The Trials and Tribulations of driving in Scotland

For those readers who may have read about my first solo public transit experience, this one is also a trial-by fire story involving driving a rental car in Scotland. Here’s some fun facts that I wish I had known before booking my car:

• Always make sure that you know whether your rental insurance is covered by your credit card or home car insurance before you go to pick up your car.
• Bring proof of said Insurance because some companies demand the proof before you are allowed to rent your car without buying their insurance.
• If you are listed as the driver, you cannot change the driver when you pick up the rental car. If you try to do this, you will have your booking cancelled and you will be subject to the rental car fee for that day.

Do you have proof of insurance?

So, I am a somewhat frugal person. I do not pay for rental car insurance, but rather I make sure I am covered by the card I am using or my own car insurance I have at home. But when I was at the Europcar rental counter, the concierge lady asked me in such a way that made me think I wasn’t covered. FYI – this is a trick. She said I could call her within 24 hours to get the insurance removed once I verified.

The next day, I spent upwards of two hours trying to call and could not get through to the office. Apparently her offer wasn’t normal, so Europcar’s central customer assistance center could not help. I had to talk to the Edinburgh airport office, which wasn’t answering. Ultimately, when I returned home I sent an email complaint. Europcar reimbursed the insurance cost, no questions asked. However, I could’ve avoided the whole debacle if I had verified I was covered before picking up the car.

Only the Driver indicated at Booking can Drive (or be prepared to PAY)

Insurance was just the first obstacle. Next, I got to experience true trial-by-fire. Months before, I booked the car rental to cover that portion of the cost. I listed Tom as the driver. However, when it came time to actually rent the car, the concierge lady insisted that the driver of the car must be the person who paid for the car, me.

This came as a shock, as I hadn’t been planning to driving in Scotland, so I was not mentally prepared for the possibility of driving a standard transmission vehicle for the first time in about 10 years on the opposite side of the road! Except, if I didn’t drive, it would cost us a lot more. And if I insisted on an automatic, that would also cost a lot more. So you can probably guess what we decided.

I got this! … Maybe?

Yep, that’s right -I drove. Being a lefty, I thought “this can’t be that hard, right? Even if I’d never driven a right-hand drive standard before, I’d probably adjust quickly.” *Gulp*

Luckily, we were in Edinburgh. No big deal, I was just set loose to drive unexpectedly after a red-eye flight.  And it was only a foreign city whose citizens drive on the wrong side of the road. And it was only morning rush hour traffic. And the shifter was only the reverse setup of American manual transmission. And it had only been a decade since I last drove a standard. Easy peasy.

I only drove down one not-for-public-access road, struggled to parallel-park in front of a bunch of gawkers only to discover I was in motorcycle-only parking, and did one single panic-pull-over to hide the car behind a dumpster when I thought I was going the wrong way on a one-way road. All in all, it could’ve been worse.

On the way out of town, my boyfriend flipped out because he said he didn’t know “how I possibly missed hitting the mirror on the garbage cans.” My response was this: “… but I didn’t hit the garbage cans with the mirror, and that’s all that counts!” Still, it doesn’t top the time my dad drove us into an open air pedestrian mall in Germany where no car had gone before. So all in all, I did pretty well.

Scotland Driving Lessons Learned

Here are some other good-to-know fun facts about driving in Scotland that you all get the benefit of seeing before attempting to drive in Scotland. First, there are many many roads that are really one lane, or one-and-a-half lanes. They are designed in such a way that when there is an oncoming vehicle, you pull over Into little areas built into the side of the road to let them pass. For the record, the people and drivers of Scotland are generally very courteous.  You should do the same. Don’t play chicken, just pull over. Many bridges we came upon were also one way. So when it was clear, I did not dilly dally, I got across and back where I could pull over.

Also – passing is a normal part of driving in Scotland. I was passed many times. It is nothing to be mad about. Also, I came upon times when I had to pass others. Just go with the flow, and keep safe. Drive at a speed that makes you comfortable.

Speaking of speed limits…

Speaking of speeds, Scotland goes by miles and miles per hour, just like the U.S. There were so many times where the posted speed limit was unreasonable, and if you drove at the speed limit you would likely fly off the road to a spectacular movie-like car crash. So, I encourage you to use your common sense, because apparently the people in Scotland who set speed limits have none. (No offense Scotland, I love you and everyone we met!).

Also, on the highway, we kept seeing a sign saying speed limit was “Average Speed.” What the heck is that?!” we thought. So we asked the patron of the restaurant where we ate that first night. We learned that the speed limit was 55. The “average speed” part was that the speed limit is enforced by cameras.

Here’s how “average speed” works. So as you go along, you’d come across the speed cameras, which would measure your speed and capture your license plate. Then, the same thing would happen at the next camera, and the next one after that. If you averaged 55, you were good to go. Otherwise, some time down the line and well after your Scotland adventure was over, Europcar would be sending you the ticket you got for speeding. So, if you are making your way along a Scottish highway and think you may have been a bit of a lead foot, pull off for a quick bite to eat somewhere, then continue on your way. That should help to reduce your ‘average speed.’

The Rental Car

One last thing about renting a car in Scotland. I highly recommend getting the smallest car you can fit in. We drove a Fiat 500, and it was perfect. With only two of us, and the tiny roads, we found the Fiat was a blessing as I got used to driving on the other side of the road. So if you go, try to get the smallest car you can. When you go to fill the tank (ouch! Petrol is expensive in Scotland/all of Europe!), you’ll be glad you didn’t go big.