To my surprise, it hasn't been all that bad! Some tips should you decide to attempt this:
- Each morning when I get in the car I recite a little mantra - "Dan, you are in England. Please stay on the left side of the road."
- Satellite Navigation systems rule. Our Garmin prevents us from getting lost and provides subtle reminders at roundabouts ("Stay left...") along with helpful graphics.
- When other vehicles are coming the other way, it's really not that hard to remember to stay out of their trajectory. The hardest part seems to be when there are no other cars around (e.g. parking lots and side streets).
- Even with the driver's wheel on the left side it isn't too difficult to see everything you need. The only near-impossible challenge would be attempting to pass on a 2-lane road. Way too risky for me!
- If you plan to go through toll booths (and there aren't many), bring a passenger. This also applies to drive-thrus I suppose. Should you not have a willing passenger, you may hire one at the border. Alternatively, you could put the car in park, remove your seatbelt, and lean waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over. Be sure to give a silly grin so they know you are "not from 'round these here parts".
- There are rumors that left-drivered vehicles have headlights that 'dip' to the right (and vice versa). This could lead to unanticipated 'dazzling' (or dazing in our case) of oncoming traffic. This suggestion was debunked by those we questioned, and the purchase/application of black-out strips dismissed as sheer tomfoolery. If you have been caught in our cross-beam, please leave an informative comment to correct our brash continentality.
Enjoy and good luck!
Skoda-mobile has now been to 4 countries and one region desperately desiring to be a country. No word on its replacement.
