Headed to Ireland - Concerned About Driving

[Nemo2]

most of the signs are in Gaelic...and you will come across signs where there is literally 100 signs to each town

"You need direction, yeah you need a name
When you're standing in the crossroads every highway looks the same
After a while you can recognize the signs
So if you get it wrong you'll get it right next time.."

Gerry Rafferty

 

[Alan]

As of yesterday, I just finished putting over 1,000 miles on a rental car in England and Scotland. Compact, stick shift diesel, and I was very pleasantly surprised at the great gas mileage. Just a tick under 60 mpg by my calculation.

The downside is that on tiny country roads even a compact car can seem huge. In places, there was only room for one car (not even a truck), and when we encountered someone coming from the other direction, it sometimes required one of us to back up quite a few yards until there was space to pass each other.

Another problem is that GPS (or "sat nav" as they call it) can sometimes send you down those incredibly tiny lanes, so you have to learn to ignore it.

I really don't have a problem with the right hand drive, and stick shifts are easy for me, but the very, very narrow roads are uncomfortable in the extreme for me.

The VW Golf manual diesel TDI we rented in the UK and drove to Ireland had mpg as good as our Prius. We had it for 6 weeks, in all sorts of driving conditions. Very impressed with it.

I can't emphasize enough the advice to have paper maps and check where your GPS is going to take you as it will direct you down the tiniest, most unsuitable roads. In Cornwall we followed the GPS going to Tintagel Castle and not only did it direct us down tiny 1 lane roads bounded by dry-stone walls it was obvious that there were plenty of others blindly following their GPS directions. Backing up tiny roads to find passing places is bad enough in itself but when there are several cars ahead and behind it really is a nightmare. ( we checked our map before we came back from Tintagel Castle and couldn't understand why the heck the GPS had used the tiny, unsuitable, roads it recommended, so we ignored it and used "real" roads)

 

[explanade]

I booked a 3 week trip to New Zealand for February.

The itinerary I have in mind would include renting a car and it would be my first time driving on the wrong side of the road.

Am feeling some trepidation, though I haven't planned anything other than the plane tickets.

 

[braumeister]

I can't emphasize enough the advice to have paper maps and check where your GPS is going to take you as it will direct you down the tiniest, most unsuitable roads.

A delightfully pithy and useful conversation last week, the first time this happened to us:

Turned around (with difficulty) when the narrow lane turned into a dirt sheep trail, and found a local woman out gardening.

Can you direct us to the XYZ Inn? We seem to have turned on the wrong road.

Are you using satnav?

Yes.

Don't.

 

[audreyh1]

LOL!

I noticed a lot of inns, etc., have directions and often say "don't use the GPS!". There are usually a bunch of gotchas.

 

[MichaelB]

I really don't have a problem with the right hand drive, and stick shifts are easy for me, but the very, very narrow roads are uncomfortable in the extreme for me.

Have you driven a right side with a stick before this? Shifting with the left hand seems pretty distracting when one is already trying to focus on staying on the proper side.

 

[Alan]

Great story braumeister!

The site where I worked in Louisiana was always wrong in everyone's GPS, Google Maps, Mapquest etc. Following any of those directions had them turning right when they hit the Mississippi river at Hwy 75 instead of left. We always had to remember to give folks the correct directions, otherwise we'd be getting calls saying they couldn't find us.

 

[Meadbh]

The itinerary I have in mind would include renting a car and it would be my first time driving on the [-]wrong [/-]other side of the road.

Fixed that for you.

 

[braumeister]

Have you driven a right side with a stick before this? Shifting with the left hand seems pretty distracting when one is already trying to focus on staying on the proper side.

I've done it before, and never found it too difficult.

The site where I worked in Louisiana was always wrong in everyone's GPS, Google Maps, Mapquest etc.

I was amused a couple of years ago when driving up to Detroit for the NEXUS interview. There was a big notice on their website that you should not use GPS under any circumstances, but follow their specific written directions to the office. Due to a lot of construction activity in the area, that was very good advice.

 

[Nunthewiser]

Have you driven a right side with a stick before this? Shifting with the left hand seems pretty distracting when one is already trying to focus on staying on the proper side.

The most difficult part for me was trying to remember to not to slam my right arm into the door when trying to change gear. After 43 years of driving only manuals in the US, old habits die hard.

 

[ERD50]

Originally Posted by explanade View Post
The itinerary I have in mind would include renting a car and it would be my first time driving on the [-]wrong[/-] other side of the road.

Fixed that for you.

Nah, to fix it, you'd need to get all those places to switch over, and drive on right side of the road.

-ERD50

 

[Meadbh]

Nah, to fix it, you'd need to get all those places to switch over, and drive on right side of the road.

-ERD50

It all started on the left.

Why do some countries drive on the left and others on the right? - World Standards

 

[ERD50]

It all started on the left.

Why do some countries drive on the left and others on the right? - World Standards

Oh come on now! Because Knights and horse team drivers wanted to use their right hand so kept to the left? We are talking about modern times, horse-less carriages! Gotta change with the times!

Furthermore, "but this is the right side of the road to drive on" (paraphrasing Spinal Tap - 'but these go to eleven!').

And just a tiny bit more seriously - if driving on the wrong side of the road is so great - why haven't any of the right side driving countries switched, when several wrong-side countries have switched (at great cost and inconvenience) to the right?

It's just wrong - that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!


-ERD50

 

[NW-Bound]

I have driven on the left only twice. In US Virgin Islands, the traffic was light and I drove leisurely so it was not too bad. But without traffic to remind me, I pulled out from a beach and drove on the wrong (meaning right ) side for a short distance before a police car came up behind me and honked the horn.

The 2nd time in NZ was more nerve-racking, because I had to go on a highway. In city, slow traffic makes it less dangerous plus there are other cars for you to follow. On the highway, it felt terrifying to see cars coming at you at high speed on the wrong side of the road. OMG! And then, when I had to pass someone, I had to keep reminding myself to merge left after passing. "Keep left, keep left" was all I could keep in my mind. Roundabouts did not bother me, somehow. It was good that my wife was there to keep reminding me too. I would rather not drive if there was another way. I just could not enjoy the scenery.

 

[DFA]

And just a tiny bit more seriously - if driving on the wrong side of the road is so great - why haven't any of the right side driving countries switched, when several wrong-side countries have switched (at great cost and inconvenience) to the right?

It's just wrong - that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!


-ERD50

I was living in Okinawa when the US gave it back to Japan; when I got there they were driving on the right side and switched to the left. It was really weird the first couple of days, but got the hang of it.

 

[ERD50]

I was living in Okinawa when the US gave it back to Japan; when I got there they were driving on the right side and switched to the left. It was really weird the first couple of days, but got the hang of it.

Interesting , I did not know that!

I'll still guess that the wrong-to-right switches outnumber the right-to-wrong switches by a great margin!

-ERD50

 

[Meadbh]

There is no "wrong" way. Just different.

 

[explanade]

India is the most populous country where cars drive on the left but not sure how high the number of cars there are.

Driving on the right side is the "right way" normatively speaking.

 

[Meadbh]

India is the most populous country where cars drive on the left but not sure how high the number of cars there are.

Driving on the right side is the "right way" normatively speaking.

Says who?

Please provide a rationale. If, by " normatively" you mean "most common", then logic dictates that ER, being uncommon, is "wrong".

Why do so many people cling to the belief that their way is the only "right" way?

 

[MRG]

It should be said Right hand drive or Left hand drive. It's not wrong, actually in a left hand drive country, a right hand drive persons perspective is what is wrong!

 

[Meadbh]

Says who?

Please provide a rationale. If, by " normatively" you mean "most common", then logic dictates that ER, being uncommon, is "wrong".

Why do so many people cling to the belief that their way is the only "right" way?

It should be said Right hand drive or Left hand drive. It's not wrong, actually in a left hand drive country, a right hand drive persons perspective is what is wrong!

Thank you MRG.

 

[Meadbh]

This is how the U.S. Embassy in Dublin sees it:

Driving in Ireland | Embassy of the United States Dublin, Ireland

"Tourists driving on the wrong side of the road are the cause of several serious accidents each year."


To the OP: When you visit my country,of origin, you will be welcomed as a guest. Please remember to drive on the left side of the road, because that is required by law, i.e. legitimate.

 

[Nemo2]

In an attempt to be conciliatory, I tried driving down the middle of the road today - wow - the blatant expressions of aggression I encountered.

So much for "Blessed are the peacemakers"....I was called a lot of things, but 'a child of God' wasn't one of them.......Matthew certainly got that one wrong.

 

[MRG]

Nemo2 too funny. Actually my neighbor delivers mail in rural areas in a left hand drive Jeep Wrangler. One days off his border collie would ride along in the "drivers" seat. First time I passed the dog "driving" the Jeep it kinda scared me.

 

[Nemo2]

his border collie would ride along in the "drivers" seat.

My late wife & I used to say that our border Collie could prepare our tax returns, so driving would have been well within his capabilities.