In Britain, we drive on the left-hand side of the road, so the steering wheel is on the right. However the pedals are in the same position as in left-handed cars, with the accelerator (gas pedal) on the right. The gears and almost always the handbrake (parking brake) is operated with the left hand.

Most cars in Britain are manual cars i.e have a gear stick.

Petrol

Petrol (Gas) in Britain is one of the most expensive in the world. We pay on average 95 pence a litre.

Minimum driving age in the UK

The minimum age for driving a car in the UK is 17, and 16 for riding a moped or motorbike with a maximum engine capacity of 50cc.

Roads

There are some 225,000 miles (362,000 km) of roads in Britain. Many of the roads are built on the old roads laid down by the Romans centuries ago.

Roads in Britain range from wide modern motorways down to narrow country lanes usually bordered by hedges, stone walls, grassy banks or ditches. Cities and towns tend to have compact streets because they date back to well before cars were invented, and were certainly not planned for large lorries (trucks).

In Britain, our three main roads are "M" roads, "A" roads, and "B" roads.

• "M" roads are like American freeways. They are known as motorways and are fast roads.
  They have three or four lanes.
• "A" roads are not controlled-access: they range from two-lane divided highways ("dual carraigeways") down to one-lane roads. They are the main routes between towns.
• "B" roads are the smaller of the three. They may be in the open or have impentrable foliage right up to the road. Road markings (curves, etc.) may be sparse.

M25 motorway

Some motorways have tolls (pay a fee to drive)

The first toll motorway, the M6 Toll, opened in December 2003 to ease motorway congestion in the West Midlands. The 43-kilometre expressway cuts journey times around Birmingham by an estimated 45 minutes.

What is the National Speed Limit for driving in the UK?

All speed limits and distances, on signs, are given in miles or miles per hour. 1 mile is about 1.6 km.

Round signs indicate speed limits with the limit amount circled by a red band. When the speed limit has stopped then there is a black line at an angle crossing over a white circle.

Maximum speed limit in miles per hour	National speed limits apply

The National Speed limits

• Motorways and dual carriage ways: 112km/h / 70mph
• Unrestricted single carriageway roads: 96km/h / 60mph
• Built up areas e.g. towns and villages: 48km/h / 30mph
• Residential areas: 35km/h / 20mph

The following national speed limits apply to all roads unless there are signs to indicate otherwise - all speeds are shown in MPH

Road Signs

Road signs in Britain

Roundabouts

We have many roundabouts (taffic circles) in Britain. Traffic on the roundabouts have priority over cars coming onto the roundabout.

There is a good animation on the following page to show you how to use a roudabout.
www.2pass.co.uk/roundabout.htm

Road sign

Other pages on the same theme

What types of transport are there in England?