h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Excellent advice here, but one thing to add: do not even venture near the countryside unless you are skilled in the art of reversing at speed. If you are zooming down a 1-in-3-gradient, one-car-width helter-skelter at midnight on Christmas Eve, no matter how convinced you are that there'll be no-one on the road, someone will turn up. Equally inevitably, they will be a local and therefore, by virtue of obscure local by-laws, have right of way. They will wait until you have screeched to a halt (not bothering to slow themselves, of course) two inches from their bumper and look at you wearily as they wait for you to reverse all the way back up the hill into that swamp-like ditch you were glad you missed on the way down. You may require the help of the emergency services to get out of it. But on no account expect the local to helpfully reverse into the tarmac-surfaced official council passing place a mere two yards behind him.

Offence is the best form of Defence...

My driving instructor expressed world-weary disbelief at people who take their nearest and dearest out on country lanes to give them some driving practice. They do this in the mistaken belief that British country lanes are nice, quiet places where you don't get traffic that is either fast-moving or doing something stupid (or both). Nothing could be further from the truth. Richard only took me out on country lanes when he was sure I could cope with them. Believe me, they are worse than motorways (particularly single-track lanes). There are rules that apply to motorways, at least in theory. With country lanes, all bets are off!

Oh, and regarding single track roads on steep hills, the rules should be (but often aren't):
If you spot somebody coming uphill while you are going down and approaching a passing place, pull over and wait for them to pass. It's easier for you to start off downhill than it is for them to start off uphill.
If you don't spot them and you just meet, the person closest to a passing place (official or otherwise) should reverse, unless the manoeuvre would be particularly tricky. In a situation as described earlier, Richard would sit there, stoney-faced, until the other driver backed up.

Additional advise in London..
Beware the Black Cab.............
These have TOTAL RIGHT OF WAY OVER ALL OTHER TRAFFIC!!!

'G'

In Cardiff, as a general rule, cab drivers are the most dangerous on the road. Oblivious to the potential perils of driving on pavements, reversing at 15mph into a dual carriageway and shunting cyclists into the kerb, they are to be feared and respected at all times.

In Cardiff, as a general rule, cab drivers are the most dangerous on the road. Oblivious to the potential perils of driving on pavements, reversing at 15mph into a dual carriageway and shunting cyclists into the kerb, they are to be feared and respected at all times.

Amazing the way that erratic and boneheaded behaviour is rewarded with everyone's deference/obedience. Are Cardiff cabbies trained this way, or is this their interpretation of how to get about quickly and thereby pick up more fares?

Fruitbat