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Road Rules and Traffic Regulations in Great Britain - Driving Nuances
1. In the UK, there is left-hand traffic, so tourists, who are accustomed to right-hand traffic, may need some time to adapt. Drivers, who got a driving license not long ago, must be especially careful in order not to lose sight of the main feature of local roads.
2. The abovementioned peculiarity means that overtaking on roads can only be made on the right. It should be also noticed that all the roads in the UK are highly informative, so driving on them is not difficult and very enjoyable.
3. At crossroads with circular motion, cars to the right have the advantage. Drivers, who are used to the concept of “hindrance on the right”, should always remember about this peculiarity of local roads and crossroads.
4. At a crossroads, cars that move along the main road have the advantage. If there is a white line on a road before a crossroads, this means that drivers must stop at the line and give way to cars that move on the crossed road.
5. An attempt to make a left turn at the red light is considered one of the most serious violations. In the UK, this maneuver is prohibited, and an attempt to make it will result in heavy fines.
6. Local drivers have much respect for pedestrians. All cars should stop at all pedestrian crossings. Just like in many countries, here pedestrian crossings are marked with “zebra”.
7. All passengers in a vehicle must always use seat belts. This concerns even passengers who sit in the back of a car. Children under 13 years can be carried only in a special chair (in case their height is less than 150 cm). These chairs are selected in accordance with weight and height of a child.
Nuances of Car Rental in Great Britain
To save on your rental, we advise to book your car in advance. You will save the most if you do this several weeks or even several months prior to your trip. Rental offices in Great Britain usually raise rental prices over time, based on the number of cars left available for the accounting period.
When looking for an exotic car (cabriolet, minivan or limousine), we advise to check in the rental offices located at airports, as they usually provide much wider choice comparing to offices in urban areas.
Upon receipt of invoices, bills and documents for your car at the rental location, please compare the obtained data with your voucher. Quite often, employees of rental offices in Great Britain try to add optional charges or services without informing customers.
It is very important to pick up your car at the rental office in Great Britain in a correct way. Prior to leaving the office, carefully inspect the car for various defects, and ensure that all the discovered defects are mentioned in your rental documents. In case of a non-compliance found, place a demand for correction to the rental officer.
You can always check our car actual rental offers in Great Britain. Simply use the search form at the top of the page. We guarantee that you will not find better prices anywhere else!
9. Here it should be noted that a frequent change of speed limits is typical for local roads. Therefore, drivers need to pay attention to road signs installed along roads. In Guernsey and Jersey, there are special rules regarding speed limits.
10. A notable fact - there is no special road police in the UK. In case of an accident regular policemen arrive to the location. They are also obliged to monitor the speed limit on roads. All other issues are the responsibility of the road inspection.
11. If there is a double solid line along the road, parking at this part of the road is prohibited. If there is a single yellow line, parking may be permitted on certain days or hours of a day. In this case, drivers should pay attention to road signs.
12. All local parking lots are equipped with special machines that are used to make payments. Drivers, who count on using such parking lots, must get enough coins of small denominations in advance. Parking machines accept coins of 20 and 50 pence, and 1 pound coins.
13. In the UK, not all paid parking lots are guarded. Finding a free parking in the center of the city is simply impossible - they are usually located in remote areas. Unless stated different, leaving a car in a free parking lot is permitted for no longer than two hours.
14. If there is the «Residents parking» sign near the parking lot, it means that only cars that often drive through the marked area are allowed to park there.
15. The car parked in a wrong place can not only be picked up by a tow truck. The road inspection has a number of powers in this case. Wheels of the car can be blocked by a lock or air can be let out of the car’s tires. Of course, such a violation will result in a large fine.
16. In general, traffic in the UK is organized on a very high level. In addition to informative road signs, major roads have numerous intersections, so the possibility of traffic jams is minimal. Road sections, on which traffic jams occur from time to time, are also marked with special signs.
17. Despite a rich choice of road signs, in the UK you will not find some road signs that are so usual to motorists. For example, you will not see the “main road” sign. The “give way” sign is also extremely rare. Numerous traffic lights are a no less striking feature of the UK roads. There are a lot of them in the territory of settlements.
19. Smoking is prohibited while driving, and speaking on a cell phone is only possible in case you use a headset. Any violation of these rules will result in serious fines.
20. Impatient drivers, who are used to expressing their dissatisfaction with honking, should note that it is prohibited to use signals in residential areas in the period from 23:30 to 7:00. Otherwise, such an action will be regarded as a violation and will result in a monetary fine.
21. Driving while intoxicated is considered a serious violation. If a drunk driver became the reason for an accident, in addition to a large fine and cancellation of the driving license he may be brought to jail for a period of up to 14 years.
22. You will see special phones of the orange color along all roads at a distance of less than a mile from each other. They can be used to call for help in case of an accident or a breakdown.
23. In order to use a car in the UK, one must have a permanent driving license or International Driving Permit - a driving permit of the international standard. Temporary driving licenses obtained abroad cannot be used in the UK.
24. While moving, cars should keep as close to the extreme left as possible and give way to cars that drive on the right side. Cars should not occupy the middle lane if they can move in the inner lane.
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