5 Easy Tips for Driving on the Left Hand Side of the Road
Living in the United States, we drive on the right-hand side of the road. But did you know, that about one third of the world’s territories and countries require their citizens to drive on the left side of the road? What’s interesting is that many of the countries are former members of the British Empire. Think of countries, such as, Australia, New Zealand, India, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, or Hong Kong.
How did driving on the left or right even develop though? Well, the history goes back, like way back. Think the Middle Ages when they used horse and buggies to as their main means of transportation. Horse riders and cart riders back then would drive left-handed so they were able to grab their swords with their right hands. This was just in case of an attack. But then, Napoleon Bonaparte came along. He was left-handed and was more comfortable driving on the right so his left hand (sword hand) could remain free. Since he was such an influential figure, he convinced France and many of its European neighbors to stay on the right side. It was the Brits that stuck to the left and they expanded left-handed driving to much of their Commonwealth.
Are you visiting one of the 67 countries that drive on the left-hand side road soon? Nervous? Don’t be! Follow these 5 tips for driving on the left-hand side of the road and you’ll be a natural in no time! These tips can also apply if you are traveling to a country that drives on the right-hand side of the road. Just make sure to do the opposite!
Everything Is On The Left
This means that if you are from America or any other country that drives on the right-hand side of the road, you will need to get used to being on the opposite side of the car, driving in the left-hand lane, etc. This also applies when you’re driving. When you’re driving on a highway, you will stay in the left land and pass on the right.
Rental Cars
A lot of cars outside of the United States have manual transmission, so book your car rental early if you need to drive automatic. Also, keep in mind the metrics system of the country you are visiting. Whether or not they use MPH or KPH will matter when you are looking at your dashboard to see how fast you’re driving.
Pro tip: This is especially important if you are planning on doing any driving from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland, for example. Each country uses a different metrics and because of that, the speed on the dashboard is listed in both. Depending on where car is from, the main speedometer might be in MPH and then you’ll see the corresponding KPH.
The Smaller, The Better
Smaller is better when it comes to picking out your car. This is especially important when you’re driving throughout the UK, for example, because the country roads are narrow! I find it also so much easy to navigate a new car, on a different side of the road if its smaller.
Road Signs
Most of the time the road signs are in English and the local language. If not, I HIGHLY recommend using Google Maps for all your directions. It’s important though to concentrate and avoid unnecessary distractions. When there isn’t traffic to follow, it’s very easy to turn into the wrong lane out of habit.
Right-Left-Right
Look right-left-right when you’re attempting to cross any intersection or pulling out onto a road. In the United States, I would naturally look left first since I know that traffic will be coming from the left. However, it will be the opposite since traffic will be coming from the other direction.
Have you gotten a chance to drive on the “wrong” side of the road? Let me know about your experiences in the comments!