Do the roads in the UK make sense to seasoned drivers?

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Responsible-Match418@reddit

I'm from UK and in Canada and have driven in both countries a lot.

The UK isn't more "confusing", it's just about getting used to what the signs mean. The road signs are actually very consistent, even if the road itself is windy. You generally know what's happening because you'll see the same signs, expect the same rules. You don't often come across completely surprise situations.

In Canada, the roads are much straighter yes. And because of that there's a high level of familiarity. But actually, you drive from Ontario to Quebec and suddenly there are some major differences that you have to be very careful about. In that sense, it's harder to drive in Canada. Also, I find that road signs in Canada aren't actually that consistent... For example, a lane merge is clearly sign posted far back, giving you three chances to notice. In Canada lanes just join other lanes without any warning.

I genuinely think UK roads are easier in the sense that they're all very consistent. I do find Canada also easily since (mostly) all roads and intersections are very similar.

Have you driven in the UK then?

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kitty_cats6@reddit (OP)

I appreciate the perspective from both sides! I was just thinking in terms of when people visit, sometimes they wanna drive on their own so just in terms of that, it's really confusing (at least to me as a beginner driver in Canada).

But personally I dont think I could drive in the UK because manual cars are common and I only know automatic 😅

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Responsible-Match418@reddit

Makes sense. I can see how it looks confusing. Honestly it's the other way around too. When I first came to Canada around 5 years ago, the roads are the other side, the lanes are massive (like 8 lanes on the 401 lol) and weird rules, like all ways and so on. It's the same difference really.

Saying that, it's ultimately the same. As you drive in a place, you can pretty much guess at what a road sign is trying to tell you. Especially if you see it enough times.

And don't worry about manual driving. You can drive automatic in the UK, just have to pay more for the hire car. Learning to drive manual would be a fun skill though, but does take a lot of practice.

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Imposseeblip@reddit

Hey, can i pick your brain for a minute? Im going to Canada in a couple of months and will be driving around Alberta. Are there any unwritten rules or quirks i need to know about? Any common pitfalls for british people to look out for?

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Responsible-Match418@reddit

I've driven in Alberta - specifically from Calgary to Banff.

Before they I'd driven in Ontario for 3-4 years, so I got ingratiated into Canadian driving over time, so I can't say what the experience will be like from UK to Alberta in one step.

But, from what I remember, Alberta was a lot like Ontario. Pretty much exactly the same. Nothing stood out. I do know in Ontario you can turn right on red lights unless told otherwise, and unsure if that's the case in Alberta - but that would likely be the biggest difference between UK and Alberta.

Same rules apply regarding staying in the slow lane unless overtaking, though expect Canadians not to actually do that.

Make sure you put on a country radio station for the lols.

Have fun! If you're going to the mountains it's beautiful.

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Imposseeblip@reddit

Awesome, thanks for the reply! That's reasurring to know. I dont expect british people to adhere tonstay in the slow lane unless overtaking so thats normal lol. I will be driving from Calgary to Edmonton for a few days, then back down to Banff (well, Canmore), and finally back to Calgary. Cant go to Alberta without seeing the mountains! Thanks again, i appreciate it !

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Responsible-Match418@reddit

Amazing! Yeah I stayed in Canmore - lovely place and some great ideas walks around there. Marginally cheaper than Banff, but still paid $400 per night for a basic hotel lol. It was a nice hotel so I can give you the name if you like.

The roads are so beautiful around there! The biggest problem will be trying to keep your eyes on the road while the mountains come into view.

But yeh drivingwise you'll be fine. Just look up local laws and signs before you go. Definitely check out the turning right on red thing.

Calgary is cool too. I went during Stampede and it was busy, but I remember the drivers being respectful and not crazy (unlike Toronto).

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LilyFantastica@reddit

Roads here are fine.

Roundabouts in general are fine, but the lack of consistency in roundabout design and implementation on top of the really bonkers ones that I call roundish-abouts can be overwhelming to a newcomer.

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Responsible-Match418@reddit

True. Canadian roundabouts are similar, though aren't as popular.

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LilyFantastica@reddit

See, the USA has better roundabouts, because the rules on their construction are a bit more hard written into DOT rules.

Not so here in the UK. We have guidance on how they are built, but local councils and planners get final say on how they are laid out, which means that most are inconsistent. No clear lines, no clear rules on how to operate your vehicle in them. It's a free for all sometimes.

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Responsible-Match418@reddit

Not sure about the US and haven't come across a roundabout there.

I find the worst thing with UK roundabouts is that lanes just kinda merge into one another on some poorly designed ones - so unless you have a sound understanding of the laws (which a lot of people don't) then they use the lines and get confused.

I found the roundabouts in Canada a little more simplistic and they tend to be used in lower traffic areas (the ones I found in Ontario at least).

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LilyFantastica@reddit

Not every state has roundabounts. I never saw in any the times I've been to california, but Oregon and Arizona both do.

And yeah, thats exactly it. There is not hard rules about how they have to be designed. The US states where they exist have hard rules about design, where to put, and how to mark them. I like to say the UK has a Roundabout Problem. They are overused, poorly designed, and there is no oversight on their placement. So there is no way to KNOW how to go about a given roundabout until you encounter it. And when the road markings are worn away as they so frequently are, lanes become a game of the imagination. And roundabouts are always the solution even when a different solution might be better choice.

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Responsible-Match418@reddit

Ah interesting! What's your experience of driving in the US? I think people tend to big road trips. Do you find the UK harder to drive in generally?

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LilyFantastica@reddit

Honestly, each state is a different experience. Heck. California is a different experience in the Los Angeles-San Bernadino area than it is in say Monteray Bay area. There is no universal experience. I hated driving in Dallas, and I am an Oregonian, so that is where I learned to drive. I'm far more cautious and

Honestly, driving here in the UK hasn't been a big issue other than the crazy drivers on occasion. Avoid London and most city centers and its not an issue at all. XD Only thing is that there are no turn on red here like there is in the states.

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Responsible-Match418@reddit

I find the right turn on red in Canada so dangerous but I do like the option to do it when no one is around. I find a lot of drivers abuse it and use it as an excuse to push through pedestrians, but Toronto has arsehole drivers so I get that unfortunately.

Also it's weird that you can't do that in Quebec.

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LilyFantastica@reddit

Quebec is a different culture though. May as well be a seperate Canada at times.

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StanleyChuckles@reddit

Yes, of course they do.

Roundabouts aren't difficult at all. Get in the correct lane, give way to the right.

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Fine-State8014@reddit

I think they're talking about spiral roundabouts which look tricky but they aren't really .

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StanleyChuckles@reddit

Yeah, UK road safety is really high compared to a lot of the world.

I know we all like to complain, but we have it pretty good here.

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lucylucylane@reddit

Canada has four times the road deaths

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TexasBrett@reddit

Canada also has some properly challenging driving conditions. I mean 15-30 people are killed every year because a moose walks out at the wrong time. Nothing like that in the UK.

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RealLongwayround@reddit

We have deer in the UK. RTCs with deer lead to several fatalities each year.

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TexasBrett@reddit

Of course, they have those too. Plus elk and bison. Not to mention actual winter driving conditions for months of the year.

I’m just saying, making a point with a single stat isn’t the best approach.

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No_Cryptographer_150@reddit

Yeh driving the A9 from the drumochter pass to slochd it's always Mediterranean conditions. Fucking tool

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escapingfromelba@reddit

Calm down.

Also most people in the uk will never experience a Canada level winter road, to argue otherwise is daft. You know this.

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No_Cryptographer_150@reddit

Cheers easy.

Canada has a population less than half the UK you can't compare the number of deaths and surely they would be used to a little snow by now

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LilyFantastica@reddit

We get at most a few centimeters a year across everything south of scotland.

In a much of Canada, snowplows travel all day most days between November and February.

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No_Cryptographer_150@reddit

South of Scotland

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escapingfromelba@reddit

A little snow when its measured in metres of depth, what an odd thing to say.

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TexasBrett@reddit

Why so angry bud? You honestly can’t compare winter in the UK to a Canadian winter and say with a straight face that they pose the same challenges.

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No_Cryptographer_150@reddit

Yes I can pal

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TopBookChat1105@reddit

We’ve got flipping snow gates, you think we’re not driving in winter conditions?

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fsuk@reddit

UK is ranked 9th worldwide, Canada 29th

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Responsible-Match418@reddit

Canada doesn't have the hazard awareness test and it's very very very clear if you've ever driven in Toronto. Terrible terrible drivers.

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Obvious-Water569@reddit

Can confirm. It's a nightmare of people constantly honking their horns.

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geekypenguin91@reddit

Just follow the lines

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_Cridders_@reddit

Tbf there's a few near me [Redbridge Roundabout], where if you get in some of the lanes marked for the turning you want to exit at, you'll then struggle to actually get out because they're so busy and you end up still in that lane by the time you want to exit

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rheos-darkmoon@reddit

I followed the lines at a zebra crossing and the police pulled me over for a chat. ;p

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r_keel_esq@reddit

They're not difficult, and yet 60% of road users in Inverness haven't a fucking clue how to use them

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LilyFantastica@reddit

Thats fine and dandy when the markings exist and the roundabout makes some semblence of sense. But there are a lot of badly maintained, placed, and designed roundabouts across the country.

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QueefInMyKisser@reddit

The only problem is when the only way to know which is the correct lane is by reading paint markings that are hidden by traffic. So ironically the only time you can tell which lane to use is when traffic is so light it doesn’t actually matter if you get it wrong.

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doc1442@reddit

If only that were actually true. Lots of shitty drivers about with zero idea about what road markings and signs mean, or how to behave around other road users.

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adamMatthews@reddit

I find the UK as a whole to be generally better than other countries when it comes to that. Problem is, if 1% of drivers do stupid things, you remember the one person and forget the ninety-nine good ones you saw (or maybe didn’t see because they were going a reasonable speed a reasonable distance so you never met).

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doc1442@reddit

Maybe there is some observation bias, but it’s still a too high percentage.

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spoo4brains@reddit

And yet we get a post a day by people baffled by that basic concept. It is a worry.

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Sea_Translator5300@reddit

There are always people who struggle with the standard road, no matter how high or low the standard.

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Underwritingking@reddit

Generally speaking I find UK roads pretty clear and easy to use.

There are a few places where the signage could be better, but generally speaking it's fine

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spunkkyy@reddit

Aussie driving in the uk. Driving on the UK is infinitely worse than Aus. I'll list out the reasons why. - potholes everywhere - narrow roads + bidirectional roads that only fit 1 car at a time (takes way longer to go shorter distances) - parked cars that block traffic - parking any direction against the grain of traffic - having to pay for parking pretty much wherever you go - needing to park so close to the footpath because of narrow roads - roundabouts are a nightmare, multiple lanes with cars weaving in and out of lanes - no lights on highways? - crazy levels of traffic in every direction - a culture of cars slowly pulling their car out to block on coming traffic even though they dont have right away - hard to explain, but highway lanes often turn in to merging off lanes sending you in different directions. Means you need to constantly check the lane youre in. In aus youd physically have to drive your car off the highway to leave it. - fuel is also very expensive here.

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Rossmci90@reddit

Infinitely worse yet Australia has almost double the road fatality rate?

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spunkkyy@reddit

I listed my reasons, which of them do you disagree with?

Aus is an incredibly massive country with poor travel infrastructure. More people drive and for longer distances by car rather than trains/planes. I'd imagine high fatality rates can be explained by proximity to emergency services plus higher average driving time.

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Rossmci90@reddit

I've never driven in (or visited) Australia so I can't comment on those specific issues, however I would think road fatalities would be a very important factor when forming an opinion that our roads are 'infinitely worse' than Australia's.

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spunkkyy@reddit

Sure, well I've driven in both countries extensively and thats my observations. My english partner has also, and she shares similar views.

I've given my thoughts on differences in road fatalities.

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Rossmci90@reddit

I was wondering if you were going to put any thought into it at all or just continue with your preconceived biases so I will put 2 and 2 together for you.

Multiple studies have consistently shown that confusing road layouts, limited signage etc reduce accidents and reduce the kinetic impact of accidents (therefore reducing serious injury and fatalities).

By increasing the cognitive load on the driver, they are forced to be more aware of their surroundings, take more care with maneuvering and are generally slower.

Whether it is intended or not, our 'confusing' road design leads to better outcomes for drivers and pedestrians.

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spunkkyy@reddit

And yet you've never driven in or visited aus?

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Rossmci90@reddit

I haven't flown to the other side of the world, you haven't done 5 minutes of Googling. We are not the same.

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spunkkyy@reddit

Seems like youre a bit upset. Bit of an odd topic to get so defensive about no?

Just speaking on my experience is all given OPs question..

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Rossmci90@reddit

When you say our roads are infinitely worse when your roads are almost twice as lethal (getting to your destination alive is pretty important in my opinion) i'm going to call you out.

You're weirdly happy to accept more road deaths for perceived easier driving.

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spunkkyy@reddit

Look, this is hard for you to understand because you've not been to the country. Aus is literally bigger than Europe with poor infrastructure. This means many people are driving 100s of km, through rural areas with literally no hospitals nearby. This would never happen in the UK because youre always close to a major centre. Driver fatigue, and the wildlife hear are big contributors. Its not the roads or the signage per se. To change fatalities, you would need to put a hospital every 100km.

With your amazing googling skills, why dont you type in to AI, and ask which country has more accidents and why are australian accidents more fatal.

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Rossmci90@reddit

Australia has a higher % of its population living in urban areas. Yes you have a massive empty space in the middle of the country but the vast majority of driving in Australia is in urban areas, the same as the UK.

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spunkkyy@reddit

Yep, though rural is not just the centre mate. Google the length of the coast line. There are many rural areas along the coast line. Which again is where a lot of people drive. Fatalities just isnt the right statistic to go off. Its more a sign of the size of the country, length of the roads and then low population density equating fewer hospitals. They literally have a flying doctors for rural areas.

Again, I listed my reasons in the first post of why I personally don't enjoy driving here compared to Aus. You can feel free to disagree with them. I'm not even saying Aus is amazing for driving, it has its issues. Brits would probably complain about the sheer distances they'd have to travel to get anywhere in aus. Traffic can also be terrible in the major cities, and this is where the UK is so much better than us with trains and infrastructure. We just dont have the population density to pay for it.

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1nspectorCPW@reddit

Our roads are narrow because our first high-speed inter-city highways were designed for chariots. In rural areas especially, roads originally wouldn't have needed to accommodate much more than a horse and cart. Heck, even in my youth in the early 1960s the vehicles were much smaller than their modern equivalents and there were far fewer of them on the roads.

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adamMatthews@reddit

Remember that the videos you’re seeing show advanced situations, they’re finding interesting things to be educational.

The vast majority of roads in this country are super simple. A sign or two will tell you everything you need to know, the lines on the roads are natural things in your subconscious that we’ve known about since childhood, ten year old kids already have them ingrained when riding bikes and are predicting what the cars will do.

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hdhxuxufxufufiffif@reddit

Zig-zag lines means no stopping, parking or overtaking. How in the world is that confusing, unless you're using confusing to mean something I've never seen before and didn't bother to look up.

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knightsbridge-@reddit

I mean... Of course they do. It's not like we've got billions of people driving scared.

It's not quite right, but you can think of roundabouts as just circular roads with a lot of turn offs. You move into the outside lane in order to turn off on normal multi-lane roads, and you move into the outside lane to turn off roundabouts too.

Old country lanes are just a side effect of a country where a huge amount of the road network predates cars. Nobody really likes driving down those roads, but they're fine. Everyone knows how to drive on them.

Zigzags just mean "there's a crossing here, and it's important to keep good visibility of it so someone doesn't die crossing the road, so you can't park or overtake here".

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Iron_Beef_Curtain@reddit

I can’t speak for the UK as a whole, but there are lots of drivers in my city who have no idea what they are doing.

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TopBookChat1105@reddit

Oh course it makes sense. I do try not to be in charge of a vehicle if I can’t drive safely though. Did you do a bit of Highway Code before driving in a new country?

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TheLoneEcho@reddit

It isn't more confusing. You just get used to what you get used to.

I'm a driving instructor here in the UK, so I know my way around the roads, but last week I was in France and it is confusing as heck for a few days until you figure it out.

It just takes some getting used to.

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iamabigtree@reddit

Of course it makes sense it's all perfectly logical and tbh compared to a lot of countries it's extremely well defined and regimented. Just take a look at the Highway Code or if you really want to get into it Traffic Signs and General Directions or the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges.

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Maleficent-Win-6520@reddit

If you’ve read the Highway Code then it all makes sense

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Familiar_Swan_662@reddit

Too many adults dont know the highway code. Its slightly concerning

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oliverprose@reddit

The "Know your traffic signs" companion book would also be useful.

It helps that significant numbers of drivers also had to pass a theory-based test as part of their learning to drive journey (it's nearly 30 years old now), so signs and road markings shouldn't be a surprise to most.

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JansonHawke@reddit

Yes because we have to pass two driving tests, theory and practical, and my understanding is these are of a higher standard than those of many other countries. It's just what we're used to. This is also reflected in the road traffic accident statistics.

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Obvious-Water569@reddit

We have a highway code, just like any other developed country. It's not hard to understand, just different to other countries.

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SpecsyVanDyke@reddit

I loved in the UK until 13. Learned to drive in Ireland. I did find driving in the UK a bit more difficult than Ireland the first time I did it. Nothing crazy but just something a bit more difficult about it. The road markings feel a bit more cluttered, it's hard to explain.

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jonpenryn@reddit

When your learning to drive everything is happening very quickly because you are having to think all the time. Eventually many parts of driving are moved to a different part of the brain and it all happens much slower and you have more time to consider things.

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pacificsbay@reddit

Zigzag lines and tight lanes are part of UK' s old road design, local learn slowly and adapt well over time.

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Kiss_It_Goodbyeee@reddit

If you're a learner driver, I recommend not looking at how people drive in other countries. It will, of course, confuse you.

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stbens@reddit

The biggest issues for me on the roads are potholes and faded road markings. I regularly drive on roads where junction markings and lane markings are practically invisible: I’m amazed that there aren’t more accidents.

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Asher-D@reddit

Confusing? I don't understand what would be confusing about it unless you really should be using something like Google maps to figure out where you want to go. Other than the multi lane roundabouts, magic roundabouts I prefer, much easier, driving in the UK is easy. Although the first time I drove here I did have 10 years of expiernce back home, where we don't have multi lane roundabout nor do we have motorways (but I did drive in the US, so theyre no foreign to me), but our roads and rules are based off of the UK.

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PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit

Zig zags (white ones) tell you there's a crossing and not to overtake or stop/park. You should see the flashing yellow Belisha beacons or traffic lights well before the zig zags really.

Roundabouts are straightforward and safe.

Yes many of our roads are narrow. They weren't actually built for cars, but for horses, then the smooth road surface was made for cyclists initially. Fun fact - there aren't any roads in the City of London with the word 'road' in the name, because they predate the use of the word.

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sihasihasi@reddit

Of course they do. Learning to drive in a country involves learning what the road markings etc mean.

It's really not that complicated.

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Mr_Bumcrest@reddit

Of course they do, what a weird question

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LockedinYou@reddit

Roads are easy to navigate and use in this country. Its just the UK is full of morons that struggle to get dressed and somehow are allowed to drive a vehicle.

Also, them tiny back lanes are some of the best roads at 80+

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No_Specialist_255@reddit

A lot of road systems seem irrational until you learn the assumptions behind them. UK roads often optimise around limited space and historical layouts, while Canadian roads generally optimise around available land and wider vehicle access. Each looks strange to outsiders because the design priorities are completely different.

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over-it2989@reddit

As a Brit who lives in Canada. I’ll take UK roads over driving here any day of the week - especially the way the layout is for construction zones. So dumb.

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TwoFingersWhiskey@reddit

I'm also Canadian and I think this person is smoking something, our roads are NOT that different. We have tons of roundabouts.

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lardarz@reddit

You have roads across bits of the sea with no lights and zero markings on and you think UK roads are confusing?

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Lost-Estate3401@reddit

I'm from the UK, but live abroad and have driven extensively in other countries. I think the UK road markings, signs etc are pretty much unparalleled.

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lucylucylane@reddit

I find the roads on the uk much better organized than Canada with more road markings and signs. Roundabouts make much more sense than a four way stop where no road has priority

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SilyLavage@reddit

These are the roads we've been looking at since we were in the back seats of our parents' cars in booster seats, so they do make sense.

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GingerrJinx@reddit

It's not confusing in my opinion, just annoying when it comes to surprise motorway forks and the parking scene in general. People just park anywhere and everywhere and going through some roads can be a pain in the rear, especially when people doesn't want to give way.

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