In Ireland the driver seat is on the opposite side of the car than in USA. Also, in Ireland you drive on the opposite side of the road than in USA. I received the best advice from the guy that rented us the car. In America if the driver looks out his side window and sees the curb, he knows he is on the wrong side of the road. In Ireland, remember everything is opposite. If you look out your side window and see the curb, you will know you are on the wrong side of the road. I found this helpful when driving in the country, looked out my window and saw the curb. I yelled, "Curb" and corrected it immediately. My sister thought that was funny, but had to agree that it was good advice from the car rental place. When we talk about Ireland, she always brings it up. Enjoy your trip, you'll love it there. Don't go to the restaurants in the hotels, but go where the locals go, to the pubs. The pubs have the best food.

Driving in the UK
 

We disagree about car rental size. We did this several years ago. Please pack light, and rent a small car. Most roads are very narrow, and parking is allowed on some of them. A big car is a big mistake and concentrate on driving. A right turn equals a left turn. Roundabouts are opposite of ours. You’ll get the hang of it. Enjoy your trip!

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We were just in Ireland and Scotland with a tour group. After seeing the roads and other drivers we would never drive over there. The roundabouts even go in the opposite direction. You enter to the left. Never going to happen for us.

:shrug:

Driving in Ireland/UK
 

My wife and I lived in Ireland (Dublin) for six years. One simple phrase I learned was, “Look right, drive left.” That is, if you are about pull out onto a street, first look right (instead of left as we do in the States). In Ireland, the oncoming traffic will be coming your way in their left lane, so that is why you first look right. Then simply make sure you are driving in the left lane. Of course, as you pull out, you also want to make sure the left lane is clear. Hope that makes sense.

“Liked”

Driving in England
 

Driving on wrong side of the road. Also watch out for the Rotaries (circles)

Driving in U.K.
 

From the movie THE WORLD FASTEST INDIAN a New Zealander arrives to the states and bought a car to go to the Great Salt Lake - after just about causing a accident the salesman said the best way to determine if driving in the right lane is to HAVE THE DRIVERS SIDE NEAR THE CENTER OF THE ROAD looking into the rear view mirror is adjustment also

Driving on the wrong side of the road is not recommended in any country.
There are no Rotaries (circles) in the UK.

If you are a confidant driver and can handle everything The Villages throws at you, you'll have no problem adapting if you take things carefully.

If you're a nervous wreck in TV and panic at the roundabouts, take a coach trip.

jacksonla
 

I lived in South Africa for 5 years. I had a post-it note on the dashboard for the first 8 months with an arrow and a note to self "keep left". I only once almost had an accident and that was when I returned to the states.

Are you from the 617? We’re the only ones that still call them ‘Rotaries’ (at least in my travels)

We lived in Japan and my biggest problem was remembering to stay on the left side of the road when making a turn. If a car was in the right lane obviously that made it easier but with no car there to remind me I would say to myself ’left side, left side’.

For our first trip, I bought a video game steering wheel that clamps to your desk. I practiced with that for a while driving a left side simulator. It really helped.

Use iMaps or other nav app. I'd say all new cars allow you to connect to the dashboard screen. Following the blue nav line on the screen the "wrong" way around roundabouts is very helpful.

Several people suggested having an involved navigator next to you. That's a good idea, but a distracted one is worse.

Although I had an Embassy driver, occasionally I tried my hand driving on the left; not too bad until I hit traffic circles. This was in Botswana. I’ll stick with the right side drive and, as Greyhound use to say, leave the driving to us

Opposite side driving...
 

"Far Right; Near Left" -- when turning/joining another roadway. We kept repeating that for about all three years while living on Okinawa.
We took a tour of Ireland and were happy the tour bus seating was high because the hedgerows will make it difficult to impossible to see beyond the edge of the narrow road. That and the driver having to focus on driving the narrow roads with on-coming traffic can become tiring. We marveled at the drivers passing on-coming buses or trucks on roadways we would think are barely one and a half lanes wide. Prior to leaving home, study on how/where to park because as another said, that will be a task unto itself.

As much as you want to see large parts of these countries, you, as the driver, will miss so much sightseeing and enjoying the country. The passenger(s) get the benefit, although they may be helping with directions. With the differences in the cars, driving on the left, different road rules, unfamiliar areas, and narrow roads, I would highly recommend finding a trip with a driver so all travelers can enjoy the experience 100% and see so much more. Well worth the money and reduced stress.

Remember: "When your right your wrong". We drove about 1500 miles years ago in Ireland and Scotland and there were some harrowing experiences. Sheep, loose chippings and the round abouts were the biggest problems. There were no gps/navigation in those days so my wife was the navigator. Good luck! Never again.

If I had to do a check-in and focus so much on driving and the stress, much of my holiday would not be enjoyable! Find a trip with a guide or hire a driver - someone who knows the areas. Then you can really enjoy the sites. Too much grief, in my opinion!

Driving in the UK
 

Jim,

My wife and I did a 3,000 mile driving trip in England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland last year and it was amazing! We flew into London, picked up our car there. I opted for a manual because I like to drive a stick. We got lucky and got a new (5 miles) Kia SUV with a great navigation system. The trick to driving on the other side of the road is to be very intentional at the start of every day. I found that I you got started going the right way it was pretty easy from there. Sitting on the.left side of the car and shifting with your left hand is a constant reminder. One thing we did constantly is walk up to the wrong side of the car to get in.

We had no incidents or trouble navigating. We just followed the GPS. One thing you should do is book the ferry's in advance. Make sure you get there early. The ferry's are a great part of the adventure.

I don't doubt the experience of all that said driving in the UK was no problem. But I think it's a very individual thing and we all know there is a spectrum of drivers on the road in the US and if we are honest with ourselves, we know where we are in that spectrum. Aging is also a real issue in how quickly we respond to new circumstances. Several years ago, I attended a meeting in Dublin and decided I would add a tour of Ireland while there. I thought about driving myself but really didn't have the time to plan it, so I went with a CIE tour. While we were touring, we hit a huge traffic jam. I asked the bus driver if this was common since we had been travelling on uncongested roads up until that time. He said it occurs almost daily and is usually caused by tourists who are unaccustomed to driving in the UK. When we passed the accident site, it was about as bad as you can imagine.

Two important items that may save your life.

1) Driving in Ireland is on the RIGHT side of the road, same as the USA and Mexico. If you drive on the LEFT side of the road (Like in the UK), you may have a head-on collision. I see many on this list are advising driving on the left in Ireland. That is wrong.

2) Despite what is taught in US schools, Ireland is not part of the UK in any way. It is a separate country.

They drive on the right in Ireland. So not a problem.

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My wife and I went to England a couple of years ago and I planned on renting a car (making sure it would be an automatic as I didn't want to deal with shifting with the "wrong" arm) and driving. Our English friends picked us up and drove us back to their town and then drove us on a bit of a tour of the countryside, where I figured I'd learn to drive. The country roads all seemed to be just over one car width wide on two-way streets (they had occasional wider spots in the road for one car to pull off and let the other car through), were FULL of cars, busses (including the double-decker ones) and trucks ("lorries") and all lined with stone walls, trees or impenetrable tall shrubs. I was terrified and wouldn't have driven there even if the cars didn't drive from the "wrong" side while in the "wrong" lane. England (and Wales and Ireland, which we also visited) are FULL. There is just no room for what we think of as minimal roads. Oh, and using a traffic circle ("roundabout") in The Villages does NOT prepare you for a traffic circle with three lanes in it with seven or eight entrances/exits.

Of course, that was just me. Your experience may be just delightful...

1) The Irish drive on the left of the road, so you might want to do the same

2) Northern Ireland is part of the UK

Two comments:

1) In both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, they drive on the left side of the road (right hand side driver position in the cars as opposed to left hand side driver position in the car for the US) as they do in England.

2) The Republic of Ireland is a separate country, Northern Ireland is part of the UK. The currency is pounds in Northern Ireland and Euros in the Republic of Ireland.

I agree with those who say you get used to it very quickly. With one exception. Watch out first thing in the morning. You may start out on the right. Just correct your lane, before you run into someone.

I'd check that before starting out, if I were you.

On the other hand, if you are talking about France, Germany, Italy, etc. then you are correct. But watch out for Parisian roundabouts - they will make you long for the Villages roundabouts. ;)

I noticed he mentioned the speed limits as being mph. Are the speedometers also mph? Is this true in Scotland and Ireland as well?

Driving on the Left
 

I have visited Ireland and toured by bus not driven it. BUT if you plan to drive some of the roads are very narrow. Especially by the Ring of Kerry. With no shoulders or space to pull over. I have driven on the left when I was in Thailand for a year and again when I visited Fiji and rented a car. The hardest part is interpreting the traffic signs and relating them to the left driving. I found Left turns were a bit tricky as I tended to hug the left curb too much. But with a little time you will get quite use to it .

IF YOU DRIVE ON THE RIGHT SIDE IN IRELAND OR THE UK YOU WILL HAVE A HEAD ON CRASH THE FIRST 100 FEET.


Driving in Ireland | Ireland.com

https://youtu.be/gClEZ9UJCKk?si=AR0rO-_YvDIVh49A

The signs are in English but they be a bit bewildering at times!!

I was a bit confused when I saw this sign!!

I’ve been living overseas for the past 20 years. 6 driving in Japan. Many times in Ireland. The only difficult part of driving in Ireland is driving stick shift left handed. You don’t get the traffic of England or the speed of Germany so that is not a concern. Don’t worry about driving in Ireland. Enjoy yourself and be sure to get out of the cities.