Any tips for 1st time driving on the right?

C

Caveat

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Will be hiring a car for a few days next week - a little bit nervous, but the area will be quiet. Anyone any tips or advice (apart from the obvious) for driving a LHD on the right?
 
Make sure you mirrors are adjusted as to see as much as possible, don't put anything in the back that will block your view.

Also practice going up and down the gears before you leave the car lot, 5th is prob the hardest gear to find when your not used to changing gears with your right hand.

That's all I found, best of luck
 
I find that the first 20-30 minutes are the most critical. For me it's a time of intense concentration, just easing back into the routine. You will hear a lot of scare stories about roundabouts in particular, but you're fed into them just the same way as here, so you shouldn't have a problem.
 
Caveat said:
Will be hiring a car for a few days next week - a little bit nervous, but the area will be quiet. Anyone any tips or advice (apart from the obvious) for driving a LHD on the right?
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If your really nervous, get an automatic, will save you using gears etc. First 20 minute is strange but you will be surprised by how normal it seems after a few days
 
Practice driving around the car-hire firm's car-park before you go out on the public roads. Reversing can be hard to adjust to, IME. Use the parking bays to practice. Try swapping you watch to your opposite arm as a reminder that things are a bit "back to front" for a few days.
 
Some traffic makes it easier, i.e. when you have other cars to follow. The biggest danger I think is when there is no other traffic on the road, or when you're pulling out/turning into an empty road. The danger is that you'll drift over to the wrong side of the road. Also need to "reset" yourself briefly at the begining of each day or after a break. Agree with the tip on automatics also. I drove a clutchless smart a few weeks back, makes it a little easier.
 
Thanks all.

Yeah, I'll try to practice a bit off the road. The more I think of it, the roundabouts don't really worry me, it's more the gear changing and other controls...and the general strangeness of it. Have this idea that the right hand gear change will have a 'knock on' disorientating affect on the foot pedals, but hopefully not.

BTW, never driven an auto either(!) - I'm sure it's not hard, but think I'd maybe rather stick with manual this time.
 
It's surprising but the brain adjusts very well, you might find your left hand hitting the door a few times looking for the gearstick but I've found you get comfortable fairly quick, the first time I drove the LHD I took it around the car park a couple of times ! I had to drive out of Las Vegas !! It comes to you quite quick. Though mind you on that occasion it was an auto an much easier but even with a gearstick it's handy enough.

All engage the brain at t-junctions etc to remember that you are driving on the right !

Good luck and enjoy
 
I think you'll find you slap the door a lot when changing gears!! Apart from that the one other thing I remember is positioning on the road - I tended to drift right a bit (towards the ditch) as I wasn't used to being on that side of the car ... still I managed to keep it on the road so can't have been too bad!!
 
Also, take more care at T-junctions and cross-roads... the cars in the right hand lane are coming towards you, not going away from you. Sounds obvious, but don't just glance left and right, you might be looking at the wrong lane and pull out in front of somebody. Otherwise very easy, certainly easier than driving a RHD car on the right!
 

I would second this. Nightime on quiet roads is the worst. Junctions are also a watch out. Automatic gearbox reduces the amount of things you need to think about so this helps also.

Just keep thinking that you (driver) should be looking out onto centre-line in the road
 
Caveat said:
...BTW, never driven an auto either(!) - I'm sure it's not hard, but think I'd maybe rather stick with manual this time.
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If you are going to GeorgeBushland, pre-book a manual. If you show up and request a car with a manual gear-box, AKA a "stick-shift", you may get some strange looks.
 
Sounds obvious but be careful when coming out of a driveway onto a road, especially a dual carriageway (that you're going the right way!) I have seen drivers in foreign reg cars coming out of petrol stations on Stillorgan Dualler and then heading up the wrong way...
Roundabouts are fine.
As one person says, it's easier if it's not quiet..you just follow the leader.
 
mathepac said:
If you are going to GeorgeBushland, pre-book a manual. If you show up and request a car with a manual gear-box, AKA a "stick-shift", you may get some strange looks.
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Probably, but no, I'm going to the Canaries
 
glad to see im not the only one who will be driving a LHD on the right for the first time this weekend.
I am definately going for an automatic though as it is one less thing to think about.
 
As long as you are driving a local car (does not matter where), the driver is always on the side near the middle of the road. If you ask yourself the question "which side should I be on in order for me to be in the middle of the road" at every junction, you won't go far wrong.
 
I have found the problem is not driving on the right as you are very aware you are in a foreign country. I have had a few scary moments though after I arrived back home, relaxed ,and suddenly realised I was on the wrong side of the road.
 
tiger said:
The biggest danger I think is when there is no other traffic on the road, or when you're pulling out/turning into an empty road.
[...] Also need to "reset" yourself briefly at the beginning of each day or after a break.
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Also agree with this. If you think you might be prone to forgetting, you could try tying a hankie or something onto the steering wheel at night/when you leave the car.
Then when you sit back in behind the wheel in the morning, your befuddled mind will say "Hey, what's that doing there? ...Doh!"
 
I suppose I'll be fine. A bit of self belief is required I think - but not overconfidence which could be fatal in these situations

The disposition required for my task would seem to be in conflict with the purpose of a holiday though
 
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