Driving on the West Coast

[fiona88]

I love driving over there, although I find driving in a bit of traffic better to begin with as it reminds you which way to go and lane positoning is easier when there are more cars.
The lane positoning was the hardest thing, as we're on the other side of the lane
We hired from San Francisco airport as I felt it would be easier to be away from the city and straight onto the motorway, just don't drive tired to begin with and give yourself a lot of time to adjust. A little lap of the car hire parking lot often helps too to get used to the car controls
Find and check the lights, indicators etc before setting off, sounds stupid but I didnt think this when I left the airport in Orlando and it got dark as we were driving 🤦

[fiona88]

Rules-wise, turning right on a red light is one of the weirdest things to do, as it's ok and expected over there but would be very bad over here
Also weird is that the road signs arent where you expect them to be and the sign for your exit is normally right on the exit, like 'oh you wanted exit 13, you just drove past it' get ready to drive past the thing you wanted 3 times before finally making it 😂

[jdouds]

Remember some times you are not allowed to turn right, but these will have signs saying so.

[BigSkip]

4 way stops can be interesting when you first find them, take a note of who is already at the junction when you get there, and go when they have all gone.

I used to find that i would drift a bit in the lane as i'm used to sitting next to the line on my right, not my left, so i try to line up the edge of the bonnet, and something else int he car with the lane, and then you are in the right place on the road, after a few days, it becomes natural.

BMW's in the states don't have indicators either.

If you turn right on a red, pedestrians on a crossing have priority, always check for them first.

[coast2coast]

As my profile name says I have driven coast to coast, twice (west to east & east to west) I have also visited all of the lower 48 states. I find driving in the states very easy and sometimes better than the UK. Some routes outside of the cities can be long and tedious. As cornishfrogboy, I to bought a US sat nav in Walmart a few years ago. The only problems/annoyances i find is that in my 1st 2 days i keep looking to my left for the rear view mirror and i find that the seat belts cause an irritation on my left shoulder. Also as previously mentioned by bigskip i subconsciously tend to drift in the lane. Another problem is when you come home and have to remember to use your left foot.

[001_ATLANTIS]

Be warned. Driving in LA is not for the faint hearted!

Despite numerous years of driving in Florida LA is a completely different ball game. On the whole I find drivers in Florida to be fairly courteous but in LA it was a bit like Mad Max meets Rollerball.

You absolutely need to know where you are going and you must get into the correct lane in plenty time before taking an exit. Leave it too late and you will find that no one will move to let you out. I lost count of the times we had to take the next exit and double back. This resulted in us finding ourselves in some very dodgy places and without SAT NAV we would probably still been there going round and around.

I witnessed some of the scariest near misses unfold around me on an almost daily basis and it really put me off driving across the city. Once you leave LA proper it's fine but it's not an experience I want to repeat.

[eaglesrest]

Originally Posted by Ils

We're looking at booking a 3 week trip next August around California ( San Fran, Anaheim, San Diego and places in between) and after reading the trip reports on here, clearly a hire car is the best mode of transport to achieve this.

Having never driven abroad, how easy is it to adjust to driving on the other side of the road and what challenges did you face the first time you did it?

There is something about the thought that makes me nervous, so any tips or recommendations in respect of size of car etc would also be helpful for a family of four.

Thanks in advance.

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We are planning the same - 2 weeks west coast, 1 week Hawaii.

We've been to the west coast half a dozen times, and I'd say adjusting to the driving is easy. Most of the long boring drives are on straight roads with light traffic. Scenario is great, but it's still a long way.

The toughest driving is starting in San Fran which can be difficult when you are not used to it. LA is a bit of a mare as well.

We've done the convertible option, and while fun, it's not the best choice for August heat in Death Valley, Vegas etc. Personally, I'd go for a big SUV with assisted driving tech, especially if travelling with kids/luggage.

[KathyHiggs]

After a few years on the road, driving becomes almost like walking for most people—something you can do with very little conscious, direct attention. But put that same person in a country that drives on the opposite side of the road than they’re used to, and it requires almost complete concentration to keep from turning their car directly into oncoming traffic.
The biggest difference is arguably not on the roads, but inside the car—it is like Opposite World in there.
Not only are you driving on the “wrong” side of the road from what you’re used to, but all the controls are on the wrong side, too. The blinkers are where the light switch should be, the window controls where the radio should be, the mirrors—well, it’s hard even to describe what happens when you look into a rear-view mirror when everything is already backward.
Don’t Distract Yourself
Driving while impaired is never a good idea, whether that means being drunk or tired, eating, fiddling with your phone, or keeping an eye on a child in the back seat. Adding such distractions to the already challenging task of driving on the opposite side of the road is just asking for trouble.
be careful and don't worry
the main thing is to be sure

[Fireworks]

If you are flying into and out of San Francisco, don't hire a car until you leave San Francisco.

If you are wanting to end your road trip in San Diego, consider getting an internal flight back to San Francisco rather than driving all the way back. San Diego airport is really close to the city centre, and some hotels even do free airport shuttles if you wanted to drop your car off when you arrive in San Diego and manage there without a car too (we did, and if you stay in the City Centre transport is really cheap and easy).