Driving in the United Kingdom
I recently tested a Fiat 500 — a car headed to the U.S. next year — in the United Kingdom. There’s obviously a different driving culture there than here; a few of the more noteworthy practices I encountered are highlighted below.
- U.K. drivers are especially courteous. Reflecting on some ill-advised maneuvers while getting a hang of driving on the other side of the road, I realized no one had honked their horn at me. Amazing. By comparison, a newbie Chicago driver can expect to be honked out of town if they’re even the slightest bit uncertain where they’re going, or if they go a few miles under the speed limit to gawk at the Sears Tower or Buckingham Fountain.
- It’s acceptable — and regularly practiced — to face the wrong direction when parked on the street.
- It can be difficult to navigate urban areas for a few reasons. Sometimes, the street signs are waist-high or on the sides of buildings and nearly faded away. Other times, the name of the street changes with each new block. My takeaway: It’s best to bring a portable navigation system if you plan on driving.
- On the Motorway (the U.K.’s version of Interstates), slower-moving cars never crowd the passing lane, and drivers never pass in the outside slow lane. Both of these practices are welcome changes from the States, where some drivers pass wherever there’s an open lane — even if that means veering all over the highway.
- Stop signs are rare; instead, drivers entering main roads typically have to “give way” (yield) to traffic.
- Where there are stoplights, the yellow light flashes before changing from red to green, alerting drivers to get ready to go. It reminded me of the “Christmas tree” lights at drag strips.
