Any tips for 1st time driving on the right?

Caveat said:
Probably, but no, I'm going to the Canaries :)
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Just curious, which island ? I find Lanzarote a doddle to drive in, all roundabouts and no trafic lights, just watch the pedestrian crossings sometimes not always observed by locals. Driving an LHD car in its natural environment is much easier than driving , say, your own RHD car in France or other. You adjust very quickly.
 
Graham_07 said:
Just curious, which island ?
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Fuerteventura - quieter than Lanzarote and very good, well surfaced/marked roads by the looks of it.

Mopeds are definitely out BTW - quite dangerous mode of transport on these islands. And the island is a bit too big for pushbikes I think.
 
Caveat said:
Fuerteventura - quieter than Lanzarote and very good, well surfaced/marked roads by the looks of it.

Mopeds are definitely out BTW - quite dangerous mode of transport on these islands. And the island is a bit too big for pushbikes I think.
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Steer clear of mopeds unless you have an overwhelming desire to test the health care facilities in Fuerte. Have driven in Fuerte too. No problems. Petrol stations are few & far between generally, but a full tank would still see you several times round the island and last time I was in Lanzy in Oct UnL was 86c/litre. Yeah! Fuerte is much bigger than Lanzy, roads very good as mostly new. The run from Corralejo in the north to Caleta de Fuste to Jandia/Morro Jable in the south is lovely. Lots of beautiful beaches and very quiet. ( and all beaches outside resort centres are considered unofficially clothing optional if you want that all over tan! ) Bikes only really useful in resort as too much really for cycling as quite big gaps between population centres. Betancuria, the old capital is very picturesque. You can get lots of info too at www.fuerteventura.com.
Happy motoring.
 
Caveat said:
I suppose I'll be fine. A bit of self belief is required I think - but not overconfidence which could be fatal in these situations :eek:

The disposition required for my task would seem to be in conflict with the purpose of a holiday though :rolleyes:
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I remember the first time I hired a car abroad, I was nervous about it at the time but after I had driven for the first hour or so I found it fine. The first journey was akin to the driving test, I thought- you're on heightened awareness and probably over cautious, but it is definitely worth the effort.
 
soy said:
Just keep thinking that you (driver) should be looking out onto centre-line in the road
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While on holidays in the US a few years back a friend and I rented a car. When she was driving she kept muttering to herself. I finally worked out she was repeating over and over 'me in the middle, me in the middle...'!
 
Thanks again all.

Been to Fuerteventura a few times already but just never driven there. Thought the roads looked pretty good to drive on - guess I'll find out soon enough :)
 
HighFlier said:
I have found the problem is not driving on the right as you are very aware you are in a foreign country. I have had a few scary moments though after I arrived back home, relaxed ,and suddenly realised I was on the wrong side of the road.
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very true
 
Would second what ntOOdeep said - imagine yourself driving here in ireland - you the driver are always near centre of road. Same applies overseas. It does come natural after an hour or so.

Beware when you return home - reset your brain to the Irish system - easy to forget!
 
I'd recommend practising in a carpark to get to know the dimensions of the car.
Use the cats eyes on the road to get an idea where your wheels are and the width of the car. - This helped me the most
Always be aware at junctions
And I didn't find the position of the gearstick any problem - But I'm used to driving tractors :p
 
1. Hire a diesel if you can. Diesels are more forgiving if you are in the wrong gear - setting off in 2nd or even 3rd gear won't cause the engine to cut out. In any case, try to get the most powerful engine you can so you don't have to work the gearbox so much.
2. Try to get the same make of car you already drive - SEAT cars have the same controls as other VW Group cars (VW, Skoda, Audi). If you are an Opel driver you may also be in luck in the Canaries.
3. Make sure your exterior and interior mirrors are adjusted correctly.
4. A tip for making sure you're correctly placed in a lane: make sure you are directly behind the driver of the car in front. [A tendency of people driving on the opposite side to what they are used to is to align their seat position within a lane to what they're used to. You see this all the time in Ireland with hire-car drivers straddling two lanes because they've aligned their seat within the lane in the position they're used to].
5. Think of right-hand turns as "small" turns (because you're not crossing any lanes) and left-hand turns as "big" turns (you are crossing lanes and need to take extra care).
6. Before moving off for the first time, try changing to every gear, including reverse.
7. Don't have the radio on the first time you drive - it's too distracting.
8. Relax - it's a hire car. You're insured. If you have a ding you'll just get a replacement.
 
i printed out a keep right sign in reverse and stuck it too my dashboard, so it reflected up the correct way on my windscreen, so it was like a Heads up Display reminding me to keep right, the last few times i was in france (i learned my lesson after writing off a car there before)
 
Caveat said:
I suppose I'll be fine. A bit of self belief is required I think - but not overconfidence which could be fatal in these situations :eek:

The disposition required for my task would seem to be in conflict with the purpose of a holiday though :rolleyes:
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I drove a Punto for a few days in Fuertaventura and it was fine-just dont switch off-keep concentrating. I seem to remember there were a lot of Brits there who would not be used to it either and generally most people seem to take care.It does not have a hugh amount of traffic either.U will be okay.
 
As stated by others watch out when you come back. I've found myself on the wrong side once or twice
 
Back safe and sound BTW!

Got a car for 3 days - a little strange at first sure, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting.
 
I would go for a slightly smaller car than you're used to. This leaves more margin for error, as you'll naturally drift towards the wrong side.

Never had a problem with changing gears with wrong hand. Can't see anyone hitting the door.

As for automatics, you just have to remember that you only need 1 foot to drive.
The tendency is to start with 1 foot on accelerator and other on footbrake.
After about 5 minutes, you'll realise this and it will be sorted.

Take extra care at junctions.
 
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