The Top Tips for Driving in the UK
Many holiday makers find that self drive breaks are a great way to see the countryside, take more time to explore hidden places and enjoy their time while away. When driving on holiday in teh British Isles, there are some good tips to take heed of when taking to the roads for the first time:
- In the UK, the minimum age you can legally hold a licence is 17 years old. Many car rental firms will ask you to be over 21 years old, and may well charge additional fees if you are under 25.
- Drive on the left hand side of the road.
- Follow all speed limits carefully – there are lots of speed cameras in the UK!
- Stop when you see any stop signs or red traffic lights
- Give way to emergeny vehicles such as ambulances or police cars (especially if they have their sirens and lights on)
- Understand that the UK uses imperial units for measuring distance and speed – miles rather than kilometers! The speed signs are listed in miles per hour
- Fuel is purchased in litres – even though vehicles display the usage as in miles per gallon….yeah it makes no sense to us either!
- There are various different road types in the UK. The motorway begins with an M (such as the M1 for example), and has a speed limit of 70mph. “A” roads are the next road down from a motorway with a speed limit of 60mph. “B” roads are other types of road such as linking roads which join on to A roads. These can have variable speed limits, so check for signs on your journey.
- Seat belts are a legal requirement in the UK, and should you be found to be driving or travelling without a seatbelt on, you can get in trouble legally.
- Traffic lights are often used at junctions. Red means stop, yellow means you should be preparing to stop, and green means go! For our US visitors, be aware that if the light is red, you MUST stop and wait. You cannot turn at a red light in the UK…