Not driven for 5 years should I drive in Canada?

[IIama]

Hi,

I passed my drivers test 5 years ago at the age of 19. Never bothered getting a car as I went from uni to working in London.

I am taking my mother on holiday to Canada in October as a belated 60th birthday treat for her (delayed 2 years by Covid). She has now decided she is too anxious to drive an automatic on the other side of the road.

Would I be mad to be the one to do the driving? It would be an automatic car, which I have driven twice before and found very easy.

I would be driving from Montreal to Ottawa to Quebec and then back to Montreal with a few stops along the way. So a lot of driving.

I have heard driving in Canada is fairly easy so I think I’ll be fine or am I being naive?

Thanks!

Being Canadian, and having driven both automatic and manual, this always fascinated me. What is difficult about driving an automatic? You hardly have to do anything. I had a friend when I lived in Jersey (Channel Islands) who was terrified of driving an automatic, she almost didn’t buy a car she loved otherwise because of this.

OP, if I were you I’d think twice about driving in Montreal. It’s notorious for awful drivers/traffic.

Canadian drivers are also nowhere near as likely to let you out at junctions compared to UK drivers. Over here, it’s much more down to who has the right of way. You could be waiting ages to get out of a side road here that UK drivers would happily slow down and give you time for. Following that, there’s definitely more aggro from a significant portion of drivers here too.

@crazycanuck Automatics aren’t harder than manuals per se, it is just that it is yet another thing to think about when you already have information overload from driving in a new country - different road signs, wrong side of the road etc.

You really need driving the car to be unconscious, in order to reduce your mental load - if you are trying to change the non-existent gears, or you put your foot on the brake thinking it’s the clutch, you have less brainpower to concentrate on situational awareness. And as OP is an inexperienced driver, her situational awareness is likely to be pretty bad anyway. So not a great combination.

I can see how it would be extra to take in along with driving in a new country. My friend though, she was still in the UK, and she wasn’t the first I knew there who was afraid of automatics.

When I moved back to Canada, we got an automatic. Since we sit on the other side of the car here, it was a couple weeks before I stopped hitting the door with my hand when I was going for the non-existent stick shift.

You'll be fine 👍 you may need to pay a young person's driving surcharge but it shouldn't be too much

Also automatics set off as soon as you put them in “drive”! With no acceleration! That is off-putting. It is like the car is haunted

I’m sure OP will be fine by the end of the trip, but the first journey might be a bit hair raising for her.

I think the fact that you aren’t a regular driver and used to driving on the left will make it easier for you to drive on the right. Your brain won’t be telling you you’re on the wrong side!

Driving an automatic is so easy although you’ll need to get some practice in manoeuvring, on a motorway etc before you go. Can your mum put you on her insurance for a month so you can drive around a bit before you go?

Hopefully your mum will go over her fear when you’re there - the thought of something is often worse than actually doing it - and you can take turns.

I loved Canada for driving. So scenic, especially in the fall, lovely long wide roads, lots of free parking. We drove from Toronto to Edmonton once. Used to regularly drive into Winnipeg when we lived just outside there, found driving there much easier than most UK cities.

Never went over to the French part so couldn’t say what it’s like there.

I'd catch the train.