14 DAY TRIAL // After a recent survey revealed that over a quarter of British travelers are afraid of driving while they are abroad because of the different driving laws, travel site Skyscanner has decided to launch UK’s first left-hand driving school.
Before continuing with the news, I would like to clarify this left-hand / right-hand driving thing a little, so that everyone understands exactly why it is important to get accustomed to one country's driving style before visiting it.
About 90% of the world's total road distance carries traffic on the right side of the road and 10% on the left. Meanwhile, about 65% of the world's population live in countries with traffic on the right and 35% in countries where vehicles go on the left side of the road.
In countries where one drives on the right side of the road, the cars are built so that the driver sits on the left-hand side of the car. Conversely, driving on the left side of the road usually implies that the driver’s seat is on the right-hand side of the car. As you probably know, the United Kingdom and most former British colonies, with some exceptions, drive on the left side of the road.
So, Britons are familiar with the right-hand driving, and when traveling abroad they have to switch and adapt to the left-hand driving. But according to the aforementioned research, 27% of British holidaymakers admit to being afraid of driving on the opposite side of the road.
Back to the country's first ever left-hand driving school, Daily Mail says Skyscanner teamed up with an elite team of driving instructors to offer travelers free classes before getting behind the wheel overseas.
The course will be held in Brixton, London, in July and will include familiarization with foreign road signs, information about rules and regulations in different countries around the world, as well as best practice and advice.
“With two-thirds of the world's countries driving on the right-hand side of the road we wanted to give British holidaymakers the confidence they need to drive overseas,” Mary Porter of Skyscanner said.
“There is so much to discover off the beaten track so we hope people make the most of it without the fear of driving abroad,” she added.
The site also published a guide to provide travelers with a list of national speed limits for UK's most popular holiday destinations, tips on how to drive on the right and a list of unusual road signs they may encounter during their vacation.