Heed the advice of the folks who have recommended that you get an automatic transmission car. Even if you are used to driving a standard transmission, you'll find that having to shift gears with your left hand requires an extra degree of concentration. When you also trying to focus on driving on the left, and trying to remember who has the right away going into and out of those **** roundabouts, it's just something that you don't need to be worrying about.

We picked up our car at Gatwick Airport, and headed straight for Hampton Court Palace. It was such a harrowing ride that my son got out and kissed the ground when we got there. The truth is that I felt like doing the same thing.

Here is a website with useful information on driving in England:
http://england.visualenc.com/pages/driving.html#driving

It even has an animated roundabout.

In Australia we also drive in the correct side of the road (left of course ). But most visitors to Australia don't find the driving as much of a problem as coping with the metric system. And the hardest to come to grips with is our use of metric time.

When using metric time, you have to remember that there are 100 metric seconds in a metric minute, and 100 metric minutes in a metric hour, and 10 metric hours in a half-day.

It really is much simpler than that imperial time system used in the USA. But make sure you get a dual-time-system watch or alarm clock before travelling, otherwise you will find yourself waking up at the wrong time .

PS. most people just blame it on jet-lag (both the driving and the time calculations).

Have a great trip ... and watch out for the round-abouts.

The best road sign I have seen was in the UK (Yorkshire moors actually) that read "Gan Canny for 1/3 mile".

Speaking of Australia....I remember almost taking out a tram in St. Kilda (Melbourne). Watch out for the trams

Ahh yes. Driving in Melbourne has its own rules. Watch out for those hook turns! I lived there for 5.5 years (decided to move home after 15 winters) and always selected my route to avoid trams and hook turns.

Can't say that I agree about getting an automatic -- it takes about 5 seconds, maybe less, to get used to shifting with the left hand instead of right. Auto cars tend to be larger, less fun, and decidedly more expensive.

rb.sr had a particularly insightful comment about driving "too far on the left." When driving in N America or Europe, the driver is accustomed to seeing his/her driving lane from just left of center. Getting the same view from a right-hand drive car in Aus/UK/Ire/etc. can put the left (passenger) side of the car awfully close to that retaining wall on the side of the road.

A final caution about driving in Australia: They've tentatively planned to switch from driving on the left to driving on the right in 2004. They're planning to do it gradually, beginning with trucks only from January through March, then passenger cars beginning in April. You might wish to avoid driving there until things get sorted out.

Wideman

A joke, right?!

I've recently read that the instant check for left-side damage includes alloy wheels. If you have a choice, get the car with steel wheels & hubcaps - the damage costs may be lower.

I've driven a rental car in Britain several times in the past. I haven't had trouble with shifting a manual, but frequently will turn on the wipers trying to find the turn signal. My wife's job is to sit in the passenger seat and say "LEFT! LEFT!" (or "Keep to the LEFT, please," in a proper British accent) at intersections.

One trick I have used to keep myself honest is to remember that the view outside the driver's window should be that of the median/divider strip on the road at all times. It also helps when switching from left to right hand drive and viceversa, since the rule still holds.

The windshield wiper vs. turn signal thing is a big problem with me, too, but in my experience it has been that way only in Japanese-built cars. The Fords and Vauxhauls (British version of Opel) have them the same way around as U.S. cars.

After damaging a plastic wheel cover in France recently (fortunately I wasn't charged for it), I decided that maybe next time I'll start my rental by taking them off and putting them in the trunk.

The Americans here who are scared of roundabouts have obviously never driven in Massachusetts

I have a standard in the States and getting used to a manual transmission in JNB this spring was very easy after the first few short drives. I completely agree with the turn signal/wiper problem. It took me so long (and many snickers from the passengers) to learn the "correct" side to find the turn signal. It is so engrained in my head, that after returning to the States for three months, I now still turn on my car's wipers accidentally about once a week.

I was passenger in an overpacked minivan once in Boston. Death awaited at every corner...

JP

That's not true, Frequent Freak. It was in Massachusetts that I developed my fear of roundabouts. It's total anarchy there. Whoever has the most guts, that's who gets the right of way.

When I was in Australia last year I had several lessons in driving on the left side. I consider myself a very good driver, but when I am Down Under....Watch out. You think it is easy, but it is not.
I felt like I was 15 and in driving school all over again.