depends if you're a 'natural' or not....it's like riding a bike, if you can do the actual riding (driving) without thinking, then you can them concentrate on the other important things like unfamiliar road layouts and what other road users are up to... etc
if you're still concentrating on some of the driving elements, because you've yet to gain enough experience, then it might be wise to leave it for a bit
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It can be very easy to slip up, especially on traffic light controlled dual carriageway junctions when it is quiet and there is no-one to follow.
Continent is very diferent - e.g. if you overrun a traffic light stop line by a few feet in France you end up in a position where you cannot see the lights at all (no set of lights across the junction as there is in the UK) - never thought about it until I did it!
Safer to wait until the actual driving takes less of your attention and you have more spare thinking capacity to concentrate on where you are going and what everyone else is doing.
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I would second Westpig and ijws 15's advice. Turning left requires thought, as you are not used to driving on the right. It is easy to turn into the wrong (left) side of the road. And you need to know the traffic laws, especially in the US, they have lots of police.
Edited by Old Navy on 19/11/2009 at 08:07
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For goodness sake, don't go to Italy !
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 19/11/2009 at 12:55
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For goodness sake don't go to Italy !
>>
Scooter heaven, or hell?
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 19/11/2009 at 12:55
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Scooter heaven, or hell?
I went on a motorbike so I fitted in well, but all the sterotypes are true.
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My input, for what it is worth, is that the moment of maximum risk is when you set out, having had a break for snax or anything else. If you are in a RHD car abroad, your UK instincts may take over, and this is the time when you may set off on the wrong side of the road. Not a problem on a dual carriageway but on a 2 lane 2 way road it is a very dangerous moment. Whenever I am driving abroad I tell my passenger(s) to feel free to remind me or to speak up if they think I am about to do something stupid or lethal!
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I don't find it too difficult to be honest - almost natural to drive on the right. It's probably more confusing as some have said when driving a RHD car on the right but I've never found much of a problem. I've sometimes wondered whether being a left handed person helps but that's a bit off piste....
The US does tend to be very easy, wide roads, automatic cars etc but even the Paris Peripherique is no worse than the North Circular really, expect no consideration from other road users and you won't be disappointed.
What I would advise (at least in Eurpoe) is a portable satnav, SWMBO is actually a great map reader / navigator but the satnav made driving through central Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris a breeze, £200 well spent.
Go for it, you might just like it, there's something 'special' about being the only UK RHD car in some far off place, outside tourist areas locals are generally very friendly and we can't let our lives be curtailed by things which daunt us can we ?
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With such little driving experience, I would strongly advise against going on such a trip until you have quite a few, in fact considerably more, miles under your belt.
I've done thousands of miles in Europe and the States and, just as with other experienced colleagues on such trips, have been caught out on the odd occasion through a momentary lapse of concentration, fortunately without any subsequent comebacks.
Most likely time to be at risk is first thing in the morning or after stopping for a drink or meal break.
What's more, countries such as Spain, Portugal, France and Italy house some of the most insane drivers in the world.....:-)
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"What's more, countries such as Spain, Portugal, France and Italy house some of the most insane drivers in the world.....:-)"
Try Romania!! Makes those you mentioned, Stuartli, feel like a walk in the park. I got overtaken whilst driving through a flock of sheep whilst driving the Trans-Fagarasan Highway (which I am informed by a colleague was on Top Gear recently?). 70s Renault 12s (Dacia)? Check. Horses and carts? Check. Double artic lorries with no speed limiters? Check.
Madness, but very very much fun. And beautiful in parts, although Bucharest is a strangely unnerving place.
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>>.. feel like a walk in the park.>>
Same for Romanian roads in the case of the world's most dangerous road...:-))
www.ssqq.com/archive/vinlin27b.htm
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ3VfV6UVJs&feature=related
Edited by Stuartli on 19/11/2009 at 10:15
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>Most likely time to be at risk is first thing in the morning or after stopping for a drink or >meal break.
For me the danger time is about a week after getting home. I suddenly go all continental and want to drive on the wrong side of the road.
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Idle_chatterer, remember the OP has only been driving for a couple of months, Hardly the most experienced driver. I am impressed that he has even asked for advice. Using a satnav in a foreign country? They distract experienced drivers in the UK and cause accidents. Maybe the passenger should use it.
Edited by Old Navy on 19/11/2009 at 09:57
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Trust me Sat Nav is no help in Boston.......for a very good reason
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Drive all over continenal Europe on the autobans for business reasons and have the following observations:
1. Avoid Brussels if you can, traffic is terrible especialy on the ring roads.
2. Best autobans in Europe are in Italy
3. Best for unexperienced driver are Switzerland and Austria were the speed limit is enforced
4. Worst for high speed is German autobans. On autobans I usualy do between 160 - 180 kmph and in Germany always have people overtaking me. Very scary at night or in the rain even at speeds of 140 kmph.
5. Avoid the autoban between Cologne and Munich at night or early morning unless you have a death wish. Mornings and early evenings are worst because of rush hour and endless traffic.
6. Condition wise, French autobans are the worst kept in Europe. They are like donkey paths in certian area's
Happy travelling
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For goodness sake don't go to Italy !
Why? for any Londoner or M25 commuter, its second nature. I felt right at home there right away.
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Italy's fine.
However, one needs to be more circumspect in the Republic of Naples. Once you realise how to do it, there's little danger. The method is to completely ignore everything, excpet the gap which you are going for. Everyone drives like this, so it makes it easy to predict what other road users are going to do - they will do the most selfish thing to get them where they want to go, irrespective of traffic laws, road signs or road markings. It actually makes things feel much safer, as you know exactly what's going to go on around you.
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i climbed off a plane at naples, into a hire car and drove through the city centre. Alanovich is right, but you soon get the hang of it. The trick is drive where you want to go, in whatever way you can, but dont hit anything. This means you only care about the 6 feet directly in front of your car.
The last bit is key. and it works. If everyone is trying to avoid hitting things it all seems to work, albeit a bit hairy.
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I would second Westpig and ijws 15's advice.
I would third it as well, my eldest daughter drove our car this year in Belgium and Germany and had no issues, and I would describe her as a "natural" driver, and she enjoys driving, which makes all the difference...
One way of finding out what sort of driver you are is to drive a couple of hundred miles to a city you don't know and then drive round it looking for something like the townhall or station, without the use of satnav, if you can do that without getting wound up then you should be ok.
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