Driving on the right as a UK or Australian driver: the habits that catch you out

A general familiarisation guide · Last updated 27 June 2026

If you learned to drive on the left — in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or elsewhere — switching to the right is rarely a problem of knowledge. You know which side you should be on. The trouble is that years of practice built reflexes pointing the other way, and reflexes don't read the rental agreement. Here are the moments that most often catch experienced drivers out, and how to blunt them in advance.

The seat and controls feel mirrored

Driving on the right usually means sitting on the left of the car, which puts you closer to the centre of the road than your body expects. The hand you reach out with for the gear selector swaps sides too. It's worth a quiet minute, parked, just getting used to where everything now sits before you pull away.

Your default glance points the wrong way

The habit that catches people out most is the automatic first look. When you drive on the right, the nearest oncoming traffic approaches from the opposite side to the one you've scanned for all your life. This bites hardest at quiet moments — pulling out of a driveway, stepping off a kerb on foot — precisely when you're relaxed and running on autopilot. Rehearse a deliberate look both ways until the new direction feels natural.

Drifting after a turn

The classic error isn't the turn itself; it's the few seconds afterward, when an empty road offers no other cars to copy and instinct quietly steers you back toward the side you grew up on. Knowing the moment exists is half the battle. Make a habit of consciously confirming your side as you straighten up out of every turn.

Turns and roundabouts are reversed

Crossing the oncoming flow happens in the mirror image of what you know, and roundabouts circulate the opposite way — anticlockwise when you drive on the right. You don't need to rebuild the rules from scratch, but you do want the shape of an entry and exit to feel rehearsed rather than backwards in the moment.

Tiredness undoes new habits first

Fresh reflexes are fragile. After a long flight or a full day, your brain reaches for its oldest defaults — the ones trained on the left. Treat your first drive as one that deserves full attention: well-rested, unhurried, and ideally not in the dark or the rain.

This is general familiarisation guidance, not driving instruction or a substitute for the official rules of your destination. Always check local guidance and drive within your ability.