Americans First Time Driving In The UK | We Didn't Expect This!

Tongue in cheek comment - but may I just remind you that here in the UK we drive on the correct side of the road 🙂 England was the first nation to pass an official rule, way back in 1773, which made driving on the left the law. Why other countries then proceeded to drive on the right is beyond me!!

The song and dance you Americans make about driving on the left hand side of the road is unbelievable - thousands of British and Irish people holiday on the continent every year without screaming their heads off. lol

I am British, but I lived in California for 14 years. For a time, I travelled every month back to the UK in my job. I found absolutely no problem switching between driving on the left and right. Because the steering wheel switched sides too, it felt very natural and easy.

I'm glad you remembered to drive on the correct side of the road. Some Americans don't think, kill young people with their criminal driving and then claim Diplomatic Immunity and run away to avoid justice.

Roundabouts save hundreds of lives a year in the UK. In the US, with its multi-lane crossroads, over half the accidents are caused by vehicles turning left and being hit by oncoming traffic.

The difference is not the side of the road you drive on, it's the fact that you actually get taught to drive safely. The test is not easy, and many people fail it the first time. Your baby is beautiful ❤

I’m from the UK and quite used to driving on the right abroad, I feel like after a few times your brain realises you’re in a different country and adjusts automatically. Craziest trip I had though was to Malta where they drive on the left, but because my brain knew I was abroad it had already automatically flipped to want to drive on the right! I had to spend the whole week concentrating on driving on the side of the road I always do! 😂

Brit here, commenting from France, driving back from Italy in a campervan. We have driven in every country in Europe, on the wrong side of the road ...it is absolutely a doodle! And quite why Americans are so terrified of roundabouts, I have no idea! They are so easy and efficient! At least Americans speak a similar language to the UK. Cyrillic signs in Bulgaria are "interesting"!

Makes me chuckle when you say "the back roads are a little narrow"...these are actually quite wide for a single lane.

We don’t have interstates because we don’t have states!

Just a side note. It’s illegal to have anything mounted in the center of the windscreen (windshield) in the UK. The main 3 quarters of the screen must be kept clear of any visual obstruction. Mount the satnav/phone to the right side of the dash. It’s easier to operate there anyway. Great vid. Enjoyed it

FYI, it’s illegal to have anything in the swept area of the windscreen. If the police spot your phone on the windshield it’s a £100 fine.

Be glad it's not Australia, it would be upside down! 😉😂

I love the bit "Getting on the interstate" We don't have any States. 😂😂😁😁👍👍✔✔

I am English but have driven in many other European countries and also in the USA (Boston and around Massachusetts). In fact, I've just returned from two weeks driving around Slovenia and Austria. It is surprising how quickly you adjust to driving on the other side of the road. After a couple of hours you get into it and after a day or two it feels natural. I don't like changing from second gear into third with my right hand though. It feels like an uncomfortable movement. I DO remember the first time I drove abroad on the right I was always driving too close to the edge of the road and my tyre definitely left the road a couple of times. It must be a common problem when people switch sides. I got used to it though. I found driving in the USA interesting. Most of Europe has pretty much the same road signs and rules but not in America. A lot of the signs used words rather than pictures and symbols and some of the words I didn't understand as the vocabulary was different to the UK. Also I think I was as terrified of your enormous multi-lane crossroads and traffic lights as you were of our roundabouts. I loved it anyway.

You were fortunate to have chosen to visit Scotland rather than England because the roads in general are much less busy. Having your steering wheel on the right makes negotiating roundabouts and junctions so much easier. I remember when I used to visit the Highlands once a week in my lorry doing deliveries, on the same roundabout near Dingwall, two weeks in a row I met a hired car coming around the roundabout the wrong way and it wasn't even a large busy one which can be challenging for many drivers. Glad to hear you enjoyed Scotland, it really is beautiful. 👍👍

You just need to give yourself 30 minutes to programme your mind. We Brits regularly travel to Europe where we have to drive on your side of the road. It's daunting for the first few minutes, but once you pick up your confidence it gets easier. Just tell yourself you're going to do this, and be determined to conquer any fears. Then you find your fears are unnecessary. Don't do what I've done - gain confidence and then find myself on the wrong side. Go to bed at night, shut your eyes and imagine yourself doing it. Remove the barriers.

I have driven in multiple countries, both left and rights. It’s easy….. no reason to be scared.

Best advice I can give any visiting Americans is to drive just to the left of the centre line on single lane roads. That way you'll avoid dropping the left wheel off the road or hitting the kerb. At roundabouts give way to vehicles from the right, if theres nothing there just carry on onto the roundabout. Left lane for turning left, right lane for turning right and either for straight ahead. And you can't avoid roundabouts, they are absolutely everywhere so embrace them and you'll soon find them easy to negotiate.

So glad that you enjoyed your trip to our beautiful Scotland. I don't think you mentioned if you had to tackle single-track roads with passing places at any time? Now, that WOULD have been an interesting experience! I have a lot of sympathy with your nervousness about driving on the 'wrong' side of the road. As a Brit married to a continental, I confess that I pass the steering wheel to my husband when we cross the channel. Wimpish, but it keeps us safe! And as for the narrowness of British roads, I remember weaving through the heavily-parked streets of an Edinburgh suburb with visiting American friends in the passenger seats, and seeing their knuckles go white! (We got to our destination safely).