I can totally relate to Liz. I get nervous and anxious even when driving on a new street in my area. Driving in a new country is something you can be proud of doing. Well done.
She’s done so well, mate! Liz should be really proud of herself! Amazing work. I’ve not yet had the chance to experience driving in another country (yet!), but I totally get her anxiety. But lovely handling as well, Ash, you have such a patient, claiming energy with her. Hope you enjoyed your trip to the US 🙏
American viewer here and I loved this. I drove for the first time in the UK back in April. I believe your videos prepared me for that as well as helping improve my driving/cycling at home. Driving in the UK was a dream because the lane discipline was so good and the average Brit seems to have a far better understanding of traffic flow than any American. My favorite thing was how traffic in the UK tends to flow even when it’s stop and go (probably because of all the manual transmissions). The general respect for the speed limit is also admirable. I don’t think I’ve gone on an intercity drive in the UK where I wasn’t passed by a car doing 20-30 over. I don’t stick to the speed limit on US highways as it’s impossible to keep up with flow. In the UK it was totally normal to drive the speed limit or under and not get passed. It was interesting to see Liz struggle as much as she did as roads in the US tend to be built for terrible drivers. No turns, wide lanes, automatic transmissions, no passing points ever, seldom needing giveaway. But I guess being in a different country on the wrong side of the road is anxiety inducing enough. It also doesn’t help that out drivers are awful and didn’t let her out. I know they don’t have to but I felt in the UK most cars would let me out. In the US it’s more like every 10th car. I think I lot of that simply comes from no one expecting it here because it’s so rare. I know I’ve tried to slow and let people out early only to have the car behind preform a dangerous maneuver. Good job Liz on staying so calm. As for the cycle lanes. Don’t use them. They’re a death trap. It’s a scam by the city so they can technically meet active transportation goals but can later city they they were under used so they can rip them out. The fact that you of all people didn’t even notice them until Liz said something is very telling of our attitude towards cyclists.
That's really funny because I'm from England and I lived in San Diego for 6 years, I left England in 2007 and back then I believe people observerved the speed limit far less than now, it was common practice to do 90 on the motorway but when I came back in 2013 something had changed (actually not just in driving but in general, the English seem to get more and more obsessed with rules as time goes by, but I imagine this is cute in some ways to an outsider haha), Anyway I loved the way people drove in America, everything is so laid back, it's like a giant go cart track and you don't have to think, you're right though you don't get let out in the same way over there, but actually letting people out isn't as necessary and it can cause more confusion and delay than it's worth sometimes. It's a statistically more dangerous but also a more laid back and fun place to drive in America in my view, and I think the U.K. has gone too risk adverse and that is part of the reason you see so much anxiety problems here, it's not the actual death and accidents that's bad for society, its the worrying about it that causes the most problems perhaps haha
I remember my first drive abroad, entered the ferry at Dover driving on the left and exited Calais to be driving on the right all the way up into Belgium. Like most I was nervous and anxious but I soon got the hang of it and a little over confidence brought me back down to careful driving. Many years later I did some driving in Spain in a hire car. I didn’t think I would get on with the gear lever being in the opposite hand but that was never an issue. It is surprising how fear ( and rightfully so we are fearful of the unknown / unfamiliar) can sometimes stop us seeing and realising our potential I shall watch the video later but I am sure you did well Liz and a huge thank you for allowing an almost hour long video of yourself, being an experienced driver, show it is OK to not let “experience” prevent knowing when we need help 👍
Brilliant video! Great respect to Liz for her bravery on allowing cameras, and therefore all of us, to follow her journey into driving in a foreign country for the first time. This is particularly impressive considering Liz obviously suffers some anxiety in some driving situations which is not surprising given that she had an awful terrifying experience on her local roads.
Liz did really well there. Those roads are big but so is a lot of the traffic, especially the trucks. As first USA drives go, that was impressive. My wife and I stayed in the same area in 2008 (literally the same villa complex) and she refused to drive at all, although that may have been more to do with my booking a Grand Cherokee and getting a free "upgrade" to a Dodge Durango which was the size of a battleship and just too big for her to feel comfortable driving. She's only little and she didn't so much get into that car as scale its north face every time. She'd happily driven a Cherokee in Connecticut a couple of years earlier, but she practised in a car park first. We found that everything being on a slightly larger scale than the UK gives a little more thinking time, and more opportunity to correct small errors. Driving on the "wrong" side of the road, which can seem like the biggest risk to driving in the USA before you've tried it, turned out to be a non-issue. Between a lifetime of US movies and TV, watching other vehicles, and being constantly reminded by sitting on the "wrong" side of the car, neither of us had an issue with it. Within a minute or so it just seemed normal. My biggest problem was with those uncontrolled four-way STOP junctions. There's one near the big Walmart before the exit for the 192, and negotiating it always felt like a giant game of chicken. I've just looked on Google Street View and it looks every bit as bonkers as it did 16 years ago. Fair play to drivers who negotiate those things on a daily basis. I just did the shopping late in the evening to avoid the bulk of the traffic. 🐔
Great job Liz and a great video. As someone who also has occasional anxiety, particularly with anything new (I have a tendency to over-analyse and hate the unexpected so often over prepare), I found it extremely useful to have a friend with me the first few times I towed a caravan. Despite having the licence and driving for 30 years at the time, the thought of towing the caravan on my own was very daunting. The friend is much younger than me and at the time she was only learning to drive but that extra brain to talk things through with was enough to allow the moments of anxiety to dissipate. Logically I always knew I would be fine and that proved to be the case but as with so many things where anxiety is involved, the thought of it beforehand is often worse than the task itself. Had I not had the option of taking my friend along, I would have still done it and would have still been fine but the experience would have been far more stressful.
Ah, you did brilliantly, Liz. You had all the same concerns I would have, but you overcame them all. You should be proud of yourself. Well done, love! ❤
I knew American stroads were mad but seeing them with actual in-car footage and general driving brings it all into sharp relief. A 3 lane road, 55mph (88km/h), casual minor roads turning off at complete right-angles, random cross-carriageway turns, 5-lane light controlled cross-roads, long departure lanes but tiny or non-existent slip-roads for joining... It's like they ignored every single example of road design and just drew straight lines on graph-paper and have a deathly aversion to angles other than 90°... Is this monstrosity a STREET or a ROAD ?!
This suburban nightmare was probably more of a baptism of fire than driving anywhere in Europe, where the rules and road designs are broadly the same (even if the language on the signs is unintelligible, the signs themselves are consistent and rational).
Unfortunately the motor vehicle industry has got it's grip firmly on the US which results in this miserable tarmac dystopia, and only makes driving worse and less efficient the bigger it all gets
@@rory90FiVe ay its wild, although even that doesn't explain the absurdity of those 90° turns onto a major road with no slip-road (although some dual-carriageways in the UK can be that bad sometimes, its far from the default design...)
Well done Liz, I was only sitting on the sofa watching you drive abroad amazingly! I’ve been driving for 40 years and an ADI for 32 years, I don’t think I could do what you did. Congratulations 🎉
I recently moved to the states in September (New Mexico), you can’t really live here without a car and it is slightly intimidating. Everything is bigger, and slightly more hectic. The most important thing to remember is to try to stay calm and don’t feel pressurized into making poor decisions. If you’re in the wrong lane or you miss a junction, don’t fret- there’ll be another route less than half a mile down the road. Take your time, you may get honked at (they’re a lot faster on their horn here than back in the UK) but it’s better that than being the cause of a pile up. This is a long post but I’ll try so summarize my observations and advice where I can. I would say the biggest challenges for me were (and the advice I’d give) is: Lane positioning may take a little tweaking at first. I was biasing my left knee towards the centre of the lane out of habit forcing me too far right to the point I was accidentally crossing the solid line of a bike lane and received a tickng off from a cyclist. It’s important to remember roads are wider so be confident and try to hold the centre even if you feel a little squeezed by the (on average) larger cars passing on your left. Also, make use of the width and try to use the lane to make sure you’re being seen. It’s not unlike off-siding and near-siding on our country lanes, I am not saying swerve across lanes without due care and attention but make use of width and the multi-lanes… lane discipline is less strict here so be seen early if it helps. On the highways you’ll have gas stations sporadically dotted around with people merging on - be seen early. Red indicators don’t have the same impact on me, and usage by other drivers isn’t consistent or often logical. I think it’s worth remembering different states have slightly different rules, so by natural migration between states slight quirks and inconsistencies can arise which you need to get on to. Just get out on the roads and immerse yourself, even if you’re a passenger or on a bus- watch for this and get a feeling for the way other drivers use them. You need to develop experience one way or another so treat all opportunities on the road as a learning experience. Traffic lights going straight from red to green subconsciously puts me a little out of sync with my routine, this is just an experience thing but it’s worth knowing impatience at lights is extremely common and other drivers will honk if you don’t move off with formula 1 level reactions- the main point here is don’t react, don’t stress and don’t let it sit on your mind and distract you for the next part of your journey… it’s not worth it… Americans are lovely, but they can become a little less accommodating once they’re behind the wheel 😆. There is no value to anyone being involved in a road rage interaction. Be careful when coming to stop at lights, they sit on amber for a lot longer (I’ve found but I know this varies by state) than in the UK. If you come to a stop in the same way you would in the UK you may end up sat at a stop line with the light still on amber receiving a strong blast of a horn from behind… worse still because of this lots of people will chance the lights on amber and if you react like you would at home you may end up with some unwanted company in your rear seats. This is all about forward planning and making your intentions known early and being aware of your surroundings. Blindspots, due to the flat mirrors, are much larger and everything really does appear closer. I think in this video this didn’t come across quite as strongly as it should. It’s a big change, it’s spatially disorienting, you really need to perform shoulder checks/life savers in a much more thorough manner than the cursory glance over the shoulder you may get away with back home. Don’t “position rear door handles in the bottom X of your side mirror” from your normal driving position… you need to lean up against the drivers window and position the handle in the corner from that position and lean across the passengers side and do the same, then use the rear view mirror to fill the gap so you have a panoramic view from left to center to right mirrors. This gives you the widest field of view but you have to move around a lot in your seat to maximize the benefit, positioning your mirrors like that encourages such movement and compensates a bit if you have a momentary lapse/fall back into established uk habits… the flat mirrors also can mess with your brain a bit when reversing into bays as this visual change can make you doubt your established anchor points and (like Liz) you do find yourself biasing to one side of the bay in a weird way. (As a complete aside, be careful where you park in malls etc- if you think abandoned shopping carts are bad back home, it’s like dodgems in some car parks here with them) As a Brit I found the speed limits typically being in divisions of 5 mph rather than 10s (35 45 etc) mph weird- your internal Speedo is calibrated by experience to know what 30 and 40 feels like so you can kind of go into overdrive (best way I can explain it is like when we go into a 20 zone- it just feels weird). So I often find myself 5 over or 5 under without making a conscious effort, this isn’t a big deal and Americans tend to go a little fast anyway so keeping up with traffic stops being a good gauge but just keep it in mind - it can steal away your attention momentarily when you’re correcting for speed so plan ahead and have a mental image of what is going on around you. Stop signs can be little irritating and they need to introduce more yield signs but remember even if the road is clear and open it’s a STOP don’t creep like we can back home if it’s an open and safe junction. Traffic signals at lights can be confusing and their manner of control can be time-dependent… flashing reds, flashing red arrows, flashing amber arrows etc. Sometimes light controlled intersections turn over to being “uncontrolled” intersections that you treat as stop sign (flashing reds) where right of way is determined by order of arrival. Pull over to the side of the road and come to a complete stop for emergency vehicles. I’ve had a slap on the wrist for this on a 3 lane highway when a fire engine was coming through (I was in lane 1, it was in lane 3 and I was just creeping keeping it in view- I got a stern bollocking but no ticket) When school buses stop and raise stop signs from their sides, this is a stop for both directions of traffic. It’s not only no overtaking, you can’t even pass driving in the opposite direction. The first time a semi flies past you at a million miles an hour on a highway will make you look for a new pair of underwear. They’re maniacal. Be wary. This varies by state, but mobile phone usage is a genuine disgrace and I beg people to price this in to their decisions and road craft. I go between Santa Fe and Albuquerque at rush hour and the roads are crazy. You see so many folk on their phone texting during this commute. I’m going reasonably quick and people fly past me with their heads staring towards their laps. You see people lane drifting everywhere, you catch up and sure enough they’re on the phone - it is so much worse than back home that you’ll think I’m exaggerating. The point is, it is really worth factoring phone usage into your decisions… when overtaking people or passing junctions if something just seems slightly amiss - think phone. If you combine the phone usage with the speed that people drive at and the size of the blindspots it is deadly to not include it into your mental calculations when making a decision on the road. Be interesting to know what other non residents think.
Congratulations Ashley, don't know how you pulled this one off. 🤣 Liz makes a good point about anxiety, stress, information overload, etc. leading to "in one ear, out the other". Quite often in these UA-cam videos of learner drivers I see either the supervising parent, or the comments section saying "why was the learner ignoring the instructions". Well it's not deliberate, either they aren't ready for the complexity level and need to build up skills and confidence in quieter training areas, or they are just about ready but it's their first time on bigger roads and they need to calm down in order to take everything in.
I've been driving abroad for many years now. My wife always reminds me to drive on the right when leaving hotels, filling stations and car parks which I find very helpful. My biggest problem is often remebering to drive on the left when I get back off the Shuttle.
Funny that. I can drive on the right in most countries, but going back to the left takes some concentration even though I’ve driven in the uk for 52 years 🤷🏻♀️
Massively interesting video Ash! I was in Florida in that very same area only 2 months ago! We did about 2000 miles in our rental car over the 2 weeks we were there covering Orlando, Miami, Cocoa, Kennedy, Wildwood etc. and I also supervised my partner on her very first drive in the US. My partner was equally as nervous as Liz to begin with although I didn't have her go up the I-4 on her first drive. I wanted her to get over that initial fear of "driving on the other side" first as she'd already worked herself up about it. Once she'd gotten over that by driving around the West Irlo/International Drive area, she could then start taking in what was going on around her without panicking, paying attention to what other people are doing, where to position herself on the road etc. It was a fight to get the car keys back off her after that! We stayed just off the next junction up from where you guys joined the I-4 so we were up and down there almost every day - horrible road! Interestingly, I also got my left and rights mixed up, even though I knew exactly what I meant, the wrong word kept coming out. Also, great point about keeping an eye out for dedicated right turn lanes so as not to prevent people from turning right on a red. Something I learned very quickly after getting honked at a couple of times. Keeping that pocket of space next to you is one of the best pieces of advice for driving on the busy interstates as in my experience, drivers are so unpredictable - jumping into any available gap, that you have to really pay attention. I have hours and hours of dashcam footage from our travels while we were there so if I find anything interesting when I eventually get to review it all, I'll be sure to send some across!
Liz did very well! Also worth remembering (especially after your first time driving overseas) once you get back to the UK, there's a bit of re-adaption needed and to take it easy for the first hour or so after you pick up your car at the airport.
Haven’t finished watching yet but drive 5k a Month in this country but have major anxiety about driving abroad and have never done it….thank you for this….most helpful
I can relate to Liz in this video so much... I'm so glad you did this video it's actually quite refreshing, I suffer from driving anxiety and can totally understand how she must be feeling, I tend to miss things and not plan as well as when I'm relaxed. She did a brilliant job and will be easier next time.
Well done Liz! 👏👏👏👏 Driving in US is different in so many ways from driving in mainland Europe, so that was very impressive to take that on as first time driving abroad. It is “easy” to drive abroad, once you have become accustomed to or refreshed your memory to the differences.
Yes, and not only Europe but the UK, which is a whole different complexity. I wouldn't dare do the opposite and drive in the UK having learned in Luxembourg and with experience mostly from there, Belgium, France and Germany.
Having driven on the continent in car and fully laden 2 up motorbike touring many times I can understand the anxiety especially in my early times, it helped having a passenger in the car and accompanied by friends when on motorbike tours..
The spikes on the truck wheels Liz was talking about are seen on the truck passing on the left at this time stamp in the video (39:05). I Googled the reasons for them. 1. There is no official US National/State Government or Highways, reasoning, backing, promotion or regulation behind them. They're an entirely commercial sector creation, marketed to truck drivers. 2. They are made of weak, snappable or bendable alloy, plastic or rubber, and so upon impact with another vehicle, they won't damage that other vehicle beyond significantly denting and scratching the vehicle's bodywork/paintwork. 3. They supposedly protect the wheel lug nuts from dirt, debris, water and snow that could cause the lug nuts to rust and corrode. (In my opinion, that's a gimmick and an excuse to be lazy and unsafe. If a truck undergoes consistent servicing and cleaning, rusting and corrosion of lug nuts is never an issue). (Truck vehicle maintenance and safety standards, regulations and oversight in the majority of the US are considerably less stringent than they are in the UK and Europe). 4. They are supposedly intentionally prominent and noticeable as a warning to other drivers to avoid the truck's blindspots and to not get too close to the truck. However, there is counter-criticism that their noticeable prominence is actually a dangerous distraction/fixation for other drivers. I.e. They cause drivers to fixate (lock on) their vision on them rather than the road ahead, either due to anxiety of them or because they're distracted by how aesthetically cool they are to look at. Some truck companies ban their use because of this criticism. 5. (Probably the real reason behind their creation, adoption and use). Many truck drivers think they look cool and add them to their wheels purely because they look cool and not because of the supposed maintenance and safety claims.
I've done over 2,000,000 miles in my life up to now in trucks, vans, cars and on motorbikes and i can't get used to driving on the wrong side of the road in a foreign country. It doesn't compute in my head and i feel Liz is braver than me.
Weird, it took me less than a week to get properly used to it the first time (originally right hand side driving). Now it is instant switch. The biggest challenge was that (some) right hand side driver cars flip their indicators/wipers, and it is really annoying to indicate with your wipers (not very effective).
This was honestly really nice to watch. Strangely reassuring as a 30yo thinking about getting a license myself. She did very good. A large part of it was just doing it and having a good experience. I'd let her drive me around on either side of the road.
First time in the US as a driver, I picked the car up from the airport - all good - and then encountered the mother of all thunderstorms on the freeway ⛈ and had to pull off because I could not see. I feel for Liz having a driving instructor next to her 🤣
You're brilliant, mate. Wish I would have had you as my instructor (sorry, Rob!). I'm a PH driver and it annoys me that so many PH drivers have given us a bad name. I watch your videos and honestly, a lot of the time I'm pleased with myself when you say certain things cos I tell myself "Yeah, that's what I would have done". Thanks, Ashley
I drove in Vegas 14 months after passing my test here in the UK back in 2017, i was a bit nervous before driving the car but then it took all of 2 minutes to realise its so easy. I did it again earlier this year and absolutely loved the drive up to Mt. Charleston, and then over the Hoover Dam in the mustang i hired. I found driving in Vegas to be WAY easier than driving on our crappy little roads in the UK, i'll definitely be driving over to LA next time.
I’ve been driving for over a year and a half and I’ve already driven in 6 countries and become a bus driver (UK, FR, BE, NL, LX and DE). I love driving abroad and when I get a chance to I leap on it! My moto in life is just wing it 😊
This is very similar to how my mom was a year and a half ago when we went on holiday to Sweden. It took a lot of work to get her a bit more confident. I actually think Ashley's video helped a lot with this. Seeing how he talks students through it in a calm manner and often after the fact helped me do the same with my mom. Especially multi lane roundabouts were a big problem for her, since we just don't have those in the Netherlands (I also only knew how to use them because of watching Ashley's videos). At times it was actually terrifying sitting in the passenger seat, especially on motorways. Just like Liz she had this mindset of not wanting to be in peoples way, which caused some quite scary moments (not changing speed until the last moment when coming up to slower traffic for example).
Drove my first time abroad this year after 7 years of driving in the UK. This was in Gran Canaria so luckily the roads over there are fairly quiet. You really don't realise the muscle memory you have built up until you experience change in your driving routine. I kept looking the wrong way for my rear view mirror, I was reaching the wrong side for the gear stick and handbrake, and had to keep it my mind that I had to keep right! The very first drive out of the parking garage, I nearly scraped the car on the wall of the narrow carpark exit because I forgot I now had more car to my right than I'm used to, so I was incredibly off centre. Luckily I noticed just before getting to the pinch point. The second big mistake I made was that there was a one way street that ended at a stop sign. What threw me off is the stop sign and stop line was on the left half side of the wide road. This instantly put me into UK mode and when I turned out, I turned into the wrong side of the road and had to correct myself. Another time I did this was when pulling off from a layby on a "country" style road. I was parked on the right. There were no lines or traffic around so when pulling off, I again went into UK mode and pulled back into the left side of the road and drove a good 100 yards before noticing. I felt like I was learning to drive again and it was a bit unnerving at times, but I think overall I did well. Also, one big point! Make sure you know research the road laws before your trip if you plan ln driving so you're prepared! Additionally, make sure you know the standard procedure for filling up with fuel. You may have to go to the desk and pay before filling up.
Did you find the same thing I did when I first drove abroad, that it’s so ingrained that a left turn means a near side turn and vice versa. Or am I just stupid for going the wrong way? On more than one occasion too! 😂
A similar thing happened to me the first day I drove in the US (I'm from India, we drive on the left). Turned left into a wide arterial road with no other vehicles nearby and at dusk (so it was a little difficult to see the road markings). It took me a few seconds to realise that I had turned onto the opposing carriageway - I think the distant headlights and the carriageway to my right gave it away. Thankfully I was able to quickly turn around before any other vehicles reached me.
@@SurgeDashcam I think I was more stressed than I wanted to admit to myself at the time 😂. I think most of the confusion was from exiting main roads to the right on highways, it seemed to reverse my sense of direction!
Spent two months working and driving in the south of france. Got back to the UK, drove from Dover to Cornwall, stopped for petrol in mid Cornwall in the early hours.... I was so tired at this point, that for the life of me, I couldn't remember which side of the road I should be using..... I actually waited till someone drove past and followed them!😅
Personally i've found transitioning to the "wrong" side of the road very easy when the steering wheel is also on the other side, as i expect to be in the centre of the road as the driver. Accordingly i find it a lot easier to make mistakes when driving the wrong car for the country (bringing a LHD back to the UK). Junction design is probably the biggest challenge i've found, but that changes by country irrespective of which side of the road the cars drive. The biggest problems i had driving foreign cars was coordinating my right hand with my left foot to change gear, and pulling the seat adjuster when i wanted the handbrake.
Well done Liz. It can be scary driving in another country, but to be filmed and then judged by us lot, takes massive cahoonies 😅. I find driving a vehicle specced to the country I'm driving in less of a challenge than driving RHD abroad, and LHD here. We spent a year travelling Europe and North Africa in our Land Rover, but coming off the ferry in Dover and driving back in the UK took a while to get used to again. My wife won't drive on the continent anymore, she has lost her confidence, probably not helped by me doing most of the driving. Great video
When Liz was talking about her pqat experience of getting anxious is try not to be hard on herself. What she feels is normal. Eveerttime I've had an accident or go and cycle in large group i get super nervous. What I concentrate on is what I need to do to be safe especially especially on the bike with people pushing for space i just simply concentrate on the space which then help to relax a little. I don't watch the rider in front but will look as fast i can see. So I can anticipate when the group is going to slow or speed up. The last cycle accident i had i wasn't just nervous cycling but also driving but due to previous accidents I knew it would ease and to understand it's a process my brain will adapt to. What strangely helped for me was the police officer that had seen the video evidence and actually asking what I could have done differently and she was straight to the point quite frankly nothing. Which upto that point I'd being thinking if done this where truthfully it didn't matter what I did I was getting hit . So it was out of my control. So even though I knew that have someone else say it meant my mindset changed. I've always found not being hard on myself is the best cure and to accept the feelings and embrace them .
I could feel what was going on there when on the I-4 and all those vehicles around as I have suffered similar, not when driving but when working and being outside of my comfort zone. I forget the official medical name for it but the way it was explained to me is it is essentially a panic attack and anxiety attack combined in one which then causes blood vessels to constrict around the chest cavity and diaphragm. At a time when these areas need more oxygen it is being restricted. Good technique by Liz to control the breathing with slow long breathes which helps get the oxygen back and slow the heart rate. I could be wrong with this but looking back on some of my previous episodes, and those of my loved ones, it appears that given the already high anxiety from before the journey started, it is possible this episode would come to the forefront around 33:00 with the completely innocent comment of “its like any other lane joining a motorway”, something that you have likely said many times previously. This highlights the importance of not only being careful of the things we say to others but also the importance of knowing the signs of is getting overwhelmed and having those coping strategies in place. Apologies to you both if I am speaking out of turn and if so, please remove the message and accept my sincerest apologies
My Dad drove a hire car in Iceland on holiday in 2023, they too drive on the right. It was interesting to be a passenger sitting on the other side and seeing how opposite it all was.
btw....... that last comment Liz said was spot on-and not just with driving.. Being a decent human being costs nothing as does thinking before you as liz put it "point the finger"
*Ashley, Liz was asking about the lug nuts on the lorry at 35:38ish. The drivers will put the pointy ones on, they just slip on over the actual lug nuts. Also, these pointy ones are made of plastic.). I always think of Boudica.* ☺
@radishpea6615 Yes I know America isn't the only place that drives on the left. My comment was about the massive roads they have in America lol. I find it overwhelming and my anxiety was through the roof just by watching Liz driving.
What you said about wrong turns. When they opened the new stretch of the A30 past Truro. West bound they have put a layby just before the turn for Truro. The problem is, it's easy to mistake the feed into the layby, for the slip road for the Truro junction.... I had the car in front of me peal off and go through the layby at 70mph and rejoined the carageway! Give them their due, they didn't panic, just kept it smooth. 😅
Well done, Liz, on your first drive abroad - you did a bit better than I did on my first go, which was in Lanzarote in about 1991. (Since then I’ve driven on the right in left-hand-drive cars and in right-hand-drive cars.) About the final comment: My better half, Carole, has had a full car licence for eight years, so she passed her test just before she turned 51 (until her thirties she was barred on medical grounds, and never felt the need to learn until my mother decided to turn in her licence, and offered Carole her car). When someone cuts her up on her daily commute (a 1 mile journey fighting traffic trying to get to and from the M3), she tries to do like I try to do, and think “They misjudged that a bit, didn’t they?” Because of my personality, she may well be better at it than I am, but I am trying too. As for the “bubble of space”, I’ve been trying to work on that myself, and as we were coming back from my parents’ place tonight I kept (for most of the trip, anyway) talking about where and how big my escape routes were.
A great idea to show how to help people with their anxiety. I can't agree about the gap in static traffic. We don't want any other drivers to slow down, swerve or swear because of what we do. If you leave too much of a gap, you will frustrate other drivers and encourage bad behaviour. Visibility ahead is great but if you're behind a lorry, coach or car with tinted windows you need the extra, otherwise you can see through windows to the cars ahead, especially their high level brake lights.
Mindset, a difficult mastery: I used to have it, owning ones choices regardless of "fear" that others may/will disagree. I still need to book an instructor, but my undiagnosed B12 deficiency and a myriad of new life-long health conditions that I never had when I lost my license, have caused anxiety, my health is now recorded with the DVLA. My mindset has changed.✌
I drove in America for the first time earlier this year. Thankfully driving on the other side wasn't really a hassle for me but for literally every turn I made, I reminded myself that turning right is the near lane, and turning left is the far lane, just in case my old habits automatically kicked in. My hat off to Liz for doing this, especially as she was clearly very nervous. It must have taken a lot for her to go through with it.
I have to say it because it could be potentially life saving. But has Liz had a thorough heart checkup? My friend's wife was born with a heart defect and she experienced chest pains all her life up until she unfortunately passed from a heart attack at the age of 63. Not trying to scare you guys and I'm sure she would've had a check but for my own sanity/conscience I had to share. On a brighter note I really enjoyed this video Ash. My experience while learning to drive was much like Liz's. Terrible anxiety and believe it or not, I often felt like I was having an out-of-body experience too! haha I thought I was the only one. God bless you guys.
Nice job. I've driven abroad in mainland Europe a little; that was a bit scary but I mostly had the comfort of driving my own car, and that makes a big difference. The main thing to remember was the rule about giving way to the right and there are signs that say when that doesn't apply. I survived the experience and quickly got used to it. I would have liked at the time to have a guide to help me understand the signs but most of them were the same as the UK signs save for the speed limits being in km/h.
driven in america for the last 32 years , very easy and relaxed , dont forget to put your wing mirrors wide like the yanks do, when you get home just remember drive left giveway right ,i was a driving instructor for 20 years so that helps .
I think it's interesting that the US door mirrors are flatter given they are known for the 'objects in mirror are closer than they appear', common with more convex mirrors, so our mirrors in the UK would be even worse for making things look further away than the US ones that apparently need the warning. :)
One feature in Canada on relatively "fast" roads that have traffic lights: Further back from the traffic lights is a set of traffic signals with two lights that start to alternately flash yellow when the main lights up ahead are about to turn red. The warning lights also have a worded sign that reads "When lights flash, be prepared to stop". Very useful indeed. I've yet to see these in the USA and it would be great if we had them in the UK. One negative aspect though. Some drivers on seeing the warning lights start to flash, will accelerate to try and get through the main traffic light up ahead before it goes to red.
Liz did very well, this was a particular challenge since you are in Orlando, with a lot of tourist traffic. I think she might have been less anxious if you were in a smaller town or city, and on the freeway (you had to deal with road works on I-4, which added to the anxiety).
great drive, and good communication from both. i'm not sure When people have any health issue there must be allowances from all, I have numerous health issues so I'm a plodder now, nice and easy drives and as mentioned this was a great easy drive from Liz, well done
Jeez, effectively taking your significant other on a driving lesson in a foreign country is like going to couples therapy and playing Russian roulette. Good on you both!
The car stops at 12:28, with no cable alignment, then you can see Ash slowly adjusting the frame to make it line up. He really should be focusing on educating us on road safety instead of manipulating camera frames IMHO
The first time I used roads abroad was cycling in Spain. The only thing I did find hard was the roundabouts i did want to go the way we do here. I didn't. Then a bit later I drove in italy and I did think cycling abroad helped a bit to understand how things are done. Saying that it was country roads which I'm used to.
Poor Liz ❤ she was absolutely terrified 🤦♂ can't believe you forced her to endure that 🤭 I hope Liz managed to take something from the experience to be more relaxed and confident in the future in unfamiliar surroundings and circumstances. It's incumbent on all of us as road users to be generous and patient with other road users if they appear unsure, nervous or make mistakes. Liz summed it up nicely at the end, sometimes people just make genuine mistakes (they aren't necessarily being a tw*t). That said, the vast majority of road users really don't take it seriously and only give it a half-arsed effort in applying their care and consideration to their driving. People making mistakes doesn't annoy me in itself but it does really get on my nerves when you can clearly see that people just aren't giving their driving their full care and attention and do dumb sh*t because of it. We (mostly men, as generally we suffer from overinflated egos more than women do) need to get out of this mindset of "if they can't drive properly then they shouldn't be on the road!". All the best to both of you 🤗
26:17 Just to add, just because you can turn right on red (baring any signs prohibiting it) doesn't mean you are obliged to in the right lane. If the right lane is a turning and straight lane, you are within your rights to stay put even if the car behind you wants to turn right.
Well done Liz, safe driving, great observations I would say you have more confidence than you think you have,,now if your driving you could treat Ash to a pint or 3
Crikey. I've never seen such a nervous driverin all my life. What a show. The easiest way to explain right turn on red is to treat the red light like a stop sign if you want to turn right. The truck wheel nuts look so obvious because they are big truck nuts, but also the wheel offset is the opposite of most cars. Most cars wheels are more like the truck rear wheels, where the nuts aren't so obvious, but the dish on the front wheels are the opposite direction, so the nuts, along with the wheel flange, are protruding.
I think a lot depends on what country you are in. Driving abroad in Australia was fine for me (apart from long distances), but despite living in Taiwan for five years, I've never driven here, and have no intention to.
Hi Ashley this reminds me of those times when somewhat younger I was quite nervous about new driving situations which did include driving in France. I do think O was quite lucky in not being so anxious that I actually got into any trouble due to my own nerves, it does look as if this can be quite a handicap for some people, nowadays I do drive much less but on those rare occasions when my wife does the driving her hesitation and anxiety is quite obvious, I try hard to leave her alone!, well aware that any adverse comment I might make would only make things worse for her. The latest episode in a car she had not driven before is a case in point where she was caught out by the gear-change from second to third a few times, sticking it back in first by mistake. I said nothing at the time and later remarked that perhaps she should consider applying the appropriate right-side pull on the gear stick a bit sooner, before it passed the gate. Next time I will try to watch her more carefully and see if it gets better and if not why. I think that the calm, patient way you operate makes a lot of sense!. One big difference for you with Liz and my own experience abroad is that I have only driven right-hand drive cars over there, on just one occasion have I even driven a left-hooker here and the thing I best remember was the mental effort required to use my right hand for the gears!. The driving in France that I have done did require a modification in observation routine, looking in the left hand mirror before the right hand one!, apart from that I was most taken with the much more sensible and understandable road layouts and signage!, they have a very clever and sensible way of dealing with traffic wanting to turn left at crossroads across oncoming traffic on rural main roads involving making a right hand slip road to the side road and then turning left to wait at the junction!. Cheers, Richard.
I'm the same thinking about driving in Europe, Ashley. I have a self build camper van and I'd love to drive in europe but my nerves prevent me from taking the plunge. Liz did great. regards- Kenny.
Hi, I don't know whether or not this is of any consolation but sometimes our fear of the unknown or the anticipation or thought of doing something is far worse than actually doing it. I've been caravanning in Europe since my early thirties and can honestly say that even towing, I would far rather drive in Europe than the UK anytime. The roads are generally far less congested apart from the cities and it's really not a lot different to driving in the UK apart from a few basic rules like giving way to the left instead of the right. I'm only saying this as there are some beautiful places in Europe with literally thousands of places for camper vans and motorhomes to stop that are far better catered for than anywhere here. You may well know about these anyway. Maybe somewhere in northern France would be a great starting point. The roads are very quiet there. The chances are that you'll have wished you'd done it earlier. I hope I didn't come across as patronising in any way but I find it kind of a shame that people are missing out on something they'd like to do because of a fear of the unknown. I have to admit that as I'm getting older, in my late 60s now, my confidence isn't what it used to be. I'll still do the things I've always done but there's a bit more apprehension and anxiety and that is always before actually doing it so I completely understand how you feel. Hope this may help.
@@paul756uk2 Thank you for a brilliant and kind and considerate reply Paul. It was very kind of you to take the time to do this. I think my anieity stems from not liking solo travel any way. I'm in several camper van groups and a few of them are contemplating a small group trip abroad next year. I've indicated I'd like to join. I think tackling driving in Europe with others might build my confidence. I agree about France though. In 2019 I went with my family to France. Our family is a military one and we visited all the war cemetaries in France and paid our respects to the fallen. Once again, thank you for a great reply . Much respect🙏- Kenny.
@viv-i-vangoesforth Thanks for your reply Kenny. I'm really pleased that you found it useful. Many of my caravanning friends have never travelled in Europe because of driving on the right and I've always felt it's a shame. I think that's great if you belong to a group and have the chance to go with them. I'm sure that will do a lot to alleviate any concerns you have. I have no doubt though that if I was doing it solo and hadn't done it before I'd be more apprehensive. I hope you manage to get a trip next year. I'm sure you'll enjoy it and never look back. Writing this, I remember my parents who had a camper van, a commer wanderer and my dad was apprehensive about driving abroad, it was my mum, who was a bit of a driving force (no pun intended) convinced him and he never looked back. It's a great way of seeing places. I'm sure you get as much enjoyment from it as we do. Happy travelling!
Interesting… Knew it was a Volvo by the head rests And 200bhp…..isn’t slow…..you need to try driving on the slow side of life. And a diesel😮 That opening section is similar to the layout passed the Hosp & outlying villages on the edge of Swindon Wiltshire. Works really well.
Pre-viewing comment: Really excited to see this come in, especially as it's in the USA. Reason being as many of you know, I'm Canadian as well as British. Lived in Vancouver Canada for almost 30 years and crossed the border to the USA maybe 400 times. Driven extensively in both countries. So this is going to hold a massive interest for me, just as Ashley's previous USA videos have. Incidentally, I could tell within the first few seconds from the street scene and houses that this was the USA. It all looks so familiar to me. Massive thanks for this Ash and now I'll watch this video. Oh and "Have a nice day Sir & Ma'am". 🇺🇲🇨🇦
Another reason it's imperative to lean in your seat when changing lanes is the lanes are about 2 feet wider in the US compared to back home especially the interstates
Yes, particularly on the right-hand (passenger) side, where there is a big blind spot if there are 2 or more lanes to the side. It took a lot of getting used to.
As a student from Germany I had plenty of exposure to " test drives " at home and felt confident in most models. Been as student in our petrol Golf in numerous EU countries. No sat nav needed. We managed with map and brain😅. We had also been sportier than current breed of SuV drivers with 3 tonnes 😅. First drive on the opposite side of road was in the country lanes Ireland. No problems. I think people dont do enough sports to exercise the speed of their mind. Everybody is on slow sceeen and mind going even slower. We don't need batteries, we need humanstoo use God-given brains. They are very eco friendly : run on oxygen, hydration and dextrose😅
Must admit, although I've worked abroad for decades, whenever I'm driving a LHD vehicle it still feels very unnatural for the first few days. The "mechanical" stuff (gears, controls, road layout etc) isn't a problem. It just seems downright weird being on the "wrong" side of a vehicle and driving on the "wrong" side of the road.
Ash teaching a new student that’s been driving for 25+ years, I’m sure many a driver have felt nervous on their first drive but the experience gained from the New York driving instructor would’ve probably been very very helpful
This is so cute! Always liked the way you talked about Liz, and seeing you calm her nerves, beautiful relationship! Also loool 30:58 "i should have a go!☝😃💭🚲" "no... 🤦♀not along here" "yeaaah! 😀"
One thing with the right turn you made at around 5:00. The general rule is that you must turn into the closest available lane first, which in this case would have been the far right lane or "curb" lane on the new road. Thereafter if you need to get over to the left, to do so via one lane change at a time. Of course the challenge would be if you only have a short distance to get all the way over to the left and I believe there is some flexibility in those instances. But the " turning into the nearest available lane" rule is to aid traffic flow as well as to give predicability to driver's manoeuvres.
I was thinking the same but then the grey (or is it gray over that side of the water?) area is when doing the u-turn a little further along. Do you still enter the overtaking lane and move over one at a time or head straight for the curbside (still feels odd writing that…should be kerbside) lane? Interestingly since watching this channel and speaking with yourself, Ken, Jaycee as well as others from State-side, I now use the turn into the nearest lane method for most junctions and it feels more natural despite having spent almost 20 years doing it differently
Of all places to drive on the other (the correct...) side of the road, going to the US isn't the best choice considering the standard of driving over there compared to the rest of Europe. And in the end there are only two things to remember: They all drive on the other side of the road, it only gets tricky when turning, especially when there isn't much other traffic.
Although Americans are used to the indicators (turn signals) on their cars flashing red. Most Americans who are aware of indicators (turn signals) flashing orange practically everywhere else in the world are very critical that indicators (turn signals) flash red in America and feel that America should adopt the orange flashing that most of the rest of the world has. Their principal criticism is that the orange flashing in the rest of the world is much safer, as the red flashing in America is much more challenging to differentiate from rear lights, brake lights and parking lights, which are all also red.
Ashley, fair play to Liz. I wonder if you told her she drove on the most dangerous motorway in the US and most dangerous dual carriageway, doubt she would have been so calm.
I'm only 16 minutes in, I used to live in San Diego, I got very used to the roads, it's actually becomes much easier than back home, in some ways it would probably be better if she was with just a normal guy who doesn't think about driving too much, in America people really don't pay as much attention or worry about every little thing like England, really its just a giant go cart track and you can pretty much do what you want as long as you don't hit anything or try going too fast, you should have seen the state of my ex wife's grandparents driving when they took us to the casino LOL
Driving on the right is not difficult, the problem is during the first 15-20 mins. Then you get to the most dangerous 'second day' which is when you have a level of confidence which outweighs ones ability. A post it on the clocks helps. Just write "on the right!" on there and you'll be ok 👍
Doing a bit of research, it appears the “spikes” covering the lug nuts of the truck wheels are purely decorative and as dangerous as they look, it appears most are made of plastic and will break before doing any serious damage. Although I wouldn’t want to test that theory out as a pedestrian or rider getting too close to one going in a straight line Maybe Ken knows more about the truth in my research 👍
Unusual for traffic to be so calm especially on the I4. Take the right off the 192 for Tampa around 5pm and you'll see some lethal driving. Trucks hit 80mph plus. Very little lane discipline.
40:20 dont panic it doesn't need tk be done instantly. Glance and go I like that space then just try and relax and nake sure no 1 pinches your space. Doing brill i think .
At around 8:35, the good old shoulder check before changing lanes is something the examiners always really look for over there to pass your driving test. Here in the UK it's more "Situational".
US drivers are drilled in SMOG from the beginning "Signal, mirror, over the shoulder, go". Even with blind spot mirrors on my car, I still end up glancing over the shoulder before lane changes.
I can totally relate to Liz. I get nervous and anxious even when driving on a new street in my area. Driving in a new country is something you can be proud of doing. Well done.
She’s done so well, mate! Liz should be really proud of herself! Amazing work. I’ve not yet had the chance to experience driving in another country (yet!), but I totally get her anxiety. But lovely handling as well, Ash, you have such a patient, claiming energy with her. Hope you enjoyed your trip to the US 🙏
I think it's safe to say you are putting far more thought into your driving as British visitors than any of the locals.
Not just the first time abroad, but also in a right-lane traffic country! Good on ya, Liz!
American viewer here and I loved this.
I drove for the first time in the UK back in April. I believe your videos prepared me for that as well as helping improve my driving/cycling at home.
Driving in the UK was a dream because the lane discipline was so good and the average Brit seems to have a far better understanding of traffic flow than any American. My favorite thing was how traffic in the UK tends to flow even when it’s stop and go (probably because of all the manual transmissions). The general respect for the speed limit is also admirable. I don’t think I’ve gone on an intercity drive in the UK where I wasn’t passed by a car doing 20-30 over. I don’t stick to the speed limit on US highways as it’s impossible to keep up with flow. In the UK it was totally normal to drive the speed limit or under and not get passed.
It was interesting to see Liz struggle as much as she did as roads in the US tend to be built for terrible drivers. No turns, wide lanes, automatic transmissions, no passing points ever, seldom needing giveaway. But I guess being in a different country on the wrong side of the road is anxiety inducing enough. It also doesn’t help that out drivers are awful and didn’t let her out. I know they don’t have to but I felt in the UK most cars would let me out. In the US it’s more like every 10th car. I think I lot of that simply comes from no one expecting it here because it’s so rare. I know I’ve tried to slow and let people out early only to have the car behind preform a dangerous maneuver. Good job Liz on staying so calm.
As for the cycle lanes. Don’t use them. They’re a death trap. It’s a scam by the city so they can technically meet active transportation goals but can later city they they were under used so they can rip them out. The fact that you of all people didn’t even notice them until Liz said something is very telling of our attitude towards cyclists.
Driving standards in the UK are shocking, that is a testament to how bad things are in the US though.
@ my cousin was telling me “We Brits don’t have a culture of safe driving” which I was a little taken back by.
That's really funny because I'm from England and I lived in San Diego for 6 years, I left England in 2007 and back then I believe people observerved the speed limit far less than now, it was common practice to do 90 on the motorway but when I came back in 2013 something had changed (actually not just in driving but in general, the English seem to get more and more obsessed with rules as time goes by, but I imagine this is cute in some ways to an outsider haha),
Anyway I loved the way people drove in America, everything is so laid back, it's like a giant go cart track and you don't have to think, you're right though you don't get let out in the same way over there, but actually letting people out isn't as necessary and it can cause more confusion and delay than it's worth sometimes.
It's a statistically more dangerous but also a more laid back and fun place to drive in America in my view, and I think the U.K. has gone too risk adverse and that is part of the reason you see so much anxiety problems here, it's not the actual death and accidents that's bad for society, its the worrying about it that causes the most problems perhaps haha
Some commitment this Ashley, could just relax and enjoy your holiday but you're on an absolute MISSION to make our roads safer and better
I remember my first drive abroad, entered the ferry at Dover driving on the left and exited Calais to be driving on the right all the way up into Belgium.
Like most I was nervous and anxious but I soon got the hang of it and a little over confidence brought me back down to careful driving.
Many years later I did some driving in Spain in a hire car. I didn’t think I would get on with the gear lever being in the opposite hand but that was never an issue. It is surprising how fear ( and rightfully so we are fearful of the unknown / unfamiliar) can sometimes stop us seeing and realising our potential
I shall watch the video later but I am sure you did well Liz and a huge thank you for allowing an almost hour long video of yourself, being an experienced driver, show it is OK to not let “experience” prevent knowing when we need help 👍
Hi, Liz; we've seen you briefly from time to time sitting to the left of Ashley in his videos so welcome at last to the driving seat!
Well done.
Brilliant video! Great respect to Liz for her bravery on allowing cameras, and therefore all of us, to follow her journey into driving in a foreign country for the first time. This is particularly impressive considering Liz obviously suffers some anxiety in some driving situations which is not surprising given that she had an awful terrifying experience on her local roads.
Liz did really well there. Those roads are big but so is a lot of the traffic, especially the trucks. As first USA drives go, that was impressive.
My wife and I stayed in the same area in 2008 (literally the same villa complex) and she refused to drive at all, although that may have been more to do with my booking a Grand Cherokee and getting a free "upgrade" to a Dodge Durango which was the size of a battleship and just too big for her to feel comfortable driving. She's only little and she didn't so much get into that car as scale its north face every time. She'd happily driven a Cherokee in Connecticut a couple of years earlier, but she practised in a car park first. We found that everything being on a slightly larger scale than the UK gives a little more thinking time, and more opportunity to correct small errors.
Driving on the "wrong" side of the road, which can seem like the biggest risk to driving in the USA before you've tried it, turned out to be a non-issue. Between a lifetime of US movies and TV, watching other vehicles, and being constantly reminded by sitting on the "wrong" side of the car, neither of us had an issue with it. Within a minute or so it just seemed normal.
My biggest problem was with those uncontrolled four-way STOP junctions. There's one near the big Walmart before the exit for the 192, and negotiating it always felt like a giant game of chicken. I've just looked on Google Street View and it looks every bit as bonkers as it did 16 years ago. Fair play to drivers who negotiate those things on a daily basis. I just did the shopping late in the evening to avoid the bulk of the traffic. 🐔
Great job Liz and a great video.
As someone who also has occasional anxiety, particularly with anything new (I have a tendency to over-analyse and hate the unexpected so often over prepare), I found it extremely useful to have a friend with me the first few times I towed a caravan. Despite having the licence and driving for 30 years at the time, the thought of towing the caravan on my own was very daunting. The friend is much younger than me and at the time she was only learning to drive but that extra brain to talk things through with was enough to allow the moments of anxiety to dissipate.
Logically I always knew I would be fine and that proved to be the case but as with so many things where anxiety is involved, the thought of it beforehand is often worse than the task itself.
Had I not had the option of taking my friend along, I would have still done it and would have still been fine but the experience would have been far more stressful.
Ah, you did brilliantly, Liz. You had all the same concerns I would have, but you overcame them all. You should be proud of yourself. Well done, love! ❤
I knew American stroads were mad but seeing them with actual in-car footage and general driving brings it all into sharp relief.
A 3 lane road, 55mph (88km/h), casual minor roads turning off at complete right-angles, random cross-carriageway turns, 5-lane light controlled cross-roads, long departure lanes but tiny or non-existent slip-roads for joining...
It's like they ignored every single example of road design and just drew straight lines on graph-paper and have a deathly aversion to angles other than 90°...
Is this monstrosity a STREET or a ROAD ?!
This suburban nightmare was probably more of a baptism of fire than driving anywhere in Europe, where the rules and road designs are broadly the same (even if the language on the signs is unintelligible, the signs themselves are consistent and rational).
Unfortunately the motor vehicle industry has got it's grip firmly on the US which results in this miserable tarmac dystopia, and only makes driving worse and less efficient the bigger it all gets
@@rory90FiVe ay its wild, although even that doesn't explain the absurdity of those 90° turns onto a major road with no slip-road (although some dual-carriageways in the UK can be that bad sometimes, its far from the default design...)
Well done Liz, I was only sitting on the sofa watching you drive abroad amazingly! I’ve been driving for 40 years and an ADI for 32 years, I don’t think I could do what you did. Congratulations 🎉
I recently moved to the states in September (New Mexico), you can’t really live here without a car and it is slightly intimidating. Everything is bigger, and slightly more hectic. The most important thing to remember is to try to stay calm and don’t feel pressurized into making poor decisions. If you’re in the wrong lane or you miss a junction, don’t fret- there’ll be another route less than half a mile down the road. Take your time, you may get honked at (they’re a lot faster on their horn here than back in the UK) but it’s better that than being the cause of a pile up.
This is a long post but I’ll try so summarize my observations and advice where I can.
I would say the biggest challenges for me were (and the advice I’d give) is:
Lane positioning may take a little tweaking at first. I was biasing my left knee towards the centre of the lane out of habit forcing me too far right to the point I was accidentally crossing the solid line of a bike lane and received a tickng off from a cyclist. It’s important to remember roads are wider so be confident and try to hold the centre even if you feel a little squeezed by the (on average) larger cars passing on your left. Also, make use of the width and try to use the lane to make sure you’re being seen. It’s not unlike off-siding and near-siding on our country lanes, I am not saying swerve across lanes without due care and attention but make use of width and the multi-lanes… lane discipline is less strict here so be seen early if it helps. On the highways you’ll have gas stations sporadically dotted around with people merging on - be seen early.
Red indicators don’t have the same impact on me, and usage by other drivers isn’t consistent or often logical. I think it’s worth remembering different states have slightly different rules, so by natural migration between states slight quirks and inconsistencies can arise which you need to get on to. Just get out on the roads and immerse yourself, even if you’re a passenger or on a bus- watch for this and get a feeling for the way other drivers use them. You need to develop experience one way or another so treat all opportunities on the road as a learning experience.
Traffic lights going straight from red to green subconsciously puts me a little out of sync with my routine, this is just an experience thing but it’s worth knowing impatience at lights is extremely common and other drivers will honk if you don’t move off with formula 1 level reactions- the main point here is don’t react, don’t stress and don’t let it sit on your mind and distract you for the next part of your journey… it’s not worth it… Americans are lovely, but they can become a little less accommodating once they’re behind the wheel 😆. There is no value to anyone being involved in a road rage interaction.
Be careful when coming to stop at lights, they sit on amber for a lot longer (I’ve found but I know this varies by state) than in the UK. If you come to a stop in the same way you would in the UK you may end up sat at a stop line with the light still on amber receiving a strong blast of a horn from behind… worse still because of this lots of people will chance the lights on amber and if you react like you would at home you may end up with some unwanted company in your rear seats. This is all about forward planning and making your intentions known early and being aware of your surroundings.
Blindspots, due to the flat mirrors, are much larger and everything really does appear closer. I think in this video this didn’t come across quite as strongly as it should. It’s a big change, it’s spatially disorienting, you really need to perform shoulder checks/life savers in a much more thorough manner than the cursory glance over the shoulder you may get away with back home. Don’t “position rear door handles in the bottom X of your side mirror” from your normal driving position… you need to lean up against the drivers window and position the handle in the corner from that position and lean across the passengers side and do the same, then use the rear view mirror to fill the gap so you have a panoramic view from left to center to right mirrors. This gives you the widest field of view but you have to move around a lot in your seat to maximize the benefit, positioning your mirrors like that encourages such movement and compensates a bit if you have a momentary lapse/fall back into established uk habits… the flat mirrors also can mess with your brain a bit when reversing into bays as this visual change can make you doubt your established anchor points and (like Liz) you do find yourself biasing to one side of the bay in a weird way. (As a complete aside, be careful where you park in malls etc- if you think abandoned shopping carts are bad back home, it’s like dodgems in some car parks here with them)
As a Brit I found the speed limits typically being in divisions of 5 mph rather than 10s (35 45 etc) mph weird- your internal Speedo is calibrated by experience to know what 30 and 40 feels like so you can kind of go into overdrive (best way I can explain it is like when we go into a 20 zone- it just feels weird). So I often find myself 5 over or 5 under without making a conscious effort, this isn’t a big deal and Americans tend to go a little fast anyway so keeping up with traffic stops being a good gauge but just keep it in mind - it can steal away your attention momentarily when you’re correcting for speed so plan ahead and have a mental image of what is going on around you.
Stop signs can be little irritating and they need to introduce more yield signs but remember even if the road is clear and open it’s a STOP don’t creep like we can back home if it’s an open and safe junction.
Traffic signals at lights can be confusing and their manner of control can be time-dependent… flashing reds, flashing red arrows, flashing amber arrows etc. Sometimes light controlled intersections turn over to being “uncontrolled” intersections that you treat as stop sign (flashing reds) where right of way is determined by order of arrival.
Pull over to the side of the road and come to a complete stop for emergency vehicles. I’ve had a slap on the wrist for this on a 3 lane highway when a fire engine was coming through (I was in lane 1, it was in lane 3 and I was just creeping keeping it in view- I got a stern bollocking but no ticket)
When school buses stop and raise stop signs from their sides, this is a stop for both directions of traffic. It’s not only no overtaking, you can’t even pass driving in the opposite direction.
The first time a semi flies past you at a million miles an hour on a highway will make you look for a new pair of underwear. They’re maniacal. Be wary.
This varies by state, but mobile phone usage is a genuine disgrace and I beg people to price this in to their decisions and road craft.
I go between Santa Fe and Albuquerque at rush hour and the roads are crazy. You see so many folk on their phone texting during this commute. I’m going reasonably quick and people fly past me with their heads staring towards their laps. You see people lane drifting everywhere, you catch up and sure enough they’re on the phone - it is so much worse than back home that you’ll think I’m exaggerating. The point is, it is really worth factoring phone usage into your decisions… when overtaking people or passing junctions if something just seems slightly amiss - think phone. If you combine the phone usage with the speed that people drive at and the size of the blindspots it is deadly to not include it into your mental calculations when making a decision on the road.
Be interesting to know what other non residents think.
Agreed, phone useage I would say is worse in the USA with most people driving automatics and thinking they can multi-task behind the wheel.
Brilliant watch asley you and your good lady liz showed so much calm there it's a good learning curve for us learner drivers
Good on you Liz for overcomeing your anxiety and driving abroad, ive never had the pleasure of driving abroad yet but i plan to very soon.
Congratulations Ashley, don't know how you pulled this one off. 🤣
Liz makes a good point about anxiety, stress, information overload, etc. leading to "in one ear, out the other". Quite often in these UA-cam videos of learner drivers I see either the supervising parent, or the comments section saying "why was the learner ignoring the instructions". Well it's not deliberate, either they aren't ready for the complexity level and need to build up skills and confidence in quieter training areas, or they are just about ready but it's their first time on bigger roads and they need to calm down in order to take everything in.
Huge respect to Liz, I would be so nervous doing this. Always helps having the UKs best driving instructor in the passenger seat!
I've been driving abroad for many years now. My wife always reminds me to drive on the right when leaving hotels, filling stations and car parks which I find very helpful. My biggest problem is often remebering to drive on the left when I get back off the Shuttle.
Funny that. I can drive on the right in most countries, but going back to the left takes some concentration even though I’ve driven in the uk for 52 years 🤷🏻♀️
If you’re in Florida, from experience they have the worst signposts of any place. Signposts are ‘after’ the turning you need. Drove me nuts
Massively interesting video Ash! I was in Florida in that very same area only 2 months ago!
We did about 2000 miles in our rental car over the 2 weeks we were there covering Orlando, Miami, Cocoa, Kennedy, Wildwood etc. and I also supervised my partner on her very first drive in the US. My partner was equally as nervous as Liz to begin with although I didn't have her go up the I-4 on her first drive. I wanted her to get over that initial fear of "driving on the other side" first as she'd already worked herself up about it. Once she'd gotten over that by driving around the West Irlo/International Drive area, she could then start taking in what was going on around her without panicking, paying attention to what other people are doing, where to position herself on the road etc. It was a fight to get the car keys back off her after that!
We stayed just off the next junction up from where you guys joined the I-4 so we were up and down there almost every day - horrible road! Interestingly, I also got my left and rights mixed up, even though I knew exactly what I meant, the wrong word kept coming out. Also, great point about keeping an eye out for dedicated right turn lanes so as not to prevent people from turning right on a red. Something I learned very quickly after getting honked at a couple of times.
Keeping that pocket of space next to you is one of the best pieces of advice for driving on the busy interstates as in my experience, drivers are so unpredictable - jumping into any available gap, that you have to really pay attention.
I have hours and hours of dashcam footage from our travels while we were there so if I find anything interesting when I eventually get to review it all, I'll be sure to send some across!
Liz did very well! Also worth remembering (especially after your first time driving overseas) once you get back to the UK, there's a bit of re-adaption needed and to take it easy for the first hour or so after you pick up your car at the airport.
Haven’t finished watching yet but drive 5k a Month in this country but have major anxiety about driving abroad and have never done it….thank you for this….most helpful
I thought I didn't drive much....but that's less than 40 miles a year!
Good of Liz to participate in this video, I can relate to how she feels and another worthwhile video from Ashley.
Liz is a very good driver and it was a pleasure watching you both .
I can relate to Liz in this video so much...
I'm so glad you did this video it's actually quite refreshing, I suffer from driving anxiety and can totally understand how she must be feeling, I tend to miss things and not plan as well as when I'm relaxed.
She did a brilliant job and will be easier next time.
Well done Liz! 👏👏👏👏
Driving in US is different in so many ways from driving in mainland Europe, so that was very impressive to take that on as first time driving abroad. It is “easy” to drive abroad, once you have become accustomed to or refreshed your memory to the differences.
Yes, and not only Europe but the UK, which is a whole different complexity. I wouldn't dare do the opposite and drive in the UK having learned in Luxembourg and with experience mostly from there, Belgium, France and Germany.
Having driven on the continent in car and fully laden 2 up motorbike touring many times I can understand the anxiety especially in my early times, it helped having a passenger in the car and accompanied by friends when on motorbike tours..
The spikes on the truck wheels Liz was talking about are seen on the truck passing on the left at this time stamp in the video (39:05). I Googled the reasons for them.
1. There is no official US National/State Government or Highways, reasoning, backing, promotion or regulation behind them. They're an entirely commercial sector creation, marketed to truck drivers.
2. They are made of weak, snappable or bendable alloy, plastic or rubber, and so upon impact with another vehicle, they won't damage that other vehicle beyond significantly denting and scratching the vehicle's bodywork/paintwork.
3. They supposedly protect the wheel lug nuts from dirt, debris, water and snow that could cause the lug nuts to rust and corrode. (In my opinion, that's a gimmick and an excuse to be lazy and unsafe. If a truck undergoes consistent servicing and cleaning, rusting and corrosion of lug nuts is never an issue). (Truck vehicle maintenance and safety standards, regulations and oversight in the majority of the US are considerably less stringent than they are in the UK and Europe).
4. They are supposedly intentionally prominent and noticeable as a warning to other drivers to avoid the truck's blindspots and to not get too close to the truck. However, there is counter-criticism that their noticeable prominence is actually a dangerous distraction/fixation for other drivers. I.e. They cause drivers to fixate (lock on) their vision on them rather than the road ahead, either due to anxiety of them or because they're distracted by how aesthetically cool they are to look at. Some truck companies ban their use because of this criticism.
5. (Probably the real reason behind their creation, adoption and use). Many truck drivers think they look cool and add them to their wheels purely because they look cool and not because of the supposed maintenance and safety claims.
I've done over 2,000,000 miles in my life up to now in trucks, vans, cars and on motorbikes and i can't get used to driving on the wrong side of the road in a foreign country. It doesn't compute in my head and i feel Liz is braver than me.
Weird, it took me less than a week to get properly used to it the first time (originally right hand side driving). Now it is instant switch. The biggest challenge was that (some) right hand side driver cars flip their indicators/wipers, and it is really annoying to indicate with your wipers (not very effective).
This was honestly really nice to watch. Strangely reassuring as a 30yo thinking about getting a license myself.
She did very good. A large part of it was just doing it and having a good experience. I'd let her drive me around on either side of the road.
First time in the US as a driver, I picked the car up from the airport - all good - and then encountered the mother of all thunderstorms on the freeway ⛈ and had to pull off because I could not see.
I feel for Liz having a driving instructor next to her 🤣
You're brilliant, mate. Wish I would have had you as my instructor (sorry, Rob!).
I'm a PH driver and it annoys me that so many PH drivers have given us a bad name. I watch your videos and honestly, a lot of the time I'm pleased with myself when you say certain things cos I tell myself "Yeah, that's what I would have done".
Thanks, Ashley
I drove in Vegas 14 months after passing my test here in the UK back in 2017, i was a bit nervous before driving the car but then it took all of 2 minutes to realise its so easy. I did it again earlier this year and absolutely loved the drive up to Mt. Charleston, and then over the Hoover Dam in the mustang i hired. I found driving in Vegas to be WAY easier than driving on our crappy little roads in the UK, i'll definitely be driving over to LA next time.
Super job Liz. Just remember... Long left turns, and short right turns compared to the UK. I repeat that in my head when driving in the USA.
I’ve been driving for over a year and a half and I’ve already driven in 6 countries and become a bus driver (UK, FR, BE, NL, LX and DE). I love driving abroad and when I get a chance to I leap on it! My moto in life is just wing it 😊
This is very similar to how my mom was a year and a half ago when we went on holiday to Sweden. It took a lot of work to get her a bit more confident. I actually think Ashley's video helped a lot with this. Seeing how he talks students through it in a calm manner and often after the fact helped me do the same with my mom.
Especially multi lane roundabouts were a big problem for her, since we just don't have those in the Netherlands (I also only knew how to use them because of watching Ashley's videos). At times it was actually terrifying sitting in the passenger seat, especially on motorways. Just like Liz she had this mindset of not wanting to be in peoples way, which caused some quite scary moments (not changing speed until the last moment when coming up to slower traffic for example).
Drove my first time abroad this year after 7 years of driving in the UK. This was in Gran Canaria so luckily the roads over there are fairly quiet. You really don't realise the muscle memory you have built up until you experience change in your driving routine.
I kept looking the wrong way for my rear view mirror, I was reaching the wrong side for the gear stick and handbrake, and had to keep it my mind that I had to keep right!
The very first drive out of the parking garage, I nearly scraped the car on the wall of the narrow carpark exit because I forgot I now had more car to my right than I'm used to, so I was incredibly off centre. Luckily I noticed just before getting to the pinch point.
The second big mistake I made was that there was a one way street that ended at a stop sign. What threw me off is the stop sign and stop line was on the left half side of the wide road. This instantly put me into UK mode and when I turned out, I turned into the wrong side of the road and had to correct myself.
Another time I did this was when pulling off from a layby on a "country" style road. I was parked on the right. There were no lines or traffic around so when pulling off, I again went into UK mode and pulled back into the left side of the road and drove a good 100 yards before noticing.
I felt like I was learning to drive again and it was a bit unnerving at times, but I think overall I did well.
Also, one big point! Make sure you know research the road laws before your trip if you plan ln driving so you're prepared! Additionally, make sure you know the standard procedure for filling up with fuel. You may have to go to the desk and pay before filling up.
Did you find the same thing I did when I first drove abroad, that it’s so ingrained that a left turn means a near side turn and vice versa. Or am I just stupid for going the wrong way? On more than one occasion too! 😂
A similar thing happened to me the first day I drove in the US (I'm from India, we drive on the left). Turned left into a wide arterial road with no other vehicles nearby and at dusk (so it was a little difficult to see the road markings). It took me a few seconds to realise that I had turned onto the opposing carriageway - I think the distant headlights and the carriageway to my right gave it away. Thankfully I was able to quickly turn around before any other vehicles reached me.
@@johnb8956 can't say I experienced that lol. But it's crazy the things our minds do when we are thrown off from the norm
@@SurgeDashcam I think I was more stressed than I wanted to admit to myself at the time 😂. I think most of the confusion was from exiting main roads to the right on highways, it seemed to reverse my sense of direction!
Liz did better than I thought I could do, and I've been driving 100,000 miles a year for the past 20 years.
Spent two months working and driving in the south of france. Got back to the UK, drove from Dover to Cornwall, stopped for petrol in mid Cornwall in the early hours.... I was so tired at this point, that for the life of me, I couldn't remember which side of the road I should be using..... I actually waited till someone drove past and followed them!😅
Personally i've found transitioning to the "wrong" side of the road very easy when the steering wheel is also on the other side, as i expect to be in the centre of the road as the driver. Accordingly i find it a lot easier to make mistakes when driving the wrong car for the country (bringing a LHD back to the UK). Junction design is probably the biggest challenge i've found, but that changes by country irrespective of which side of the road the cars drive.
The biggest problems i had driving foreign cars was coordinating my right hand with my left foot to change gear, and pulling the seat adjuster when i wanted the handbrake.
Well done Liz. It can be scary driving in another country, but to be filmed and then judged by us lot, takes massive cahoonies 😅. I find driving a vehicle specced to the country I'm driving in less of a challenge than driving RHD abroad, and LHD here. We spent a year travelling Europe and North Africa in our Land Rover, but coming off the ferry in Dover and driving back in the UK took a while to get used to again. My wife won't drive on the continent anymore, she has lost her confidence, probably not helped by me doing most of the driving. Great video
When Liz was talking about her pqat experience of getting anxious is try not to be hard on herself. What she feels is normal. Eveerttime I've had an accident or go and cycle in large group i get super nervous. What I concentrate on is what I need to do to be safe especially especially on the bike with people pushing for space i just simply concentrate on the space which then help to relax a little. I don't watch the rider in front but will look as fast i can see. So I can anticipate when the group is going to slow or speed up. The last cycle accident i had i wasn't just nervous cycling but also driving but due to previous accidents I knew it would ease and to understand it's a process my brain will adapt to. What strangely helped for me was the police officer that had seen the video evidence and actually asking what I could have done differently and she was straight to the point quite frankly nothing. Which upto that point I'd being thinking if done this where truthfully it didn't matter what I did I was getting hit . So it was out of my control. So even though I knew that have someone else say it meant my mindset changed. I've always found not being hard on myself is the best cure and to accept the feelings and embrace them .
Liz did a fantastic job here - totally understand the hesitation when everything on the road is flipped in reverse, plus new rules!
I could feel what was going on there when on the I-4 and all those vehicles around as I have suffered similar, not when driving but when working and being outside of my comfort zone.
I forget the official medical name for it but the way it was explained to me is it is essentially a panic attack and anxiety attack combined in one which then causes blood vessels to constrict around the chest cavity and diaphragm. At a time when these areas need more oxygen it is being restricted. Good technique by Liz to control the breathing with slow long breathes which helps get the oxygen back and slow the heart rate.
I could be wrong with this but looking back on some of my previous episodes, and those of my loved ones, it appears that given the already high anxiety from before the journey started, it is possible this episode would come to the forefront around 33:00 with the completely innocent comment of “its like any other lane joining a motorway”, something that you have likely said many times previously. This highlights the importance of not only being careful of the things we say to others but also the importance of knowing the signs of is getting overwhelmed and having those coping strategies in place.
Apologies to you both if I am speaking out of turn and if so, please remove the message and accept my sincerest apologies
My Dad drove a hire car in Iceland on holiday in 2023, they too drive on the right. It was interesting to be a passenger sitting on the other side and seeing how opposite it all was.
btw....... that last comment Liz said was spot on-and not just with driving.. Being a decent human being costs nothing as does thinking before you as liz put it "point the finger"
*Ashley, Liz was asking about the lug nuts on the lorry at 35:38ish.
The drivers will put the pointy ones on, they just slip on over the actual lug nuts. Also, these pointy ones are made of plastic.). I always think of Boudica.* ☺
Im terrified to drive outside the UK, i find Liz driving in America of all places commendable. Ashley, you're an amazing instructor.
why? The UK is not the only place that drives on the left
@radishpea6615 Yes I know America isn't the only place that drives on the left. My comment was about the massive roads they have in America lol. I find it overwhelming and my anxiety was through the roof just by watching Liz driving.
What you said about wrong turns. When they opened the new stretch of the A30 past Truro. West bound they have put a layby just before the turn for Truro. The problem is, it's easy to mistake the feed into the layby, for the slip road for the Truro junction.... I had the car in front of me peal off and go through the layby at 70mph and rejoined the carageway! Give them their due, they didn't panic, just kept it smooth. 😅
Well done, Liz, on your first drive abroad - you did a bit better than I did on my first go, which was in Lanzarote in about 1991. (Since then I’ve driven on the right in left-hand-drive cars and in right-hand-drive cars.) About the final comment: My better half, Carole, has had a full car licence for eight years, so she passed her test just before she turned 51 (until her thirties she was barred on medical grounds, and never felt the need to learn until my mother decided to turn in her licence, and offered Carole her car). When someone cuts her up on her daily commute (a 1 mile journey fighting traffic trying to get to and from the M3), she tries to do like I try to do, and think “They misjudged that a bit, didn’t they?” Because of my personality, she may well be better at it than I am, but I am trying too. As for the “bubble of space”, I’ve been trying to work on that myself, and as we were coming back from my parents’ place tonight I kept (for most of the trip, anyway) talking about where and how big my escape routes were.
Whilst I can totally appreciate Liz’s aniexty, I think she drove very well indeed. 😊
A great idea to show how to help people with their anxiety. I can't agree about the gap in static traffic. We don't want any other drivers to slow down, swerve or swear because of what we do. If you leave too much of a gap, you will frustrate other drivers and encourage bad behaviour. Visibility ahead is great but if you're behind a lorry, coach or car with tinted windows you need the extra, otherwise you can see through windows to the cars ahead, especially their high level brake lights.
Mindset, a difficult mastery: I used to have it, owning ones choices regardless of "fear" that others may/will disagree. I still need to book an instructor, but my undiagnosed B12 deficiency and a myriad of new life-long health conditions that I never had when I lost my license, have caused anxiety, my health is now recorded with the DVLA. My mindset has changed.✌
I drove in America for the first time earlier this year. Thankfully driving on the other side wasn't really a hassle for me but for literally every turn I made, I reminded myself that turning right is the near lane, and turning left is the far lane, just in case my old habits automatically kicked in. My hat off to Liz for doing this, especially as she was clearly very nervous. It must have taken a lot for her to go through with it.
I have to say it because it could be potentially life saving. But has Liz had a thorough heart checkup? My friend's wife was born with a heart defect and she experienced chest pains all her life up until she unfortunately passed from a heart attack at the age of 63. Not trying to scare you guys and I'm sure she would've had a check but for my own sanity/conscience I had to share.
On a brighter note I really enjoyed this video Ash. My experience while learning to drive was much like Liz's. Terrible anxiety and believe it or not, I often felt like I was having an out-of-body experience too! haha I thought I was the only one. God bless you guys.
She's been checked for this
I can relate to Liz’s anxiety. The first time I drove abroad, I felt like I was in the cockpit of a 747.
Nice job. I've driven abroad in mainland Europe a little; that was a bit scary but I mostly had the comfort of driving my own car, and that makes a big difference. The main thing to remember was the rule about giving way to the right and there are signs that say when that doesn't apply. I survived the experience and quickly got used to it. I would have liked at the time to have a guide to help me understand the signs but most of them were the same as the UK signs save for the speed limits being in km/h.
Looking at the video, that cycle lane is absolutely insane. I'm Dutch (used to cycling) but that one is insane.
Well done Liz, great video, great tips.
driven in america for the last 32 years , very easy and relaxed , dont forget to put your wing mirrors wide like the yanks do, when you get home just remember drive left giveway right ,i was a driving instructor for 20 years so that helps .
I think it's interesting that the US door mirrors are flatter given they are known for the 'objects in mirror are closer than they appear', common with more convex mirrors, so our mirrors in the UK would be even worse for making things look further away than the US ones that apparently need the warning. :)
One feature in Canada on relatively "fast" roads that have traffic lights: Further back from the traffic lights is a set of traffic signals with two lights that start to alternately flash yellow when the main lights up ahead are about to turn red. The warning lights also have a worded sign that reads "When lights flash, be prepared to stop". Very useful indeed. I've yet to see these in the USA and it would be great if we had them in the UK. One negative aspect though. Some drivers on seeing the warning lights start to flash, will accelerate to try and get through the main traffic light up ahead before it goes to red.
LIZ DRIVING 30 YEARS? Did she pass at the age of 5 ❤ GREAT VIDEO FOR THOSE NERVOUS ON FOREIGN ROADS 👍
She does look a lot younger than me!
Liz done amazing I think. She was genuinely not keen on this. But well done.
Liz did very well, this was a particular challenge since you are in Orlando, with a lot of tourist traffic. I think she might have been less anxious if you were in a smaller town or city, and on the freeway (you had to deal with road works on I-4, which added to the anxiety).
great drive, and good communication from both. i'm not sure When people have any health issue there must be allowances from all, I have numerous health issues so I'm a plodder now, nice and easy drives and as mentioned this was a great easy drive from Liz, well done
Jeez, effectively taking your significant other on a driving lesson in a foreign country is like going to couples therapy and playing Russian roulette. Good on you both!
Nice editing at 12:37 Ashley. The camera lead and post line up perfectly 😁
The car stops at 12:28, with no cable alignment, then you can see Ash slowly adjusting the frame to make it line up. He really should be focusing on educating us on road safety instead of manipulating camera frames IMHO
That was actually just a coincidence with the camera stabilisation resettling.
Good on you LIZ well done on sharing and doing better than I would have 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
The first time I used roads abroad was cycling in Spain. The only thing I did find hard was the roundabouts i did want to go the way we do here. I didn't. Then a bit later I drove in italy and I did think cycling abroad helped a bit to understand how things are done. Saying that it was country roads which I'm used to.
Poor Liz ❤ she was absolutely terrified 🤦♂ can't believe you forced her to endure that 🤭
I hope Liz managed to take something from the experience to be more relaxed and confident in the future in unfamiliar surroundings and circumstances.
It's incumbent on all of us as road users to be generous and patient with other road users if they appear unsure, nervous or make mistakes. Liz summed it up nicely at the end, sometimes people just make genuine mistakes (they aren't necessarily being a tw*t). That said, the vast majority of road users really don't take it seriously and only give it a half-arsed effort in applying their care and consideration to their driving. People making mistakes doesn't annoy me in itself but it does really get on my nerves when you can clearly see that people just aren't giving their driving their full care and attention and do dumb sh*t because of it. We (mostly men, as generally we suffer from overinflated egos more than women do) need to get out of this mindset of "if they can't drive properly then they shouldn't be on the road!".
All the best to both of you 🤗
Without doing it again soon this may have all been in vain
26:17 Just to add, just because you can turn right on red (baring any signs prohibiting it) doesn't mean you are obliged to in the right lane. If the right lane is a turning and straight lane, you are within your rights to stay put even if the car behind you wants to turn right.
But I guess it becomes more of a common courtesy, not a legal requirement.
That junction doesn't have a right turn on red!
Well done Liz, safe driving, great observations I would say you have more confidence than you think you have,,now if your driving you could treat Ash to a pint or 3
Crikey. I've never seen such a nervous driverin all my life. What a show.
The easiest way to explain right turn on red is to treat the red light like a stop sign if you want to turn right.
The truck wheel nuts look so obvious because they are big truck nuts, but also the wheel offset is the opposite of most cars. Most cars wheels are more like the truck rear wheels, where the nuts aren't so obvious, but the dish on the front wheels are the opposite direction, so the nuts, along with the wheel flange, are protruding.
Looks like Liz is in good hands. 😊
I think a lot depends on what country you are in. Driving abroad in Australia was fine for me (apart from long distances), but despite living in Taiwan for five years, I've never driven here, and have no intention to.
Hi Ashley this reminds me of those times when somewhat younger I was quite nervous about new driving situations which did include driving in France. I do think O was quite lucky in not being so anxious that I actually got into any trouble due to my own nerves, it does look as if this can be quite a handicap for some people, nowadays I do drive much less but on those rare occasions when my wife does the driving her hesitation and anxiety is quite obvious, I try hard to leave her alone!, well aware that any adverse comment I might make would only make things worse for her.
The latest episode in a car she had not driven before is a case in point where she was caught out by the gear-change from second to third a few times, sticking it back in first by mistake.
I said nothing at the time and later remarked that perhaps she should consider applying the appropriate right-side pull on the gear stick a bit sooner, before it passed the gate. Next time I will try to watch her more carefully and see if it gets better and if not why. I think that the calm, patient way you operate makes a lot of sense!.
One big difference for you with Liz and my own experience abroad is that I have only driven right-hand drive cars over there, on just one occasion have I even driven a left-hooker here and the thing I best remember was the mental effort required to use my right hand for the gears!.
The driving in France that I have done did require a modification in observation routine, looking in the left hand mirror before the right hand one!, apart from that I was most taken with the much more sensible and understandable road layouts and signage!, they have a very clever and sensible way of dealing with traffic wanting to turn left at crossroads across oncoming traffic on rural main roads involving making a right hand slip road to the side road and then turning left to wait at the junction!.
Cheers, Richard.
Drove for the first time in tenerife those roads are crazy hectic 😂
I'm the same thinking about driving in Europe, Ashley. I have a self build camper van and I'd love to drive in europe but my nerves prevent me from taking the plunge. Liz did great. regards- Kenny.
Hi, I don't know whether or not this is of any consolation but sometimes our fear of the unknown or the anticipation or thought of doing something is far worse than actually doing it. I've been caravanning in Europe since my early thirties and can honestly say that even towing, I would far rather drive in Europe than the UK anytime. The roads are generally far less congested apart from the cities and it's really not a lot different to driving in the UK apart from a few basic rules like giving way to the left instead of the right. I'm only saying this as there are some beautiful places in Europe with literally thousands of places for camper vans and motorhomes to stop that are far better catered for than anywhere here. You may well know about these anyway. Maybe somewhere in northern France would be a great starting point. The roads are very quiet there. The chances are that you'll have wished you'd done it earlier. I hope I didn't come across as patronising in any way but I find it kind of a shame that people are missing out on something they'd like to do because of a fear of the unknown. I have to admit that as I'm getting older, in my late 60s now, my confidence isn't what it used to be. I'll still do the things I've always done but there's a bit more apprehension and anxiety and that is always before actually doing it so I completely understand how you feel. Hope this may help.
@@paul756uk2 Thank you for a brilliant and kind and considerate reply Paul. It was very kind of you to take the time to do this. I think my anieity stems from not liking solo travel any way. I'm in several camper van groups and a few of them are contemplating a small group trip abroad next year. I've indicated I'd like to join. I think tackling driving in Europe with others might build my confidence. I agree about France though. In 2019 I went with my family to France. Our family is a military one and we visited all the war cemetaries in France and paid our respects to the fallen. Once again, thank you for a great reply . Much respect🙏- Kenny.
@viv-i-vangoesforth Thanks for your reply Kenny. I'm really pleased that you found it useful. Many of my caravanning friends have never travelled in Europe because of driving on the right and I've always felt it's a shame. I think that's great if you belong to a group and have the chance to go with them. I'm sure that will do a lot to alleviate any concerns you have. I have no doubt though that if I was doing it solo and hadn't done it before I'd be more apprehensive. I hope you manage to get a trip next year. I'm sure you'll enjoy it and never look back.
Writing this, I remember my parents who had a camper van, a commer wanderer and my dad was apprehensive about driving abroad, it was my mum, who was a bit of a driving force (no pun intended) convinced him and he never looked back. It's a great way of seeing places. I'm sure you get as much enjoyment from it as we do. Happy travelling!
@@paul756uk2 thank you :)
Interesting…
Knew it was a Volvo by the head rests
And 200bhp…..isn’t slow…..you need to try driving on the slow side of life.
And a diesel😮
That opening section is similar to the layout passed the Hosp & outlying villages on the edge of Swindon Wiltshire. Works really well.
Pre-viewing comment: Really excited to see this come in, especially as it's in the USA. Reason being as many of you know, I'm Canadian as well as British. Lived in Vancouver Canada for almost 30 years and crossed the border to the USA maybe 400 times. Driven extensively in both countries. So this is going to hold a massive interest for me, just as Ashley's previous USA videos have.
Incidentally, I could tell within the first few seconds from the street scene and houses that this was the USA. It all looks so familiar to me.
Massive thanks for this Ash and now I'll watch this video.
Oh and "Have a nice day Sir & Ma'am". 🇺🇲🇨🇦
Another reason it's imperative to lean in your seat when changing lanes is the lanes are about 2 feet wider in the US compared to back home especially the interstates
Yes, particularly on the right-hand (passenger) side, where there is a big blind spot if there are 2 or more lanes to the side. It took a lot of getting used to.
As a student from Germany I had plenty of exposure to " test drives " at home and felt confident in most models. Been as student in our petrol Golf in numerous EU countries.
No sat nav needed. We managed with map and brain😅.
We had also been sportier than current breed of SuV drivers with 3 tonnes 😅.
First drive on the opposite side of road was in the country lanes Ireland.
No problems. I think people dont do enough sports to exercise the speed of their mind.
Everybody is on slow sceeen and mind going even slower.
We don't need batteries, we need humanstoo use God-given brains. They are very eco friendly : run on oxygen, hydration and dextrose😅
Must admit, although I've worked abroad for decades, whenever I'm driving a LHD vehicle it still feels very unnatural for the first few days.
The "mechanical" stuff (gears, controls, road layout etc) isn't a problem.
It just seems downright weird being on the "wrong" side of a vehicle and driving on the "wrong" side of the road.
Ash teaching a new student that’s been driving for 25+ years, I’m sure many a driver have felt nervous on their first drive but the experience gained from the New York driving instructor would’ve probably been very very helpful
She's not really a student, she's his missus.
@@Mrpolonogno way is she his missus..? He DOES NOT talk to her as if she's his missus 😂😂😂
@@Mrpolonog yes I know but sometimes you need to go back to basics😎
This is so cute! Always liked the way you talked about Liz, and seeing you calm her nerves, beautiful relationship!
Also loool 30:58 "i should have a go!☝😃💭🚲" "no... 🤦♀not along here" "yeaaah! 😀"
Well done! You did great, id get in the car with ya no worries
One thing with the right turn you made at around 5:00. The general rule is that you must turn into the closest available lane first, which in this case would have been the far right lane or "curb" lane on the new road. Thereafter if you need to get over to the left, to do so via one lane change at a time. Of course the challenge would be if you only have a short distance to get all the way over to the left and I believe there is some flexibility in those instances. But the " turning into the nearest available lane" rule is to aid traffic flow as well as to give predicability to driver's manoeuvres.
I was thinking the same but then the grey (or is it gray over that side of the water?) area is when doing the u-turn a little further along. Do you still enter the overtaking lane and move over one at a time or head straight for the curbside (still feels odd writing that…should be kerbside) lane?
Interestingly since watching this channel and speaking with yourself, Ken, Jaycee as well as others from State-side, I now use the turn into the nearest lane method for most junctions and it feels more natural despite having spent almost 20 years doing it differently
Of all places to drive on the other (the correct...) side of the road, going to the US isn't the best choice considering the standard of driving over there compared to the rest of Europe.
And in the end there are only two things to remember:
They all drive on the other side of the road,
it only gets tricky when turning, especially when there isn't much other traffic.
Although Americans are used to the indicators (turn signals) on their cars flashing red. Most Americans who are aware of indicators (turn signals) flashing orange practically everywhere else in the world are very critical that indicators (turn signals) flash red in America and feel that America should adopt the orange flashing that most of the rest of the world has. Their principal criticism is that the orange flashing in the rest of the world is much safer, as the red flashing in America is much more challenging to differentiate from rear lights, brake lights and parking lights, which are all also red.
Ashley, fair play to Liz. I wonder if you told her she drove on the most dangerous motorway in the US and most dangerous dual carriageway, doubt she would have been so calm.
I'm only 16 minutes in, I used to live in San Diego, I got very used to the roads, it's actually becomes much easier than back home, in some ways it would probably be better if she was with just a normal guy who doesn't think about driving too much, in America people really don't pay as much attention or worry about every little thing like England, really its just a giant go cart track and you can pretty much do what you want as long as you don't hit anything or try going too fast, you should have seen the state of my ex wife's grandparents driving when they took us to the casino LOL
Secret is to 1) take your time and 2) coming upto junctions think about what line you should take.
Driving on the right is not difficult, the problem is during the first 15-20 mins. Then you get to the most dangerous 'second day' which is when you have a level of confidence which outweighs ones ability. A post it on the clocks helps. Just write "on the right!" on there and you'll be ok 👍
Doing a bit of research, it appears the “spikes” covering the lug nuts of the truck wheels are purely decorative and as dangerous as they look, it appears most are made of plastic and will break before doing any serious damage.
Although I wouldn’t want to test that theory out as a pedestrian or rider getting too close to one going in a straight line
Maybe Ken knows more about the truth in my research 👍
Unusual for traffic to be so calm especially on the I4. Take the right off the 192 for Tampa around 5pm and you'll see some lethal driving. Trucks hit 80mph plus. Very little lane discipline.
40:20 dont panic it doesn't need tk be done instantly. Glance and go I like that space then just try and relax and nake sure no 1 pinches your space. Doing brill i think .
Brilliant content More Liz please she's a Funny like a race track 😂
At around 8:35, the good old shoulder check before changing lanes is something the examiners always really look for over there to pass your driving test. Here in the UK it's more "Situational".
US drivers are drilled in SMOG from the beginning "Signal, mirror, over the shoulder, go". Even with blind spot mirrors on my car, I still end up glancing over the shoulder before lane changes.