My First Time Driving on the Right
So I landed at the airport super jet-lagged, rented a crappy economy car, and walked up to the driver’s side door like I always do back home. Realized my dumb mistake when the steering wheel wasn’t there – felt like a complete idiot. Took me five minutes just to figure out how to start the damn thing because all the buttons were mirrored.
What I did next:
- Practiced in the airport parking lot for an hour, sweating bullets every time another car came near me
- Kept turning on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal (still do that sometimes if I’m tired)
- Almost side-swiped a delivery truck when merging because I checked the wrong mirror
Finally gathered enough courage to hit the highway. White-knuckled the steering wheel for 20 miles straight. The GPS kept shouting at me to take exits I almost missed because everything felt backwards. At one point, I ended up driving the wrong way down a one-way street – local drivers laid on their horns so loud I nearly jumped out of my skin.
Popular Spots I Tested Out
Found this massive grocery store parking lot near my hotel. Went there every dawn for a week when it was empty. Practiced my right-hand turns around light poles until security kicked me out twice. Also tried driving through that famous lakeside park everyone recommends – total chaos on weekends with tourists darting everywhere like headless chickens.
Best discovery was the industrial zone west of town. Wide roads, barely any traffic on Sundays. Drove loops there for hours listening to podcasts about road rules. Saw four other learners doing the same thing – we kept waving at each other like idiots.
Actual helpful takeaways:
- Stick tape reminders on your dashboard: “RIGHT SIDE = CURB SIDE” saved me daily
- Pay extra for full insurance – my rental car has seven new scratches now
- Morning practice beats night practice – streetlights mess with your orientation
After two weeks, drove to the mountains without any panic attacks. Still screamed when a cyclist suddenly appeared from what felt like the passenger side though. Got pulled over once for drifting lanes, but the cop just laughed when he saw my license – apparently does this with all newbie drivers. Currently planning my next road trip to nail roundabouts!
