Driving on the opposite side of the road (rent a car Europe)

j@utis

Hi all,

I'm going for holiday next week to some country in Europe. I've booked a car to help us get around easier/quicker. I feel a bit worried about it because I've never driven outside Ireland.
Is hard to addapt to keep on the right hand side of the road? I'm afraid I'll start going clockwise on the roundabouts, turn into wrong lane in the junctions etc...!
What's your experience?

Zube

I've never had a problem with driving on the wrong side, either in a hire car or my own. With a hire car, I found it easier to adapt to driving an automatic than working a manual with my right hand, but lots of holiday places don't do automatics at the cheaper end of the range.

Biro

j@utis wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm going for holiday next week to some country in Europe. I've booked a car to help us get around easier/quicker. I feel a bit worried about it because I've never driven outside Ireland.
Is hard to addapt to keep on the right hand side of the road? I'm afraid I'll start going clockwise on the roundabouts, turn into wrong lane in the junctions etc...!
What's your experience?

It's grand. The hardest part is actually getting out of the hire car car park, cause you're sitting in the car for the first time worrying about trying to drive on the other side and you're over thinking everything! Once on the main road you'll be fine. Roundabouts will come kind of naturally when you approach them from the wrong side of the road. Just remember to look left rather than right!

peasant

It shouldn't be a problem really ...you're sitting on the "wrong" side of the car as well and as long as you're following other traffic you probably won't even notice the difference.

Starting off first thing in the morning, pulling out after having had a break or driving on a deserted road will take some heightened concentration.

Make yourself a little reminder ...a big arrow pointing to the right and stick that on or near your dashboard/steering wheel in your line of vision. Sounds silly, bit if you're worried now, a quick glance at the arrow will tell you where you ought to be if ever in doubt.

seamus

Yep, as said above. If you overthink it, it's harder to concentrate. If you relax (drive slowish if you need to), it's much easier. You'll also notice that junctions and the like are designed as right-hand driving junctions. It's amazingly difficult to go onto the wrong side of the road without having to manouver around kerbs and the like.

Make yourself a little reminder ...a big arrow pointing to the right and stick that on or near your dashboard/steering wheel in your line of vision. Sounds silly, bit if you're worried now, a quick glance at the arrow will tell you where you ought to be if ever in doubt.

I rented a car in Spain once that had a really good idea. When I looked into the car, there was a sticker on the dash in front of the wheel, pointing upwards. It had a big red arrow on it, pointing right. I thought, "Why put it there, I can't see it when I sit in the seat". Then when I actually sat in the seat, I could see a big, red, semi-transparent arrow in the windscreen.
Great idea.

r3nu4l

It's a doddle, I've driven automatics and manuals abroad (US and France respectively) and had no problems.

You will find that because you have local cars ahead of you going around roundabouts, you can't go that far wrong

As Biro said, the hardest part is the initial sitting in the car in the rental lot and orienting yourself

I was only driving six months and had only gotten my license 1 week before I travelled to the US and drove in Florida, through Clearwater and to Tampa and Orlando. If I can do it anyone can. Don't worry, it'll be fine

bazz26

I'm left handed and found using the gear stick with my right hand a little hard at first. I also found roundabouts to be a little head wrecking but like everything you get used to it.

The first day is always tricky but after that your laughing.

jimogr

Get your passenger to do all the navigation so you can concentrate on the driving.

First hour or so will take a lot of concentration, after that it becomes second nature - you'll find it weird when you get home to go back to driving on the left.

I wouldn't recommend doing too much driving in the dark, I've done some and found it very hard.

Enjoy

bennyc

Use a Sat Nav if you are worried I had one in France last year and my wife who was no way going to drive decided to as the Sat nav gives you the reminder at the roundabout to take the next right. but you will be suprised to find how easy you adapt.

j@utis

jimogr wrote: »

Get your passenger to do all the navigation so you can concentrate on the driving.

Enjoy

thinking that myself. I bet all the passengers will be 'driving' including them ones on the back seat (back seat drivers lol).
I've been driving for 3.5 months so far; 1.5 of which is on my full license. Hopefully it'll come out to be easier than I think and worry about now.

KTRIC

Hi j@utis, if I'm not mistaking you're not Irish anyway. Don't people in your home country drive on the right hand side.

And if you're the j@utis I remember I don't recall you sticking to either side of the road

Don't worry about it too much. I started driving on the right 4 weeks ago and I was suprised how quickly it comes to you. After an hour or so you'll settle into it.

Slig

You'll be grand, the hardest part is the initial turn out of the car park. I guarantee all of your passangers will cringe as you turn out into the right hand lane!! The most difficult part is adapting back to right hand drive when you come back

jimogr

j@utis wrote: »

I've been driving for 3.5 months so far; 1.5 of which is on my full license.

Check the terms of your rental company - a lot require that you've held your full license for at least one year.

jimmycrackcorm

I found that it was easy to concentrate on driving on the opposite side in a foreign country. But when I got back, it was more difficult to adjust back to normal because of a combination of normal familiarity against a recent period of concentrated thinking about driving on the right.

Pete67

jimogr wrote: »

Check the terms of your rental company - a lot require that you've held your full license for at least one year.

+1

The last three car rentals agreements I've signed in France and Italy all had this condition imposed on all drivers.

j@utis

Yeah, but my license says valid from '2006-09-10', I think I'll get away with it.

digitaldr

A good tip is not to even think about right/left - just make sure you're beside the centre line/barrier (if that makes any sense!).

Rented a car in Orlando a couple of years ago - the lady at the desk said they were going to be getting some kind of driving simulator to test people out prior to letting them rent:eek: I think she was taking the pis*:)

blackbox

Be careful when returning to the car when parked.

You'll feel like a right plonker when you open the door only to find the steering wheel is on the other side!

unkel

I've found it much easier to switch from LHD to RHD and vice versa than I though it would be

Way back when on the switch from LHD to RHD I admit to having grabbed the drivers side window winder once or twice when I was planning to change gears though

Seth Brundle

As the others have said, its not difficult to make the changeover.

As for renting a car, my advice is this:
thoroughly examine the inside and outside of the car for damage, marks, etc. and if there are any then ensure they are declared before you sign for it. Otherwise you will get billed (possibly after your return home) for any damage found after you return the car. Do this even if you are tired, have a nagging missus who is tired from carrying all the bags and you are fed up because there was a five hour delay in the airport!
You will probably need to fill the tank before you return it or they will fill it and charge you at their rates which tend to be quite high.

Pete67

j@utis wrote: »

Yeah, but my license says valid from '2006-09-10', I think I'll get away with it.

Thats up to you. I'd suggest you have a plan B in case you are refused at the desk. The restriction comes from insurance requirements, so if you have an accident you might not be covered. Do you want to risk that too?

microgirl

unkel wrote: »

I've found it much easier to switch from LHD to RHD and vice versa than I though it would be

Way back when on the switch from LHD to RHD I admit to having grabbed the drivers side window winder once or twice when I was planning to change gears though

Snap!

FX Meister

As mentioned it just takes getting used to. Roundybouts especially and when turning staying on the correct side after you turn.

fricatus

I found it fairly easy driving in Spain, even in cities, after the initial weird car-park moment. That first time I edged out onto the very busy roundabout at Malaga Airport, it was a pain, not so much in terms of being on the wrong side of the road or knowing where to go - in truth you just follow all the other cars - but just trying to pull out into traffic in an unfamiliar car, unfamiliar clutch, etc. If you've driven a number of different cars though, you'll be used to that. It might be hard though if you've only ever driven the car you learned in!

After a while it gets automatic, but I did find at first that I tended to drive too far right in my lane on the motorway. You have to place yourself left of centre, rather than right of centre so as to have the car in the middle. It became easy once I became conscious of it. Also, the "bulk" of the car is on the wrong side, or so it feels.

You have to concentrate more I find on roads where there's not that much traffic, or where a car could come whizzing around a bend on the wrong side. Just take a second when pulling out to figure out where you should be and where other cars could come from.

Roundabouts were the easiest bit. Absolutely everything is reversed, so it feels sort of "right" to be going the wrong way around! In any case, there's generally other traffic to follow.

And yes, the weirdest part of all is when you get back into your own car. I kept on whacking my right hand against the driver's door when going for the handbrake and gears. It took me about 2 hours before I got it out of my system!