Driving on the "wrong" side of the road

For the benefit of those who might not know, we drive on the left in Australia. For us, driving in most overseas countries means driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Which means that for those of you who live where they drive on the right, you'll have to cope with the same thing in reverse if you ever decide to visit Australia and hire a car. Well take heart everyone, I can report that driving on the "other side" is not as difficult as you might think.

The key thing to keep in mind is this: do exactly the same as you do at home - keep the driver's side of the car next to the centre of the road.

This is probably easier to do in busier built-up areas, because you'll just be following the traffic. I find that I tend to make mistakes more often when there are no cars or lane markings. I sometimes turn onto the "wrong" side then, but I haven't come to grief yet.

It only takes a little while to get used to walking around to the OTHER side of the car to get into the driver's seat, and reaching for the brake, wipers, indicators, seat belt on the OTHER side. Actually the real problem with driving on the other side is that when you come home, you'll find yourself putting the wipers on when you meant to be signalling a turn! Very embarassing on sunny days.

Tip: Don't try to drive on the day you arrive in the country. At home, a lot of your driving is done on "autopilot". While swapping sides is not hard, mistakes are much more likely to happen if you are tired and lose concentration.

So far, we have only tried to do this in USA, Canada and the UK/Ireland - we have not tried to drive around in Europe, we take trains there instead. Here's our strategy:

* You can book a car when you arrive at a place but we rarely do that. We usually pre-book and pay for it, and we tend to use a travel agent, because the deals they can get seem to beat the ones over the internet. Also, we sometimes book one for a longer period than seems to be allowed in internet bookings.

* If Alamo (National in some places) has a depot in the area we go with them because our experiences with them have been good: their prices have been competitive and, unlike some other firms, they have always supplied the cars with an owner's manual (very handy if you have to find the jacking-up point to change a tyre, or if the car has whizzy features you want to try out!)

* We used to hire small size cars, but more recently we've been using mid-size ones, because they have cruise control (great on long stretches), a bit more power (helps in mountainous areas) and it's easier to fit your luggage / shopping parcels in the boot (trunk) where they can't be seen.

Tip: Large cities often have a downtown depot and an airport one. We find that you don't get much use from having a car in major cites, so we mostly arrange to collect our rental car at the airport (some days after we arrive, if we are likely to be tired from a long flight). Although this might be a bit more expensive (you have to make your own way into the city and then back out to the airport when you are ready to collect, and there might be an airport depot addtional charge on the car), it saves you having to tackle the mid-city traffic.

Tip: A Navigator is great if you have one you can bring or you want to pay the extra cost to get a car with one in it, but we would still strongly recommend that you buy a road atlas if you are going to be doing a lot of travel in a country. The advantage of these over your in-car navigation system is that they give you a helipcopter view of all the possible ways to get from a to b, and if they are really good, they can provide really helpful information about the advantages of some routes over others, depending on your need or appetite for speed / scenery / facilities. For trips in USA, we usually buy a Rand McNally one, available in major supermarkets. Go for the large format one if you have the choice, it just makes it easier on the eyes!

What are the roads like in USA?

Compared to Australia, the roads in USA are a knock-out, even the minor ones. Major highways (called Interstates) are divided for most of their length and have wonderful signage. Not only do you get speed advisories, distances and town names, but signs showing exactly which brands of petrol, food outlet and motels you will find in the next township, and also signs showing the exit to take for points of interest or photo opportunities. Exits are usually in the form of a clover leaf, which makes it really easy to get back onto the highway if you have made a mistaken turn.The surfaces are perfectly maintained, and if it is snowing, they are regularly snow-ploughed.

There are numerous well-appointed rest-stops (typically they have clean toilets, food vending machines, sheltered picnic tables, plenty of paved parking for both cars and large trucks, places to walk your dog and maps of the local area). In addition to these, there is usually a drive-in tourist information centre close to the border of the State as you pass through, with lots of books and maps for sale (as well as free ones), with people on duty who can help you with almost any query.

Tip: While many of the Interstate Highways are scenic, the lesser roads often run through quite spectactular landscapes. State roads and lesser roads are also very well maintained, and are a pleasure to use. Many states have publications which identify their "scenic byways" - hunt these down, they are a treasure-trove. Your Rand McNally also indicates scenic roads on the map (although we have found several which we think are scenic, even if Rand McNally doesn't!)

What are the roads like in Canada?

In our, relatively limited, experience, they are not at the same standard here as in America. They are very similar to Australian roads - some highways have divided sections, but many are just two lanes wide, and the signage isn't anything special.

What are the roads like in UK / Ireland?

Disclaimer: These comments are based on the grand total of 10 days' experience!

The roads in Ireland were very like ones in Australia. We did notice that there were lots of tractors on them - which meant we had time to enjoy the scenery at a nice slow crawl!

We found the highways in UK very good and easy to navigate on. The lesser roads (ones through the Yorkshire Dales and the Lakes Districts) were often frighteningly narrow. While the stone fences and hedges were all very picturesque, we couldn't get over how fast people seemed to want to drive when there was often barely enough space for one and a half cars, and you couldn't see around the next bend. They didn't seem to worry that something might be coming in the opposite direction. Perhaps you just get used to it. We took it a bit more slowly than the locals.

Tip: Seems to us that the smart option with rental cars here is to get one which is really tiny. Not only would you save on petrol costs and be able to squeeze into holes in hedges in the Lakes District, but you would then have a fighting chance of finding a parking spot in towns like Oxford or Stratford-upon-Avon. Don't get sucked in by any of those British dramas where the characters can always slide effortessly into a huge empty carspace outside whatever building they are visiting! The only place we could ever find a park was in parking stations, and even they were crowded and had tiny little car spaces. Reminded me of Sydney, actually.

We haven't driven in WA or NT yet, so these comments only apply to the eastern States. Things have improved a lot over the last 15 years, particularly on the Hume and Pacific highways, (which run down the eastern states on either side of the Great Dividing range). These two highways are multi-lane and divided for long stretches, and re-alignment has made them flatter and straighter. Sadly, however, many of the lesser highways are narrow (ie only one lane each way), winding, poorly maintained (watch for potholes and disintegrating shoulders) and have lots of blind crests and bends.

Tip: If you are from overseas and intend driving in country areas, keep in mind that the distance between towns can be quite long and you may not realise that you are getting tired. Many accidents on country roads happen because of a lapse in concentration. Stop and take a break every couple of hours, even if it is only to walk around the car and do some deep breathing.

Tip: If you are driving in Tasmania (the small island state at the bottom of the mainland), you may come across road signs that say "road subject to backing up" (although I must admit it is a long while since we were last there, maybe they have spread more bitumen since then). This means that when you notice the bus coming towards you on your "side" of the road, one of you - and you can guess it won't be the bus - is going to have to drive backwards for quite some distance until the road widens out enough for you to pass each other.

Tip: If you are from out of town, I wouldn't recommend driving in Sydney and especially not over the Harbour Bridge. The signage is pretty pathetic and you probably won't have time to change lanes if you are not in the right one early enough. Quite likely you will end up going UNDER the harbour, in the Tunnel. If you do get tossed into the harbour crossing melee, don't panic, it isn't the end of the world, but do be prepared to see more of Sydney and its surrounding suburbs than you might have desired. By the way, crossing the Harbour Bridge is an absolute must and the best way is walking, or at least catch the train or take a bus. The view is magic.

What are the roads like in New Zealand

This is another place where they drive on the left. It was pretty quiet when we were there, and we actually DID come across a flock of sheep as we rounded a corner once - but that was 1990! No doubt things have become a lot busier since then. The roads are like Australian ones (but the grass beside them is a lot greener).