How hard is it to drive on the left?

[Wade Lippman]

We are thinking of going to Dominica next winter and they drive on the left. If anyone has done that on vacation, how hard is it? I don't expect they have much traffic there, but still...

I find it hard to downhill ski after a day of XC, but my wife does most of the driving and she is more adaptable than I am.

[Dan Friedrichs]

I've driven on Grand Cayman (also a left-driving island), and didn't find it hard. At least there, I think they fully expected people to screw it up: there were very large signs as you left the rental car lot ("Drive on the LEFT!!!") and along the main airport roads ("Are you driving on the LEFT side?"). Combine that with slower-paced island life, limited traffic, limited traffic control devices, and it wasn't hard. It wasn't super easy, but I'd do it again without any concern.

[Alan Rutherford]

When I rented a car in London for the first time several years ago, it was mind-blowing driving away from the Hertz office, which was on a downtown traffic circle. It got better after that and the real danger was after I started to get comfortable and would react instinctively to situations, usually in the wrong direction. There are so many things you don't consider like how to enter, leave or drive around in a parking lot. That wouldn't stop me from doing it again.

[Matt Day]

I drove on the left in Ireland. The left takes some mind bending but the lack of signage was more difficult. Plan on GPS of some kind if you think you might need it.

[Bob Glenn]

We took a motorcycle tour of New Zealand. The rental bikes had big arrows on the tank pointing left. We just followed a guy from England the first day and after that it wasn't too bad. You have to becareful in cities though, especially on foot. I almost got run over stepping off a curb after looking left for oncoming cars. You have to look right when crossing the streets. Good luck. Do it!

[Michael Weber]

I have on a couple of occasions. Except for a few moments when stress was high I remembered to stay on the left. The over riding problem for me was the change in visual relationship from sitting on the right hand side of the car. This caused me to drive way too far to the left at first and remained a problem that required effort to constantly be mindful of. The visual relationship to oncoming traffic is the same and made it seem like I am too close and needed to pull left to avoid head on collisions. Fortunately we survived with only a now funny story or two to tell. At my age now I don't think I'd do it. And, I agree with Bob about crossing streets. Habits die hard.

[Günter VögelBerg]

I would consult the very enlightening thread about shopping carts for more info.

[Paul F Franklin]

I didn't find it hard to adjust. The locals can always tell when a driver is from the US....they'll be driving along on a sunny day and their windshield wipers will go on when they are about to make a turn. (The turn signal stalk and wiper stalk are switched as well). When they see that they tend to give you wide berth! For the first day or two I made a point of leaving the radio off and asking SWMBO not to chat...just to help concentrate.

[Sam Murdoch]

Redacted - seemed wise.

Sam

[John K Jordan]

Ha! I've driven a lot in England, Scotland, and some on the Grand Cayman island. My wife always "lets" me do all the driving.

It can be tricky at first! In the Caymans a local told me most of the wrecks are with first-time visitors looking the wrong way before pulling out onto the road. Motor scooters are popular there too and the guy said there have been fatalities. It's been a long time since I was there ('80s") but then there was only one real road.

I had zero trouble adapting quickly in Great Britain for many trips - all it took was staying aware of the difference. Then on one trip my wife rented a car with stick shift instead of an automatic. Now I love standard shift transmissions, have one on my diesel truck now. But the combination of the left side of the road, shifting with the left hand, and multi lane roundabouts in the middle of London shot my stress levels through the roof! No problem cruising out in the country or even through tight streets and roundabouts in the small towns. And the road signs were in English!

It's far more "interesting" driving in the towns and mountains in Italy. The signs are in Italian (or in German or both, depending on the location) and trying do decipher them while negotiating some of the roundabouts in busy areas was fun. (Especially since Italian drivers don't seem to like to poke along like me!) Without a good GPS it would have been even more fun. But even then I got good and lost at a detour. (I really need to learn to understand Italian.)

I have no idea about Dominica - never been there. From the map it doesn't look too bad, some winding roads. Just watch the roundabouts! (Don't forget the international driver's license, if required there.)

JKJ

[Doug Dawson]

I didn't find it hard to adjust. The locals can always tell when a driver is from the US....they'll be driving along on a sunny day and their windshield wipers will go on when they are about to make a turn. (The turn signal stalk and wiper stalk are switched as well). When they see that they tend to give you wide berth! For the first day or two I made a point of leaving the radio off and asking SWMBO not to chat...just to help concentrate.

Yes, it all depends on how much you've had to drink. Geisterfahrer! I wonder if they keep statistics on how many of those are foreigners. The beverages in other countries can be unexpectedly stronger.

[Dan Friedrichs]

It can be tricky at first! In the Caymans a local told me most of the wrecks are with first-time visitors looking the wrong way before pulling out onto the road

John, you reminded me that on the Caymans, at least, they license plates of rental cars are yellow (vs white) as a warning for other motorists to watch out for the "bad drivers"!

[David Bassett]

No experience yet. But compared notes w/ my nephew who drove in New Zealand and he says it's mostly no problem on the roads. It gets trickier in cities, where one-way streets and lots of cross traffic screw up the simplistic "stay left" rules you have learned quickly. The only place he always felt lost was parking lots. Too many situations where your instincts are required and are wrong.

Do take care to only drive while alert so you don't revert to your habits. There was a horrible crash, several dead, in NZ when we were there that was attributed to a tourist in a rental RV, at night, after a long overnight flight, zoning out and drifting right causing a multi-car head on collision.


... (Don't forget the international driver's license, if required there.)

If you need one, I can report they are painless to get, at least here. AAA offices are the official outlet in US. I downloaded and filled out the form and our local CSAA affiliate branch had me in and out in about 10 minutes for the US fee of $20. (They comp'd me the passport sized photos because I'm a member and it could have been longer if there was a line.)

[David Bassett]

I didn't find it hard to adjust. The locals can always tell when a driver is from the US....they'll be driving along on a sunny day and their windshield wipers will go on when they are about to make a turn. (The turn signal stalk and wiper stalk are switched as well). When they see that they tend to give you wide berth! For the first day or two I made a point of leaving the radio off and asking SWMBO not to chat...just to help concentrate.

Don't have to be in a drive-left country to get crossed up. My van's gear shift is were my wife's Prius' wiper control is located. First thing we do when I drive the Prius is dry rub the windshield. (Fortunately the van is smart enough I didn't trash the transmission the time I switched back, it started raining, and I "shifted" to reverse to turn the wipers on.)

[Pat Barry]

Driving on left not a problem unless you get a stick shift, then you will have some fun. Biggest trouble I had was in parking lots.

[Edwin Santos]

Driving on left not a problem unless you get a stick shift, then you will have some fun. Biggest trouble I had was in parking lots.

This raises a good point, if you are not comfortable with a standard transmission/stick shift, make sure your rental agency can have an automatic available for you.

I have been to several countries where 90% of vehicles or more are standard transmission. In France they told me they only stocked a few automatics for Americans because by and large, Americans were the only customers that did not know how to drive a stick. Driving a stick seems to be another dying skill, at least in the US.

[Doug Dawson]

This raises a good point, if you are not comfortable with a standard transmission/stick shift, make sure your rental agency can have an automatic available for you.

I have been to several countries where 90% of vehicles or more are standard transmission. In France they told me they only stocked a few automatics for Americans because by and large, Americans were the only customers that did not know how to drive a stick. Driving a stick seems to be another dying skill, at least in the US.

Automatic transmissions (formerly known as "slush boxes") have gotten so good in recent years that there's no longer any reason to pay attention to the alternative. Driving a stick is becoming increasingly associated with poverty.

Kind of like turning up your nose at anti-lock brakes, IMO.

[David Bassett]

... Biggest trouble I had was in parking lots.

We are planning to drive on an upcoming trip and I've been researching possible issues. You remind me of a big one: Make sure you know how to put the car in reverse before you leave the rental car agency! Apparently, now that manual transmission have 6 to 8+ gears the (US) traditional H-pattern isn't used and that leaves reverse needing unstandardized tricks. Examples I've read about are 2nd lever, hold button put it in first, and hold button and put it in OD.

Several sources say this is a common problem. (Plus, my wife had a coworker admit to never finding reverse on one trip. He apparently avoided backing as much as possible and just pushed the car when it was unavoidable.)

[Lee Schierer]

We spent 2 weeks in Britain and Scotland and we drove for much of the trip. The first day is terrifying, the second day is better an by the third day you can actually look out the side once in a while and see some of the country. YMMV. Roundabouts are fun...Their main roads aren't bad, the secondary roads get to be quite narrow and the Lorries (Large Trucks) don't seem to car which side of the center line the put their wheels. You have to think each time you stop at some place or turn so that your old U.S. driving habits don't put you in the wrong lane. Having the steering wheel on the right side of the vehicle helps, though whoever is driving may automatically walk to the other side of the car at times.

If you make an error, be sure to politely wave and say you are sorry, it goes a long way with the local drivers.

Make sure you know where the gas fill is located.

[Jim Becker]

I managed pretty well in Ireland a number of years ago when we drove the Ring of Kerry, staying in B&Bs along the way. The roundabouts were the hardest, especially at first, and it took conscious effort to "look the correct way" at intersections. I also managed to survive similar in Bermuda a couple of times on rental bikes. As long as you pay attention and think before you do, you should get reasonably comfortable pretty quickly.

[Wade Lippman]

We are planning to drive on an upcoming trip and I've been researching possible issues. You remind me of a big one: Make sure you know how to put the car in reverse before you leave the rental car agency!

48 years ago my grandfather and I went to Europe and rented a car. He insisted that I drive, even though I had never driven a manual before. I figured it out sort of, but never could get it into reverse; so I had to make sure I never needed reverse. Fortunately I knew how to use a manual choke because my lawnmower had one.
A few years later a girlfriend taught me how to properly use the clutch. Boy what a difference that made!

[John K Jordan]

... Having the steering wheel on the right side of the vehicle helps, though whoever is driving may automatically walk to the other side of the car at times.


Ha! The first time I went to the Caymans it was with a scuba diving group. We shared rooms and my roommate and I decided to rent a car and see the sights. His personality was "me first" and as we walked out to get the car for the first time he rushed around to the left side while I, walking behind, sauntered up to the right side and got in the driver's seat. He was not a happy guy! (Well, the self-centered and impatient often seem unhappy in life. :rolleyes:)

JKJ

[roger wiegand]

I'm blessed/cursed with right/left dyslexia (or whatever it might be called), really have to think hard to tell my right from my left. I have absolutely no trouble or transition switching sides when driving as long as I'm in a right hand drive car when driving left and left hand drive car when driving on the right. The "rule" is exactly the same either way, keep the side of the car where your body is toward the centerline. All the geometry then stays exactly the same. If I had to constantly think about left and right I'd run straight into a tree.

It's fortunate that they keep the pedals in the same order, I have no problem shifting with either hand (too cheap to rent an automatic in England!), but flipping the brakes and clutch would really mess me up!

[John K Jordan]

It's fortunate that they keep the pedals in the same order, I have no problem shifting with either hand (too cheap to rent an automatic in England!), but flipping the brakes and clutch would really mess me up!

I was thankful for that too! Imagine if they just mirror-imaged the whole car and put the gas/acceleration pedal on the left and the clutch by the door to be worked with the right foot! We and those who visited here from Great Britain would probably all crash before we got out of the car rental parking lot!

JKJ

[Stan Calow]

Ive been to Dominica. Did not drive there, but there are some densely populated areas in the towns with lots of pedestrians, bikes, trucks, carts and other non-car vehicles. Outside of town there were people walking in the not-so-great roads, etc. So definitely a challenge.

[Rod Sheridan]

I find it much easier on a motorcycle than in a car. Interestingly, on a motorcycle the side stand is actually meant for left hand driving.

That said, once you drive a bit you'll get used to it.........Rod.

[James Baker SD]

Driving on left not a problem unless you get a stick shift, then you will have some fun. Biggest trouble I had was in parking lots.

I agree, shifting gears with left hand was the hardest part. At least the clutch was still a left foot pedal, gas/brake on right foot. Had a rental car in Scotland and all cars were manual transmissions.

[Rollie Meyers]

I always joked a frontal lobotomy was required to drive on the wrong side of the road, but being careful & paying attention would be paramount in any unfamiliar situation. Calling a manual transmission a "standard" trans, is a stretch now considering a lot of vehicles are only available with automatics, I developed a huge dislike of manuals driving a F150 w/ a 5 speed in Houston & Dallas. :D Another bad place to drive a manual is in San Fransisco.

[terry mccammon]

I was taught by an English friend to drive such that the passenger is in the ditch, in other words always put the passenger side on the side of the road and you can not go wrong. That said, I was flying back from my last trip to Scotland and an older couple were helped on the plane, both using walkers. Ok, in conversation with the gentleman while waiting for the toilet to open, it seems they were driving along, some sort of emergency/alarm/sudden decision point occurred and he did what 45 years of American driving told him to do, they both ended up with broken pelvises and apparently serious legal repercussion as well. My personal rule is I don't drive outside North America.

[Brian Deakin]

I live in the UK .You may find the link below helpful

Roundabouts are probably the most difficult aspect of driving on the left if your chosen county has them

https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/changes-and-answers/-highway-code-for-roundabouts

Additionally I would contact car rental companies in your chosen destination to see if they have any fact sheets

[Osvaldo Cristo]

My first experience driving in England (Birmingham region) was at night in countryside roads... the police stopped me just to check if I was drunk!

After a couple of days you can drive as usual. No problems at all... even with manual shift cars. I guess for automatic cars there is just a minimum time to adapt... very easy.

Do not worry about that.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I drive on the left at home, but our cars come from the states so the driver sits on the left. When I go to other islands, the rentals are driver sits on the right, drive on the left of the road. When I go to the States, Puerto Rico, or Aruba, it’s drive on the right, sit on the left. I get used to flip-flopping back and forth. The problem will be pulling out of a driveway- make sure you are in the left lane and turn into the left lane. After that, just follow traffic.

First time I went to Aruba, my guy there called me to check on me. “Make sure you don’t get on the wrong side of the road,” he said. I laughed, “ah, you forget that we ALSO drive on the left?” He said, “Malcolm, we drive on the right!” Now Igor was always playing jokes, so I laughed and said, “I’m not falling for that- I know you drive on the left.” Just then, I met a truck head-on and had to jump the median. Oops. Igor wasn’t kidding.

All that being said, the rental places here all have cars in the back lot with head-on damage from tourists who forgot to get on the left. Don’t worry- in Dominica you’ll be too busy worrying about the condition of the roads and trying not to drive off a cliff to worry about getting on the wrong side. ;-)

[Jim Andrew]

In Jamaica, they drive on the left side, and I would not rent a vehicle there. Lots of traffic, and they drive on the hectic side. On the bus, heading to hotels, cars are always passing, cutting it very close to the oncoming bus.

[roger wiegand]

Just back from two weeks driving tour in southern England and thought I'd post a picture that illustrates why, for most Americans, driving on the other side is not the important problem in England.

410842

Yes, it is a real road, a numbered highway.
Yes, it has two way traffic (plus farm machinery).
Yes, there are tree trunks and stone walls embedded in the hedgerows.
Yes, the speed limit really is 60 MPH.
There are pullouts for passing, but having to back up 1000-2000 yards to get to one is not impossible.

No wonder the Brits think American drivers are wimps! We didn't go to Ireland or Wales where the roads get really skinny. 30-40 miles a day on single lane roads like this is enough for me.

[John K Jordan]

Some of the country roads we drove in Scotland were like that, except I don't remember seeing a straight stretch that long. :)

Streets through towns in Europe built 1000 years ago can be tight too. No wonder I didn't see any monster 4wd pickups.

We drove up one steep mountain road in Italy with continuous switchbacks. One lane, with some pulloffs for passing. Fortunately the apparent etiquette was the driver going up the mountain was the one who backed to a pulloff.

JKJ


Just back from two weeks driving tour in southern England and thought I'd post a picture that illustrates why, for most Americans, driving on the other side is not the important problem in England.

410842

Yes, it is a real road, a numbered highway.
Yes, it has two way traffic (plus farm machinery).
Yes, there are tree trunks and stone walls embedded in the hedgerows.
Yes, the speed limit really is 60 MPH.
There are pullouts for passing, but having to back up 1000-2000 yards to get to one is not impossible.

No wonder the Brits think American drivers are wimps! We didn't go to Ireland or Wales where the roads get really skinny. 30-40 miles a day on single lane roads like this is enough for me.

[Jim Becker]

No wonder the Brits think American drivers are wimps! We didn't go to Ireland or Wales where the roads get really skinny. 30-40 miles a day on single lane roads like this is enough for me.
'Glad you had a great time!

Many of Ireland's roads are pretty decent because of being part of the EU. Now, this was years ago, but when we were driving the southern to mid portion of Ireland (Ring of Kerry, etc) it wasn't any different than here at home outside of which side I was sitting in with the steering wheel. Well marked, too.

[roger wiegand]

Some of the country roads we drove in Scotland were like that, except I don't remember seeing a straight stretch that long. :)


To be fair I didn't stop to take a picture until I had a bit of clear space in front of me.

The locals were incredibly polite and accommodating about making room for the tourists -- I could tell I wasn't in Boston anymore! Had a beer with the local farmer in the pub who enjoyed regaling me with tales of the "city boys" in their Porches, Range Rovers, and BMW's who had managed to fall off the road in various entertaining ways in the steeper sections. Whether or not he pulled them out with his tractor seemed to be a strong function of how he perceived their attitude.

[Lee DeRaud]

Just back from two weeks driving tour in southern England and thought I'd post a picture that illustrates why, for most Americans, driving on the other side is not the important problem in England.

410842

Yes, it is a real road, a numbered highway.
Yes, it has two way traffic (plus farm machinery).
Yes, there are tree trunks and stone walls embedded in the hedgerows.
Yes, the speed limit really is 60 MPH.
Could be worse, there's the Isle of Man TT motorcycle races. Picture roads slightly wider that this one, with concrete curbs, stone walls, hump-back single-lane bridges, trees, the whole nine yards. Then add motorcycles traversing 37-mile laps around the island at over 130MPH average.

[Brian Deakin]

[QUOTE=roger wiegand;2931538]Just back from two weeks driving tour in southern England and thought I'd post a picture that illustrates why, for most Americans, driving on the other side is not the important problem in England.

410842

Yes, it is a real road, a numbered highway.
Yes, it has two way traffic (plus farm machinery).
Yes, there are tree trunks and stone walls embedded in the hedgerows.
Yes, the speed limit really is 60 MPH.
There are pullouts for passing, but having to back up 1000-2000 yards to get to one is not impossible.

No wonder the Brits think American drivers are wimps! We didn't go to Ireland or Wales where the roads get really skinny. 30-40 miles a day on single lane roads

I live in the United kingdom and the picture above is representative of a road which probably has little use as indicated by the growth of grass in the middle of the road
I have never seen anyone drive along a road similar to the picture at 60mph and if you did you would be likely to leave your exhaust in the grass
The number and positioning of passing points on these roads evolves over time probably decades as areas are worn into the sides of the road by vehicles moving to one side to allow others to pass The number and location of the passing points being dependant on the landscape and road usage

The hedgerows are also periodically cut back

The link below sheds some light on why it is a numbered highway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain_road_numbering_scheme

[roger wiegand]

Well, I met two oncoming cars driving about 6 miles on this particular road, one where there was a turnout, one where the very courteous other fellow backed up about 200 yards to get to one. I can't say so much about the twit in the Range Rover who sat two feet off my rear bumper flashing his lights because he was unhappy with my 30-35 mph speed. Needless to say I let him pass at the first opportunity.

Don't get me wrong-- I love these roads and being way out in the English countryside! It's one of my favorite vacation spots. I'm just amused by the difference in perception across the ocean-- here I'm surrounded with people who couldn't drive a 6-1/2 foot wide car through a 8 foot opening on a bet (witness my daughter and our garage door), there one routinely drives places I'd swear the car wouldn't fit.

[Stewie Simpson]

Well, I met two oncoming cars driving about 6 miles on this particular road, one where there was a turnout, one where the very courteous other fellow backed up about 200 yards to get to one. I can't say so much about the twit in the Range Rover who sat two feet off my rear bumper flashing his lights because he was unhappy with my 30-35 mph speed. Needless to say I let him pass at the first opportunity.

Don't get me wrong-- I love these roads and being way out in the English countryside! It's one of my favorite vacation spots. I'm just amused by the difference in perception across the ocean-- here I'm surrounded with people who couldn't drive a 6-1/2 foot wide car through a 8 foot opening on a bet (witness my daughter and our garage door), there one routinely drives places I'd swear the car wouldn't fit.

10 ways to identify an American tourist., https://woltersworld.com/10-ways-to-notice-an-american-tourist-while-you-travel/