Roughly how long does it take to adjust to driving on the right hand side of the road?

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Login RL

30 mins either way

Mike

It's normally pretty quick especially at first when you are concentrating hard. However, from experience, it's once you think you've cracked it that you are most vulnerable. It's the silly things like looking the wrong way at junctions or turning out of a carpark onto the wrong side of the road that catch you out. Believe me - I've been there!

david t

It will come very easily, my trouble is always getting home and remembering to drive on the left. The most common danger is when you exit some where like a fuel station, you go on auto andit is easy to turn the wrong way. Enjoy.

et_tu_ike

Hmmm, perhaps everyone else is a better driver than me, but it usually takes me a day or two to adjust.

With a manual car, it normally takes a few hours to a day to stop hitting my hand against the door when I shift. If the windshield wipers and directional signal are on the 'wrong' side it usually takes me about the same time to stop turning on the windshield wipers every time I turn.

It normally takes at least a day for me to get in the correct side of the car and often I spend most of my trip getting in the wrong side.

Usually it takes at least a few hours to stop running over curbs, because I am not used to driving on the other side of the car and it takes some time to figure out how far out the car goes and where you are in the lane.

As for staying in the proper lane, I usually don't have too much trouble with that. Mostly you try to follow other cars, look in both lanes and all directions, and be careful when turning -- picture a road or intersection that you are very familiar with and swap lanes. :)

I find that I have more problems when I return to driving on the "proper" side in terms of getting in the correct lane.

If you are taking your car to the continent from the U.K., it might be a lot more difficult to adjust to the proper lane, but most of the other things aren't a problem. I find that if I am on the wrong side of the car, it clues me in to being in the wrong lane. :D

theunknownstuntman

The time taken to adjust varies depending on how quickly you have your first near death experience. Having driven on the right all my life it took me about 25 minutes to adjust to driving on the left. Complete adjustment happened 4 milliseconds after i had a very near miss with an HGV. This first near miss tends to happen almost immediately you feel comfortable and start to relax. Life has a habit of kicking you in the teeth just when you think you're coasting along nicely.

mr T

no problem as long as the vehicle is for that country,

CHUCK L: Just add 15%

It all depends on whether the auto you are operating is left, or right hand drive as to the difficulty and period of adjustment.

oliver p

Driving on the other side isn't the real problem, because you always remind yourself, what will happen if you make a mistake. I would worry about crossing streets on foot, looking the wrong way first!

James K

If you're going to stay driving in the UK it's probably best to keep driving on the left. However, if you go to (say) France you'll have to drive on the right hand side of the road. Don't worry about it. The best way to adjust is to simply keep driving on the left - as you do in the UK. If you're in the vicinity of Calais, or any other busy continental port, after about 10 seconds you'll notice oncoming taffic heading straight for you at about 150 km per hour with the drivers screaming something like "F..k off out the way (or the equivalent in French or whatever). At this point you'll readily adjust to driving on the right.

SoftTSoul

Tag a memo note to your steering wheel. Have it say something like - Drive right lane only in ___ country.

Cabal

With a local car you get used to it very quickly. An hour or so later you feel all right... until you come to a crossroad.
Be VERY careful if you have to turn right or left as you will automatically swing back to the right lane for you... which is the wrong one for the country.
My personal trick is to have on the dashboard a paper with a drawing of a two way road and a car on the right lane. All it takes is a glance down to swing to the good lane.
Same thing for roundabouts. If you don't feel at ease, a scrawl with an arrow can help you avoid facing an angry car coming straight at you.

LORRAINE B

i didn't find it too bad, i was driving a rhd car on the right though driving a lhd on the right is totally weird not only are you sat on the wrong side of the road but the wrong side of the car. you will be fine. watch out for the pedestrian crossings especially if you are in germany, if your light is green it doesn't necessarily mean you are safe to drive off the pedestrian lights ar sometimes green too especially if you are turning off a main road, weird i know. They also have priority roads and if your not on one people can pull out on you from the right as they have priority. Had me cursing quite a bit when it first happened. I find it wierd driving in the uk now. Good luck.

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