England fail: left-side driving is the least of your problems

As you’re probably aware, within the borders of England (and Japan and Australia), you'll be driving on the lefthand-side of the road from the righthand-side of the vehicle.

Or, as we like to say, on the wrong side of the road from the wrong side of the vehicle, with the shifter in the wrong hand. What could go more wrong than that?

Well, for first-timers, the initiation can be a harrowing experience and even deadly. It only takes a split second to unwittingly dive-bomb your way head-on into the wrong lane.

There are other issues, such as traffic signs, roundabouts (by the hundreds) and the stress of being lost with honking traffic all over your six-o'clock.

This is how I manage to survive, time after time, and against all odds. 1. Keep left and look right This is your mantra to stay alive. Picture how this will go down at every intersection and every roundabout before you even enter them. And don't dart across the lanes once you're in the roundabout. That's a sure way to be broadsided. 2. Manual-trans level: expert Oh, you say you never learned to drive a stick? Then be prepared to shell out a lot of money at the car-forhire office for a rental with an automatic transmission. Just about every rental vehicle comes with three pedals. And even if you are manually proficient, remember that’s it’s your left hand that does the shifting, which will feel strange at first. Also note: max out on the optional car insurance, just in case. 3. Roundabouts are your friend You'll notice very few stop signs, anywhere, especially in country driving. Roundabouts are the order of the day and they really do help speed along traffic more efficiently. Just remember that you enter the roundabout on the left, but yielding to oncoming traffic from your right. It seems easy, but roundabouts are often tiny — so think fast — and are piled one right after another.

4. Here’s where it gets a bit weird Once they’ve spotted a coveted parallel parking space on a street, local drivers will dive straight for it, regardless of which side of the road the parking spot is on. The crazies will cross lanes right in front of you. When you come across this, your first reaction will be that you’ve entered the wrong way on a one-way street, and that you’re going to die. Assuming that it’s indeed a twoway street (a big assumption, given the generally poor road markings in many foreign locales), keep calm, but avoid trying this yourself.

5. Pick a navigator who’s not an idiot.

This should be obvious and goes double when you have satellite navigation. A navigator who can neither read a simple map or give timely directions in clear, calm and well-worded manner is a liability.

Watch a few episodes of the TV series The Amazing Race and note the teams that get along and those that don't get along on the driving legs. Choose your ‘nav’ mate accordingly.

Malcolm Gunn is Wheelbase Media's Senior Editor. Wheelbase supplies news and features to newspapers across North America.