How hard is it to drive on the other side of the road?

[halfdaybae]

Was tempted to title the thread tread orgasm, but ......

How hard is it to drive on other side of the road? Tempted to hire a car for a few day as to save taxi and bus and get a bit further afield but don't know how difficult it is when using the other side of the road.

I don't find it hard, provided I concentrate and minimise distractions. I take my own Sat Nav, even if the hire car has one, as it's more familiar.

Of the few times I have forgotten, has been turning out of a fuel station, or doing a U-turn and looking the wrong way.

Having ridden motorbikes in the passed I still look over my shoulder when changing lanes on motorways, this is especially relevant when driving a right hand drive car on right hand roads and is the best advice I can give anyone.

Definitely agree that having a bit of traffic around actually helps

I hate it and avoid it with a passion, I've got a driving licence for an opposite side of the road country too.

Love driving in the UK, never do it elsewhere now. I just decided that I didn't enjoy it and plan trips around flights/trains/taxis.

No problem when there are plenty of other cars around. The riskiest time for me is starting again after a break. If the road is quiet, it's very easy to set of the wrong way

A small piece of brightly coloured ribbon tied to the steering wheel is helpful to remind me when I get back into the car after a break.

As others have said, it’s fine in a car designed for that country/ side of the road. Everything just slots into place as you are still in the centre of the road as the driver.

I haven’t tried in my own car and imagine that might confuse me

This hard:

I don't drive, never have, yet when in America and whizzing a friend's car around a quiet road, I kept veering to the UK side automatically.

No issues at all, either RHD or LHD. Most challenging was driving a LHD track car, driving hard feels quite unnatural.

I find the gears the hardest part when you're on the opposite side of the car so I only drive automatic cars when abroad. It's much easier.

It depends. When I did it lots of people suggested sticking to small roads, but actually I found the larger highways much easier.

The trickiest thing was that I kept driving too close to the curb. My sense of space going around turns was also wonky.

Not hard.

1. remember that the steering wheel goes in the middle of the road
2. pay attention when you exit car parks (exiting a one way system)

Wow lots of PPs saying they found it easy with some extra concentration.

I've driven in France several times in my car including across big parts of the country.

I hate it. It isn't easy. Even if I had a car with LHS drive I would struggle. The roundabouts or when you turn into a road. .. all those things you find part of your comfortable automatic memory when driving... you have to constantly remind yourself and be hyper aware. It's mentally exhausting and ever so slightly anxious scary

Get an automatic. Remember the right side is the right side. (This is what my driving instructor would tell me)

My brain can't cope with it, even in an automatic. Coming off motorways with slip roads and roundabouts brought me out in hives. You'll soon know if you can or can't!

I find it ok. I have driven both right sided cars in uk and abroad, and left sided cars in uk and abroad. I find it all ok.

After years of switching back and forth, I still panic when I come across someone else driving on the wrong side of the road. For instance, when someone doesn't give way when they're driving between parked cars in the UK, or to give themselves more room to get into their garage in a built-up area in Spain, I tend to think for a few seconds that it must be me driving on the wrong side.

When I'm in a car with other non-locals, they tend to adjust badly to different road rules and customs rather than to driving on the other side. For example, I was with someone who was about to reverse into a double-parked car on the other side of the street while he was backing out, and couldn't understand why we shouted at him to stop. Where he usually drives, nobody would leave their car double parked in a narrow street, so he just couldn't see that there was an extra car there.
(That was rather satisfying, actually, seeing the owner of the other car running out of the shop looking worried, afraid that her car was going to be hit while she was parked illegally.)

I found it fine, just remember beam converters if you take your own car.

Easier than you think especially if you get a hire car

All that you have to remember that the white line in the middle of the road ( if there is one) is always on the driver's side. I regularly drive in Italy and UK and flip between the two very easily. UK is actually the wrong side of the road for me as I don't live there. When I first come out of the airport I just remember the white line rule and follow other cars. It's slightly harder on lanes, I tend to drive a bit it in the middle. It's not as hard as you think and after a few minutes driving you're used to it.

Easy enough to drive a car outside the UK with the driving position on the other side, I have found.

Driving the car is absolutely fine.
However I think what city you are driving in depending on the time of day is a different story!!