Driving?

I remember driving with my uncle through Richmond - being inches away from the parked cars, thinking we were sure to clip them.  Sure enough, we clipped a mirror with our mirror. 

It freaked me out, but my uncle was not a bit bothered!

Do you know what else has helped me a lot?  Driving a little car!  I am now the proud new owner of a mini and I actually enjoy driving now. I hated driving DH's BMW because it felt so wide on what I think are some very narrow roads!  It's so nice have a tiny little hood/bonnet and it makes me so much more confortable on the roads. 

Do you know what else has helped me a lot?  Driving a little car!  I am now the proud new owner of a mini and I actually enjoy driving now. I hated driving DH's BMW because it felt so wide on what I think are some very narrow roads!  It's so nice have a tiny little hood/bonnet and it makes me so much more confortable on the roads. 

I want to see a picture of your mini! Please.....

I think part of the fear is trying to adjust to the different sizes in roads on top of driving on the other side of the road - I know that made me very nervous when I was learning to drive and I was born and raised in the UK (it took me a year of weekly lessons and two failed tests before I finally passed, and then another 2 years to feel fully confident on the road and comfortable driving in areas I wasn't familiar with)!

The US is full of big, wide, straight roads, often with 4-6 lanes and plenty of space, whereas the UK roads are much smaller and less straight and it can be very daunting trying to drive along a twisty, windy country road that only has enough space for one car to fit in... and then there's a big tractor coming your way and you have no idea how it's going to get past you without crashing right into your tiny little car ! Or trying to drive down a tiny street with cars parked on both sides of the road so there is only enough room for one car to fit through and there are cars coming towards you!

Plus, there's the parking spaces which seem to be about half the width of US parking spaces, and the roundabouts, and the unfamiliar road signs and rules of the road. There's also pedestrians and bicycles to worry about, and people driving faster on the motorway than they usually do in the US (you see a lot of people going 90-100 mph, even though they're not supposed to).

Coming from the US (where I am currently living), I can understand why people would be nervous and afraid to drive on the UK roads. I have relatives who have lived in the US for 30 years and even though they learned to drive in the UK originally, they have spent so much time driving on large US roads that they get scared by the small country roads when they come back home to visit.

Strange I find that people drive slow here.  Maybe because of all those damn avg speed cameras.  I too have to stick to the speed limit since I am somewhat new.

Strange I find that people drive slow here.  Maybe because of all those damn avg speed cameras.  I too have to stick to the speed limit since I am somewhat new.

Strange - it seems to me that people drive so slow in the US compared to at home, especially on the residential roads. I always feel like I have to wait for ages for the cars to pass so I can cross small roads (i.e. around my university campus) - they all seem to be stuck at about 5 mph. Where I lived in the UK, I would often have to run across the road to avoid being hit by cars doing 40 mph in a 30 mph zone - although that did mean there was less time to wait for a car to pass before crossing, lol.

Strange - it seems to me that people drive so slow in the US compared to at home, especially on the residential roads. I always feel like I have to wait for ages for the cars to pass so I can cross small roads (i.e. around my university campus) - they all seem to be stuck at about 5 mph. Where I lived in the UK, I would often have to run across the road to avoid being hit by cars doing 40 mph in a 30 mph zone - although that did mean there was less time to wait for a car to pass before crossing, lol.

That's New Mexico for you! Try driving in southern CA, or the DC area.

I want to see a picture of your mini! Please.....

I don't know how to attach pictures