Driving on the ‘wrong side’ of the road
Don’t just automatically upgrade your rental car. Europeans drive small cars for a very practical reason, and it’s not just fuel economy.
I knew the left-handed driving would be challenging, especially after being tired from the flight – but I had a plan. My plan was to take it slow.
The Enterprise Rental car agent must have put the word out because we pulled out into a deserted parking lot…to be dumped in the bustle of Gatwick traffic! So much for ‘take it slow’!
The new plan was that I’d keep the car moving while Kaety made sure I did everything right.
The lanes were so, so narrow – there were several instances when I was certain I was going to lose the passenger side mirror.
The novelty and panic of being on the ‘wrong side’ softened as we hit a huge M24 traffic jam which allowed me to slow down and ask, “How did this left handed driving thing happen anyway?!”
Apparently, it all started because it was easier to hack someone you met on the road with your right handed sword while riding on your horse to the left side of the road.
The standard began to change slowly to the right as teams of horses pulling wagons became more common. Not having invented a wagon seat yet the drivers sat on the horse nearest the wagon so they could whip all the horse in the team with their right hands.
Most countries occupied by Napoleon had their traffic patterns moved to the left…because he was left-handed.
After a lot of weird decisions and royal decrees later a lot of countries were driving on the right and it was time for the world to have a talk.
Most countries shrugged and said, “What the hell does it matter?!”, and switched to the right. The UK decided that their long habit of circumstance created by a guy with a sword was probably at that point in their history more of a ‘proud tradition’ and less of ‘stuff that just happened’ so they stuck with the left and paired the decision with a proclamation.
As I made my way down the British left-handed road driving with the acumen of a 15-year-old I felt comforted that I could totally hack an oncoming driver out the window with my sword and not have to deal with the fumbly inconvenience of crossing over my body.
Bottom line, after a two hour drive, I got used to it…until we hit the bike lane wide roads in the Cotswolds.
Tips for driving in a ‘wrong side of the road’ country:
Having a car is sometimes the only way to really access the ‘good stuff’ in a country. England certainly has lots and lots of Good Stuff that can’t be accessed by public transit - so you have to bite the bullet and rent a car and adapt to doing something unfamiliar.
Driving on the ‘wrong side’ of the car isn’t as bad as you think, but it does require you to really pay attention and not fall back on very ingrained and subconscious driving habits. Don't try it when you are dead tired having just got off a long flight. Be rested. Make you first destination a short one.
Having a copilot who is also helping with the vigilance is super helpful. They can act as a spotter and think through traffic flow with you. My wife and I developed a trick especially in tricky turns - she would say, “See that white van? Do exactly what it is doing”
Long highways are a great place to just go and get comfortable with the difference. Oddly, I found being positioned along the curb or shoulder as the driver made a lot of sense when I got used to it. It allowed me to see where the car was in relationship to the road better, and much easier when taking left hand turns.
Parking in the English countyside can be challenging and tight. Much of Europe drives small cars for a very practical reason - that being that most of the roads are still configured for horses, which means they are very, very, narrow, and parking spots are super tight to get into. When you rent your car, don’t upgrade automatically beyond the sub compact like you would in the US. You will find the large car simply impossible in most settings.
