Driving in the UK

Phil Taylor

The UK may not be as famous for the USA for driving _ we don't have the wide open roads and great distances to travel _ but driving is definitely the best way to see the countryside, especially as public transport is not quite as reliable as in Japan! But before you get the keys to your rent-a-car and hit the road, it's good to prepare.

It might be a good idea to read the official "highway code" online at

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk

and look at the list showing all the standard UK road signs at

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/signs_index.htm.

Unfortunately these sites might not tell you some of the driving etiquette and unwritten rules in the UK!
Why not try these questions to see how much you know…?

1. Which side of the road should I drive on?

A. The right of course _ England is in Europe!
B. The left, same as Japan!
C. In the middle.

2. How fast can you drive on a motorway?

A. 70 mph.
B. There's no limit, like on a German autobahn.
C. 50mph.

3. If a driver "honks his horn" at me, what does it mean?

A. "Be careful" or "Hey what are you doing?!"
B. "I'm feeling kind, please go ahead!"
C. "Good morning"

4. A car in front on the motorway is slowing down and using his orange flashing hazard lights. Why?!

A. He likes the colour.
B. He wants to go faster.
C. He's warning you about a problem ahead.

5. A roundabout!! What do I do?

A. Park on the grass in the middle.
B. Give way to cars on it, and go around clockwise.
C. Go around whichever way is most convenient.

6. I have to buy petrol. Any advice?

A. Wait for an attendant to come and fill the car for you.
B. Use any of the different types of petrol.
C. It's usually self-service and you should make sure you choose the right kind of petrol!

1. B. If you drive in Japan, you're lucky with a few things. One is that we drive on the left-side too, which is of course the right (correct) side!

2. A. The maximum speed limit on a UK motorway is 70 mph (112km/h) and on an A-road or a road outside of a "built-up-area" it's 60mph (100km/h), even if the road looks quite small and narrow!

And unfortunately some drivers feel they need to make the most of this speed limit all the time. If you have someone like this behind you on a quiet road when you just want to take it easy and enjoy the scenery, let them pass you by flashing your left indicator, slowing slightly and moving to the left a little.

In main roads in built up areas the speed limit is usually 40mph, and 30mph on residential streets. The British government loves speed cameras and they are everywhere now, so take care with the speed limits.

As you drive through the edge of a town or small village, you might also go through some "traffic-calming" areas. These might be speed bumps on the road or places where the road gets narrow on one side or even both sides, so only one car can go through at a time. They are always thinking of new ways to slow cars down!

3. A. UK drivers do not use the horn to say "OK, you go first" or "Thanks", but flash their headlights instead. The horn is only used to warn other drivers about something. On very narrow roads in the countryside you might hear people beeping the horn before they go around a very tight "blind" corner or over a steep "blind summit" in case someone is coming the other way.

4. C. On a motorway people might use their hazard lights to warn drivers behind if they have to slow down quickly _ perhaps for a traffic jam. This happens a lot on busy motorways like the M1, M4 or M6 near big cities, and almost all the time on the M25 around London which is why it's sometimes called the World's Biggest Car Park!

5. B. Oh yes, the famous roundabouts, hated by visitors from all over the world! Well, there are some basic things to remember: never stop while you are going around on, or drive onto the middle of one, always give way to people that are on the roundabout already and always go around in a clockwise direction!

If there are two lanes at the approach to a roundabout, you should usually use the left one if you're turning left or going straight on, and the right one only if you'll be turning right. Sometimes on a more complicated roundabout there will be signs showing which lane to use _ read them carefully!

6. C. Petrol stations in the UK are almost all self-service, and usually you must pay afterwards by going into the shop _ check what number pump you used. Occasionally you can pay by credit card at the pump. Never leave the engine on when you're filling up!

Most stations sell three main types of fuel: diesel (not usually any use unless you are renting a truck or van!), unleaded (almost all cars use this now) or 4-star (fuel with lead, usually only used by older cars). There are sometimes different grades of unleaded, called things like Premium, Super, Super Plus…The cheapest is usually fine unless you have a higher performance car.