Driving on the wrong side of the road

"BadMotorScooter" (badmotorscooter)
08/27/2019 at 18:08 • Filed to: None

Recently was in the UK for business and picked up a rental at Heathrow. Always enjoy seeing the different cars available in Europe especially the wagons/estates/ avants. Also find it interesting that most rentals are manuals. Right hand drive with left hand shift takes a little getting used to but overall not that different. Biggest challenge is recalibrating your view of the rearview mirror since it is up and left instead of right.

The rental was a Suzuki Vitara, which wasnt particularly good. Mostly felt cumbersome and a little slow. At least it was something we dont have in the US.

Love the 2 door Fiesta ST! Noticed several of these around.

Saw several cool cars including a few Lambos and a gorgeous new white R8 V10. Coolest car may have been an older 80s or 90s 2 door Bentley that looked well kept and just so British. Didnt get a pic tho.

DISCUSSION (6)

Thomas Donohue > BadMotorScooter
08/27/2019 at 18:32

Biggest challenge is recalibrating your view of the rearview mirror since it is up and left instead of right.

25 years later, this still gets me every time pulling out of the airport....

Cé hé sin > BadMotorScooter
08/27/2019 at 18:32

You’ll normally need to pay extra for an automatic hire car and often quite a lot extra.

Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore > BadMotorScooter
08/27/2019 at 18:52

Driving on the other side isnt terrifying as I thought. The fact that all the traffic is going the same side as you are really help.

Went to drive a LHD car here in UK and boy, it was not pleasant.

I ca me from LHD country and I’m living in UK since 2017. It's interesting that now even some of my memories have been mirrored.

E90M3 > BadMotorScooter
08/27/2019 at 19:50

I put 700 miles on a rental last year in the UK and besides the mirror placement, lane placement was biggest adjustment for me.

Sammyno55 > BadMotorScooter
08/27/2019 at 22:25

My first time to the UK I found myself driving around my coworkers in a Mercedes Sprinter because I was the only one of the lot, who could drive a manual well enough to do it from the “wrong” side. I spent almost a month and probably 1000 miles in that van. My hardest part was the vehicle size vs. the smaller streets we ended up on.

pip bip - choose Corrour > BadMotorScooter
08/28/2019 at 04:08

i drive on the left everyday. it’s easy.

drive on the right however is another story