Go Left, Young Man: Driving in Great Britain and Ireland
With a few tips and good directions, drivers need not fear getting behind the wheel
- By Rick Steves
- Smithsonian magazine, April 2009, Subscribe
(Page 2 of 2)
Do some homework before getting behind the wheel. Buy good maps and check various mapping websites, including Michelin’s site (www.viamichelin.com) and Google Maps (maps.google.com). A GPS device can also be helpful.
You’ll notice some differences between driving in the Republic of Ireland versus the United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). In the Republic of Ireland, the speed limit is in kilometers per hour, road signs are usually bilingual (but not always—“géill slí” means yield), and roads are more likely to be bumpy and poorly maintained. In the United Kingdom, the speed limit is in miles per hour, signs are in English (except in Wales, where they are bilingual), and roads are generally in better condition.
Even if you don’t drive, as a pedestrian you’ll have to remember that among our British and Irish cousins’ many unusual habits, traffic comes from the opposite direction—look both ways before crossing any street.
Horror stories about British and Irish traffic abound. They’re fun to tell, but driving here is really only a problem for those who make it one. The most dangerous creature on the road is the panicked American. Drive defensively, observe, fit in, avoid big-city driving when you can, and wear your seat belt.
Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at rick@ricksteves.com, or write to him c/o P.O. Box 2009, Edmonds, WA 98020.
© 2010 Rick Steves
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Comments (8)
Murphy (April 21, 2010), please note that Ireland is in fact part of the British Isles, which is a purely geographical description, French in origin, not a political one, that relates to the 6,000-odd islands situated off the north west coast of Europe. I doubt that many people in Ireland would be at all bothered about being part of the British Isles. Certainly my Irish colleagues at work aren't. You can't change historical facts.
Posted by Henry on November 6,2011 | 03:05 PM
Great advice for the Yankee driver, but Yankee pedestrians must also be careful. I was (instinctively) looking the wrong way when I stepped off a street corner in Brighton, and was almost run down by on on-coming bus.
Posted by Wells Huff on August 4,2010 | 01:02 PM
Great article, I just returned from my first trip to Ireland and rented a car from the Dublin airport. The initial drive is stressful, but not nearly as difficult as I expected. I rented a manual drive transmission, the only problem was occasionally reaching down with my right hand to down-shift, I drive a manual everyday in the states. I drove over 1500km in 7 days, all across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Best advice is to take your time and leave any road rage at home. The roundabouts are tricky at first but by the end of my trip I was weaving in and out like a seasoned pro. I'm glad I chose to drive on the trip instead of relying on public transit because I would have never seen the amazing sites I did and the freedom was worth every penny.
Posted by Metro on April 21,2010 | 01:52 PM
Brilliant article! I live in Trinidad (drive on the left, where rules of the road are largely ignored) and have driven both in the UK and the USA. Encountered my first roundabout (called by that name, surprisingly) in Florida inside a large residential development near Lake Worth. It seemed to wok very well with the failry limited traffic volume approaching from four directions. Your advice on etiquette for very narrow roads was a great inclusion.
Posted by Philip Bellamy on April 21,2010 | 01:09 PM
being a native new englander, i have to smirk when i read about traffic circles (roundabouts in Commonwealth nations, rotaries in New England) being a headache. my hometown in massachusetts has a very large rotary that affords entrance and egress for a major highway and a busy state route. i am perpetually perplexed to see non-natives (read New Jersey residents) rush head-on through a yield sign only to be hit by a car on the rotary that possesses the right of way. the negligent party never fails to appear absolutely indignant about their fault in the matter. moral: study the area you are traveling to and YIELD TO ROTARY TRAFFIC
Posted by patrick on April 21,2010 | 11:33 AM
Please note bundling Ireland and the UK into the term "British Isles" causes offense to anyone who lives in the Republic of Ireland.
http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/British_Isles
Posted by Murphy on April 21,2010 | 10:51 AM
I recently returned from an incredible 2 week trip to Ireland where my wife and I rented a car and traveled down the west coast from Galway, over to Cashel, then Waterford, and up to Dublin. We spent many hours on the narrow, winding roads, and had a great experience.
One secret to a great experience was our GPS. We downloaded the map of Ireland to our unit before we got there. it was nice having a voice tell you "take the roundabout, 2nd exit". We were offered a GPS with the rental car, but we already had our own. I highly recommend taking one with you, or renting one. It will save you many headaches.
Rick says it right, drive defensively, observe and fit in. Observe, observe, observe. Once we got our car (a 5 speed manual), we spent 5 minutes getting use to the set up. We drove around a parking lot, then took a deep breath and into the plunge. A few seconds later, we were driving like it was second nature.
Confidence in yourself will get you far, it was easy for us (the tourists) to pick out the other tourists on the road, and almost ashamedly we found ourselves mildly irritated with their lack of driving skills.
We are planning another incredible trip to Ireland, this time starting in Dublin and traveling north and up to the Giant's Causeway and along the northern coast, then back down the west coast to Shannon.
What an incredible job Rick Steves has. We enjoyed some of his tips while in various locations around Ireland, thank you Rick.
Enjoy!
Posted by Gary Hilbrook on April 21,2010 | 07:53 AM
Great article! It covers most of what I tell my fellow American travelers after my experiences with driving in the UK, especially avoiding driving in major cities (particularly London) and how to navigate the extremely foreign (and mysterious) roundabout properly.
Some additional pointers:
- Don't drive tired. I made this mistake on my first visit and will never do it again. Public transit is excellent from all major airports and cruise terminals, there's no reason to ever drive there when you're not in top mental condition.
- Make sure the driver in the party is intimately-familiar with driving manual transmission vehicles. In major cities they're rare and you pay a premium for automatic rental vehicles, while in smaller cities and towns, they're often not even available (I once asked at a rental counter in a smaller city and the very nice lady chuckled, telling me that they don't even have an automatic available at their location). Manual cars that use diesel are most common, as opposed to automatic cars that use petrol here. Most Americans have never driven a car with a manual transmission, and of those that have, many only rarely. Their licenses even indicate whether they can drive any car or are restricted to automatic transmissions, with the latter being a distinct disadvantage.
- If you use M roads, stay left, except when passing. It's strictly enforced, unlike our version of the same rule.
- Train stations are like airports in the US. Most of them have car rental counters inside, or companies will the located very near the station.
Also, watch out for pedestrians. In the US, roads and laws are car-centric, with pedestrians second-class citizens restricted to sidewalks and marked crossings. They have no jaywalking law (it's completely foreign to them) and therefore pedestrians may cross (presumably at their own risk) effectively whenever and wherever they like.
Have fun over there!
Posted by Eric Johnston on April 20,2010 | 11:04 PM