so I can't speak to that from experience, but I imagine it would be more challenging.

The inside mirror issue aside, it isn't if it's an automatic.  If it is a manual, you are changing the hand you shift with (often from dominant to non-dominant or vice versa), and I believe the shift gating is also mirrored.

The LHT/LHD scenario is part of the reason Sweden ultimately had Dagen H.  The equivalent for Britons visiting the European continent, RHT/RHD, involves some advance preparation, such as buying transparent decals for the headlamps so that the beams will shine in the correct direction on the other side of the Channel.

[jakeroot]

Just to add:  the adaptation that took the longest for me was for the inside rearview mirror not to feel incorrectly adjusted.  I think it was an eye dominance issue.

My primary issue has been balance: I constantly felt like the car had weight on the wrong side ... like I was going to tip over. Such an odd feeling. Got used to it pretty quick, though the feeling of "I'm driving in the passenger seat" took a bit longer to overcome.



First time I ever drove on the left was on the A456 A456 in Birmingham, England. Then several more times throughout the road trip we were doing.

I'm moving to Japan literally in like three days, and I'll be there for a year or two. So, I'll come back to this thread in a couple weeks and report back on my initial thoughts after having not done it for eight years.

[vdeane]

There are some technicalities to signing, especially in the UK, that are not intuitive to Americans (e.g., speed limits based on lamp column spacing, or different types of 20 limits such that you see signs saying "End 20 zone.  Speed limit 20").

Interesting.  Is that like the difference between linear (specific to a section of road) or area (all roads in a given area, usually the statewide or municipal default) speed limits in NY, or is it something else?

[1995hoo]

I found driving on the left to be no big deal on the whole. The two tricky things: Muscle memory when you check the rearview mirror because you're used to it being on the right instead of the left, and maneuvering in tighter spaces (like indoor car parks) requires caution because the bulk of the car is to your left, rather than to your right. My father damaged the left-side tyres in his rental car in Scotland because he was driving too far to the left–I assume being used to sitting at a certain place in the lane was throwing him off. One solution to that: Tilt the left-side (passenger-side) mirror down and inwards so you can check how far left you are in the lane.

I suggest looking at the Highway Code online to understand the rules about using your blinkers at roundabouts and to understand some of the road signs, such as if you see a chicane (which shouldn't be very often). Roundabouts are not a nuisance except when you encounter chained mini-roundabouts (hopefully you won't). Those are a nuisance. The key principle: Each mini-roundabout in the chain operates as a separate roundabout with its own give-way requirements.

Traffic lights have a combined red-yellow cycle. When you see that, it means the light is about to turn green. Be prepared to go promptly–many Brits will start moving as the red-yellow is on. I wish we had that in North America.

The biggest thing that stands out in my mind is the prevalence of "Give Way" (Yield) signs where stop signs are used in the USA. The British theory comes across as "we assume you know what to do and can be trusted to do it," so you often don't have to stop unless you're required to do so because of other traffic. The American theory is to assume you don't know what to do and can't be trusted anyway, so we'll require you to stop every time in case there might be another car. I much preferred the British way. One thing to know, however, is that the Brits are good about knowing who is entitled to the right-of-way and taking it when it is theirs–it can seem a bit more aggressive to Americans who are used to constantly stopping at stop signs.

I assume you won't be driving on any single-track roads because those tend to be in isolated areas. If you will be, check the Highway Code to learn how to use passing places properly.

Speed cameras are common. They also have something called "average speed check" in work zones. This insidious system uses multiple cameras some distance apart. Each one reads your number plate. If you passed them too quickly, you get a ticket. (The idea is to combat the obvious tendency to slow down past the camera, then speed back up.) If you see "average speed check," do the speed limit.

[J N Winkler]

There are some technicalities to signing, especially in the UK, that are not intuitive to Americans (e.g., speed limits based on lamp column spacing, or different types of 20 limits such that you see signs saying "End 20 zone.  Speed limit 20").

Interesting.  Is that like the difference between linear (specific to a section of road) or area (all roads in a given area, usually the statewide or municipal default) speed limits in NY, or is it something else?

Yes--it's very similar (at least conceptually) to what NY does.  Here the distinction is between 20 zones, which are required to have design features (humps, tight geometry, etc.) so that the limit is self-enforcing, and 20 limits created on a linear basis.  Thus, a sign saying "20 zone ends.  Speed limit 20" essentially means the legal basis for the current limit has changed even though the limit itself has not.

All of this said, Wales is (controversially) about to adopt 20 as the default speed limit in urban areas.

Signing also differs in that you are expected to know the national speed limits that apply to your class of vehicle.  There are no reminder signs along the lines of "State Speed Limit 55" or "Maximum Speed 55."  This means that when you turn from one road to another and the NSL applies to both, you will not (with some rare exceptions) see any speed limit signing, even if the limit is numerically different (e.g., turning from a single carriageway with NSL of 60 onto a dual carriageway with NSL of 70).

On the other hand, if the speed limit does change when you turn from one road to another and the new limit is not NSL--e.g., from a single-carriageway road with NSL of 60 to a dual carriageway with a special speed limit of 50--then you will see a 50 sign just before the turn, in the neck of the junction, since it is positioned to "guard" the approach to the dual carriageway.  It will typically be mounted back to back on the same post as a sign (in this example, a NSL roundel) for traffic turning in the opposite direction.  The usual American approach of leaving the new speed limit a mystery to the driver until he or she gets a few hundred yards (or even longer) down the new road is considered anathema in Britain.

I'm moving to Japan literally in like three days, and I'll be there for a year or two. So, I'll come back to this thread in a couple weeks and report back on my initial thoughts after having not done it for eight years.

Best of luck with the move!

Are the wiper and turn signal stalks reversed?  I think that is true for at least one of the Asian countries with LHT/RHD (can't remember whether it is Japan or Thailand).

My primary issue has been balance: I constantly felt like the car had weight on the wrong side ... like I was going to tip over. Such an odd feeling. Got used to it pretty quick, though the feeling of "I'm driving in the passenger seat" took a bit longer to overcome.

I wonder if this feeling was magnified by high crossfall.  The UK has traditionally used 2.5% pretty much everywhere, while the US tends to use 1.5%-2% and go higher in areas that see high-intensity rainfall.  (Some states, like Kansas, also default to 4% on shoulders.)

[jakeroot]

I'm moving to Japan literally in like three days, and I'll be there for a year or two. So, I'll come back to this thread in a couple weeks and report back on my initial thoughts after having not done it for eight years.

Best of luck with the move!

Are the wiper and turn signal stalks reversed?  I think that is true for at least one of the Asian countries with LHT/RHD (can't remember whether it is Japan or Thailand).

Cheers!

Yes, the wiper and turn signal stalks are indeed reversed. That will ultimately take the most amount of time to get used to. I think operating a manual transmission with my left hand may have taken some time, but my car (2008 Mazda Atenza Wagon) is an automatic so I won't have to worry much about that.

My primary issue has been balance: I constantly felt like the car had weight on the wrong side ... like I was going to tip over. Such an odd feeling. Got used to it pretty quick, though the feeling of "I'm driving in the passenger seat" took a bit longer to overcome.

I wonder if this feeling was magnified by high crossfall.  The UK has traditionally used 2.5% pretty much everywhere, while the US tends to use 1.5%-2% and go higher in areas that see high-intensity rainfall.  (Some states, like Kansas, also default to 4% on shoulders.)

It could have been! Though, the crossfall in the UK could be similar to here in Washington State; we do have rather similar climate patterns.

I think it was mostly psychological; the unbalanced feeling was more in my head, resulting from the front-left seat being empty even while moving. The feeling was much less noticeable with an occupied vehicle.

[Bickendan]

I drive USPS mail trucks, which are RHD. No issues whatsoever, but that's still driving on the right. They do have a mirror advantage in that there are more mirrors to help guid positioning in the lane and where the front bumper actually lies, as well as with backing.
What took a little longer to adapt to was riding shotgun on the left when I was in India.

[Takumi]

I own a RHD car, and that part took a day or two to get used to. I'm currently in a RHD/LHT country, and I'm still getting used to the LHT part.

[Road Hog]

I have never driven a RHD drive vehicle in Britain, but I did find left-hand driving an easy adjustment. Drive-thrus were problematic in an era where power windows weren't standard, but I managed.

[abefroman329]

I've done it several times in England, and am going to do it again in December and January.

I don't know how to drive a stick, so that's a moot point.  The only thing I struggle with is the slowest lane being the one that's the furthest to the left and the fastest being the one that's furthest to the right, but other drivers are significantly more patient than they are in the US.  Oh, and I still haven't mastered the double roundabout.

One thing I was telling my wife recently is that, since my left (non-dominant) hand is pretty much useless, I couldn't drink from a drink that was in the center console cup holder, so I'd either have to put it in the drink holder built into the driver's side door, or not be able to drink it at all.

[jakeroot]

One thing I was telling my wife recently is that, since my left (non-dominant) hand is pretty much useless, I couldn't drink from a drink that was in the center console cup holder, so I'd either have to put it in the drink holder built into the driver's side door, or not be able to drink it at all.

Couldn't you grab it with your right hand? It's not a huge reach.

As a manual transmission driver, I sometimes find myself having to reach from the opposite side. For example, eating ice cream but then I have to change gears. If my ice cream is in my right hand and I failed to predict an upcoming gear change, I'll reach over with my left hand and change gear. Leaving no hands on the wheel for a brief second, yes. Still, it's not an impossible move, just awkward. Just for a drink in a cupholder, I think I could do it more often.

[kphoger]

I've taught enough people to drive stick, that shifting from the passenger seat isn't all that weird to me.  Some people have needed a transition period of them using the clutch but me shifting.

Also, when I first fell in love, I used to hold my girlfriend's hand and just shift with my left every time.  Turning when the light turned green was tricky, though, as shifting from 1st to 2nd is something I usually do partway through the turn.

[GaryV]

Also, when I first fell in love, I used to hold my girlfriend's hand and just shift with my left every time.

I practiced driving with my left hand only, so that just in case I ever might get a girlfriend, I could have her slide across on the bench seat and put my right arm around her. By the time I had a girlfriend, I had a car with bucket seats, so the practice was in vain.

[abefroman329]

Couldn't you grab it with your right hand? It's not a huge reach.

I would really rather not, since driving on the left uses just about all of my concentration, but you are correct that it's an option.

[mrose]

I've lived in both the US and Australia for years at a time; currently in the latter. I have owned cars with both and have a lot of experiencing driving both.

It was not as difficult as I thought it would be, at least in the beginning. I think you actually concentrate a lot more when you know it is tricky.... where it becomes problematic is after you get comfortable with one for awhile. I found it is also a bit weird when I travel to one place for awhile, and then go back..... it's almost a little more disorientating upon the return, although that feeling usually goes away. Sometimes all you need to get comfortable is just kinda follow traffic for a bit. Oddly enough I find the different signage (metric/imperial) and lane markings (for example, yellow lines are rarely used in Oz) are enough of a reminder for me to adhere to a certain set of driving rules.

But it has rarely been a problem for me. I have some natural ambi-dexterity that perhaps helps a little bit; there are many things I do right-handed and many I do left-handed, and I've been playing drums for a long time, so maybe I have a good "brain" for this sort of thing, not sure.

After nearly 25 years of shuffling back and forth though, there are two dumb things I still do frequently when I'm in Australia - I try to get in on the passenger side, and when I am driving I will hit the windshield wipers instead of the headlights. My brain seems to not have fully adjusted to those things.

The other rather strange quirk that I have developed is that it feels very odd to go through roundabouts counter-clockwise. Roundabouts in the US are obviously all over the place now, but 20 years ago they were not. All of my roundabout training comes from the first time I lived in Australia which was 2002-2009; it was only after I moved to Colorado for 10 years and started seeing them pop up there that I got a little out of my comfort zone.

[Alps]

I wanna say my biggest thing was not getting in the wrong door, but reaching for the seatbelt on the wrong side every time.