Hello - we're making our first trip to Ireland mid March and have rented a car. Aside from driving on the opposite side of the road from here in the Us, what other road rules should we be aware of? i.e. right turns on red and things like that.
Thank you for your time.
Peter
Right turns on red are not allowed in any country in Europe. Except in Ireland it would be a "left turn on red" if it existed, but it doesn't.
Learn the traffic laws.
Learn the road signs. These are different than most of the rest of Europe. See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_signs_in_Ireland
Northern Ireland is part of the UK, and UK road laws and signs apply. That is the standard "Vienna Convention" road signs, and distances and speed limits are in miles.
The British AA publishes a series of guides for driving in each country. They are designed for drivers from the UK, so they only mention differences with British practice, for example no mention of right/left turn on red, that is a US peculiarity. But it is a place to start.
The one for Ireland is here: https://www.theaa.com/~/media/the-aa/pdf/touring-tips/ireland.pdf
You can download the official Rules of the Road
Bedtime reading between now and March
Round abouts can be your friend. If you miss your exit, don’t worry. Keep on circling and it will come up again! It’s happened to me a couple of times too.
And I want to add that I’ve found Irish drivers to be among the friendliest in Europe. Not saying others aren’t just that the Irish are most patient!
We recently got back from our 16 day trip to Ireland and we drove a lot. Hubby has experience driving on the opposite side, but watching You Tube videos can help you to "see" what it is like. We did that before our first experience.
I know you are not asking for more feedback, but I'll tell you anyway. As I heard before our trip, but now I know, driving times are not accurate on most GPS or maps etc. I didn't really understand why before our trip. But the roads are actually much slower than the speed limits. They are very, very narrow and have curves that slow you down. We planned to drive 3 hours between some stops and those 3 hours turned into 5. So, just plan for that. The driving is also intense- you have to stay very awake and concentrate so it can be tiring, but well worth it!! It's great to get on those small roads and explore rural Ireland. In the Rick Steves guidebooks he has road signs you need to know. But, it's no problem. Have fun!
"Round abouts can be your friend."
So, too, can be the tour bus driver you may encounter on the narrow roads. If you're inching by, look up to the driver's window. He/she may be trying to guide you with hand gestures...forward, left, right. With their mirrors and experience it can be more helpful than eyeing the stone wall/curb or drop-off on your left.
The suggestion to look at YouTube videos is excellent - it really helps to have seen the sight picture from behind the wheel before you tackle the rural Irish roads on your own for the first time. It also helps me to use the street view feature on Google maps to preview intersections and roundabouts, become familiar with signage and road conditions, etc.
If this is indeed your first time, suggest taking an extra few minutes in the rental car lot to familiarize yourself with the general layout of the vehicle ... knobs, switches, turn signals, lights, etc. And it wouldn't hurt to take a lap or two around the parking lot to help lower your pulse rate before tackling the local roads at speed.
I definitely agree with Robert above—make sure you understand the car before leaving the rental place. On my first trip abroad, I rented a car in York for the rest of our trip. They had it running and ready to go when I had filled out the paperwork, so I just put it in drive and left. I only drive automatics at home and not brand new ones at that, so I was surprised to find out you have to put your foot on the brake when you start the engine. I was panicking when the key wouldn’t turn, and I knew the agency was already closed for the day. I ended up flagging down a passing local who pointed out the brake thing to me.
My husband was concerned about driving on the opposite side of the road, so I did all the driving and found it not to be that difficult. As previously mentioned, Irish drivers are very patient. We used our phone for GPS the entire trip, but found that once we got far from the cities, the voice command on the phone GPS did not work, so my navigator had to pay close attention to the GPS and do the verbal commands for me. We started in Dublin, drove southwest Ireland and ended in Shannon. The GPS voice worked near Dublin and near Shannon, but not in the more rural areas.
I wish I'd known about YouTube videos. They likely would have helped. My husband ended up doing all the driving although we both planned to do it. I just couldn't get the hang of it. I tried twice and after 30 minutes I was exhausted and anxious (My passenger was less than patient which didn't help.).
These are not rules of the road, but rather suggestions:
1. Don't drive on the first day you arrive. Driving on the left requires a little extra concentration, so don't do it until you've had a full night's rest.
2. Rent an automatic. It costs extra and you need to be specific when you reserve the car to get one, but even if you are used to manual transmission here the idea of having the shift on the left can be awkward.
3. Avoid driving in big cities (e.g., Dublin). Nothing good can come from this. Use trains or other public transport when possible to avoid.
4. Consider springing extra at the rental agency for the full, zero deductible insurance. It happens to the best of us, and more so perhaps in Ireland.
Having a car in the rural areas of Ireland is a joy and you'll be so thankful you did. Enjoy!
