06-04-2009, 12:47 PM
I have driven in the UK a couple of times, and find it to be much better than here in Canada. Although Ottawa has a few round-abouts, several of them are not configured properly - in one case, you must stop ON the round-about and let other traffic enter...! Yikes! 
People tend to follow the rules a little better in the UK, from my experience. Slower traffic does indeed stay near the curb, and faster traffic uses the outside lane for passing, not cruising. On the smaller roads, I'd say that most people behave well, with a little courtesy going a long way. However, I am not talking "Canadian courtesy" where everyone sits at a 4-way stop and tries to wave each other on...
I'd say know the rules of the road, be prepared to take a detour if needed (and use round-abouts to reverse direction), keep your speed appropriate, and you'll be fine.
And don't worry about being on the "wrong" side. Since everything is reversed (i.e. you're on the wrong side of the road, but also the wrong side of the car) it all kind of makes sense. Just beware that if you're driving a stick shift - 1st gear is now farthest away from you, not next to your knee.
Andrew
People tend to follow the rules a little better in the UK, from my experience. Slower traffic does indeed stay near the curb, and faster traffic uses the outside lane for passing, not cruising. On the smaller roads, I'd say that most people behave well, with a little courtesy going a long way. However, I am not talking "Canadian courtesy" where everyone sits at a 4-way stop and tries to wave each other on...
I'd say know the rules of the road, be prepared to take a detour if needed (and use round-abouts to reverse direction), keep your speed appropriate, and you'll be fine.
And don't worry about being on the "wrong" side. Since everything is reversed (i.e. you're on the wrong side of the road, but also the wrong side of the car) it all kind of makes sense. Just beware that if you're driving a stick shift - 1st gear is now farthest away from you, not next to your knee.
Andrew