Despite the fact that the US and UK share a number of similarities, there are also a plethora of differences between the two countries and one of the biggest is driving.
To help people understand the differences between driving in the States and taking to British roads, American TikTok user @niosol83, who lives in the UK, has shared 10 tips for any Americans preparing to venture out in a car.
1. Get a small car
As many roads in the UK were built long before cars were a thing, many of them are incredibly narrow, especially compared with wide-open US highways.
“Get a small car,” recommends the TikToker. “And get to know the dimensions of your car very fast because you’ll be navigating through really tiny spaces.”
2. Learn to back into parking spots
Niosol’s second tip for driving in the UK is focused on parking lots, or ‘car parks’ as they say across the Atlantic.
“Learn to back into parking spots,” she instructs. “Not parallel park but like [in] parking lot spots.”
As ‘car parks’ in towns and cities will often be small and narrow, being able to drive straight out of a space can be a massive help.
3. Be polite
This is generally good advice for anywhere in the UK but it’s especially important on the roads.
As the roads can often be narrow and you’re likely to come across cars parked at the side of the street, there will come a time when you have to wait to let another car pass if your side of the road is blocked – or vice versa.
“When you have to let somebody pass you on a tiny little street, you do this little wave thing,” says Niosol.
This is a little wave of thanks to the other driver after they’ve let you pass.
A British commenter on Niosol’s video noted: “If you only listen to one part, it’s the little thank you hand wave. If you don’t do it we [sarcastically] shout THANK YOU whilst staring into your soul.”
4. Always scan for places to pull over
“If you’re driving on tiny country lanes, and you have to pull over to let people go past you, I am always scanning for little spots that I can do that in,” says the TikToker.
This tip is relevant for both small country lanes and narrow city streets where you may have to tuck between parked cars if another vehicle is coming in the opposite direction.
5. Bring your own coffee
“Drive-thru Starbucks is not very much of a thing here.”
They do exist and are becoming more common but you definitely won’t find one on every street corner.
6. Yellow lights happen twice
Traffic lights are another place where the rules of the road differ between Britain and America.
“Yellow lights happen twice per cycle, once before the green and once before the red,” says Niosol. “Also, they’re called amber lights here.”
7. Watch out for speed cameras
“There are not police on the motorways, on the highways, waiting in speed traps to pull you over,” says the TikToker for tip number seven. “But there are a lot of speeding cameras… so just go the speed limit.”
8. Roundabouts are scary at first
One of the biggest differences between American roads and much of Europe (let alone the UK) is the use of roundabouts where multiple roads converge.
“You will internally scream all the way around a roundabout when you first start using them,” says Niosol. “But don’t be scared to just go around if you miss your exit. There’s no harm in that.”
9. Repeat ‘left side’ in your head
Obviously, one of the main differences between the two countries is that they drive on opposite sides of the road.
This isn’t too bad when you’re staying on the same street for a while but as Niosol says, this can get tricky when you’re turning onto a new road.
“I have to, when I am turning onto a street, in my head say ‘left side, left side, left side,’ because the hardest places to remember that you’re driving now on the left side is when you turn onto a street and inside parking lots. That’s where it’s hardest for me,” she explains.
10. Prepare to get a UK license
“Americans are allowed to drive here on an American license for one year,” explains the TikToker. “After that, you have to get a British driving license.”
“I would say don’t leave it to the last minute because it seems like the process to get a license here takes a couple months and don’t be afraid of taking lessons, things are really different here.”
You can say that again. The UK driving test is notoriously hard. In fact, writing for The Guardian in 2013, an American studying in the UK said: “A UK license is basically a PhD in driving.”
- HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE: The differences between Diet Coke and Coke Zero explained by a nutritionist
