Driving Around The UK
If you are a visitor or have moved recently, and not familiar with driving in the UK then you need follow the guidelines mentioned below to make sure you drive safely.
1. UK has left-hand drive: First, you need to bear in mind that UK traffic system is left-handed. This system has its roots when horse carriages were widely used for traveling. The drivers would often hit the pedestrians by chance while using their whips. This lead to the formation of a law that all traffic must be driven on the left side, and all drivers ought to sit on the right-hand to ensure safety to the pedestrians.
2. Get an automatic: There is general trend of manual driving in UK, and for this reason, rental cars are mostly manual vehicles also. If you do not know as how to drive a manual car, you ought to inform the renting company to provide you with an automatic vehicle to save you from the hassle of learning the manual setup.
3. U-turns: You are allowed to take U-turns and three-point turns in UK if you can do so without threatening anyone. Do it carefully because it is a common practice that people take u-turns in the middle of the motorway or highway and block traffic.
4. Parking: you can park anywhere on the road. It implies parking on the sides of the road, and there is no rule to park facing away from oncoming traffic. Cars are parked facing oncoming traffic, and you should at your toes to get hold of a spot open on your side. Yet, it is not recommended to do so as you might not be familiar with it and thus may involve in an accident. For this reason, it is advised to park, as you feel comfortable.
5. Be patient: If you are driving across the country, you will often get stuck behind trucks and tractors that are driving extremely slowly. While it may feel like torture, you can’t make it better by honking endlessly, so take it easy and wait till you can overtake them easily without putting anyone in danger.
6. Lay-bys: Since, a lot of the country roads are extremely narrow allowing only one car to pass, you should be prepared to have to drive onto, or even reverse towards the nearest, a lay-by which is a paved area next to the road. This is so that someone approaching you can pass by. Whoever is closer to a lay-by will be the one having to pull over, sometimes requiring you to reverse to it, and someone pulls aside to let you pass, make sure you acknowledge it with a smile.
7. Hedgerows: Hedgerows are found everywhere in UK countryside, which are used in place of fences.
8. Speed: The maximum speed you can have on the motorway is 70mph, while in the countryside it is 40mph and even lower in villages. If you over speed, a speed camera may trace you even in small villages, so be cautious in this regard.
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