No Stupid Questions

I'm from the states and live in Ireland. I never had a problem with switching back and forth as I visit the states and Germany frequently.

The one danger is if youre in a parking lot or similar and pull out onto the road when there are no other cars after not driving for a while, you might be on the wrong side for a second.

The trick to remember isn't left or right its that the driver is always in the middle of the road.

If youre holding the steering wheel and are on the outside of the road, youre going the wrong way. Keep the center line right next to you and you'll be grand as the Irish say.

I change between the two fairly often and the two most dangerous things are -

Looking the wrong way when approaching a roundabout

Going to change gear with the wrong hand and punching the door

Generally it's only difficult if you drive a RHD car on LHD roads or vice versa

It’s not so bad if there’s loads of other cars, but if you set off onto a quiet road, it can be quite easy to zone out and forget where you are if you’re not careful

You should be ok if you stay focused and alert. When you're in the driver's seat you will always be in the middle of the road next to the white line, whatever country you're in.

The trickiest part is making turns. Driving in Europe, the US and Canada I used to say to myself "loooong left and tight right". In Ireland, you'll be turning right across the oncoming traffic. It's tricky because if you don't focus, habit will take you on to the wrong side of the road. After a couple of days you'll get used to it.

Hire an automatic, they're more common these days anyway. Having said that, I never had a problem changing gears withe the "wrong" hand.

Enjoy! The Irish countryside is lovely.

I'm pretty sure driving on the wrong side of the road is illegal in most places, please do not drive on wrong side in Ireland.

In my experience it's surprisingly easy. I found the break in routine snaps me out of complacency, making me more alert.

Wise to hire an automatic, I think. Not difficult with so many rentals offering hybrids or electric now. My right hand would struggle with gear shifts and I'd imagine it is even harder switching the other way around (if you are right-handed).

Getting used to driving on the 'wrong' side isn't too hard but understanding unfamiliar road signs at the same time might be quite taxing. Remember to read up on the local road laws, and whatever their equivalent of the Highway Code is.

Make sure to practice using your right hand to make crude gestures out the window.

When you are in such a country, then it isn't the wrong side anymore. It is the side where everybody is driving.

Judging by the drivers near me, quite easy

It's easy if you pay attention at all times. Do not fall into your ingrained habits. If you stay focused, especially while turning, you won't have a problem.

I have never driven a manual on the wrong side. I wouldn't do that. I would rent an automatic.

I visited Ireland and it took me maybe a day to get used to driving on the left.

Driving a stick shift on the left though took a little more time, I would often go from 1st gear to 4th gear. My muscle memory wasn't developed in my left hand for this.

Be aware though that the streets are much more narrow in the countryside. I was often nervous driving there.

It’s not that bad, you might have a couple of moments where you suddenly second guess yourself, particularly on smaller country roads, or car parks. Just remember you the driver should be nearest to the center of the road and you’ll be fine. If you pre book you might have a chance of renting an automatic to make things even easier.

It's like driving in the fast lane on the highway. If you can do that you can drive on the "wrong" side of the road

You get used to it after a few scares. Hell I was just a pedestrian in Japan and damn near got run over looking the wrong way out of habit. Only once!

Never driven on the other side of the road but I have driven right hand drive. It was a little strange for pretty much the first couple shifts but the pattern was ultimately the same.

Personally I enjoyed the experience, it's always fun to try something new. I still prefer left hand drive because it's what I'm used to but don't let comfort keep you from a memorable experience!

I think the gear switching is fine but the oncoming traffic is definitely a big negative

I can't say anything about driving on the left side since I never had to do it.

About the clutch, I think it depends on whether you used to do it a lot. I used to drive stick when I learned to drive, but for the last 5 years I have only driven automatic or electric. But when I rented a car with manual transmission, my muscle memory came back within a few minutes and everything went fine.

It's easy if you travel on busy roads, you follow the flow of traffic, much harder to be the only person on the road, you rely on your habits, and can easily fund yourself looking at a head on collision.

For me, the hard part isn’t driving on the “wrong” side of the road. You pick that up pretty quickly. You need to think a bit more when turning, but it’s not so hard. For me the harder part is driving from the “wrong” side of the car. I may have almost mounted a curb or two because I forgot where I was in the lane.

Be extra cautious when parking on the left. The wheels are closer to the curb than you might think.

I learned that lesson. Twice.

In my experience, turns at lights are the hard part, remembering what lane you are supposed to end up in.

it's super difficult because there's oncoming traffic

It totally depends on the person. I'm from the left-driving UK, and have friends who hate every second of driving in the rest of Europe. Personally, I find it takes about 10 minutes to acclimatise and then it seems normal and I'm fine.

Do it! I had. Lot of fun. Just be aware and you'll be fine. :)