Driving for your driver

There are plenty of people driving long distances. A driver may give you the opportunity to drive their vehicle if they get tired. There are some general requirements, though, regardless of where you are driving in the world:

• You must hold a valid driver's licence and be carrying it on you at the time
• If your licence isn't in the local language you are often required to have a translation available (applies, for example, in New Zealand and Australia).
• You must be aware of the road rules and abide by them

When driving, start off slowly and familiarise yourself with the vehicle as it may have handling characteristics you are not familiar with. Always stick to speed limits. New Zealand, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, much of south-east Africa and a few other countries drive on the left. The rest drive on the right. See this graphic to find out which ones.

The driver might be concerned about insurance issues and therefore be hesitant about letting you drive. If a driver gives you permission to drive you will be covered under his or her insurance, however there might be a larger excess to be paid in the event of an accident.

Australia

Australia contains a vast outback expanse with very little in the way of amenities. Their major cities are also hours drive apart, for example Sydney to Melbourne will take around 9 hours via the Hume Highway and Hume Freeway. Australians drive on the left. The majority of vehicles sold are automatics. Speed limits are strictly enforced in many areas (as little as 3kph over the speed limit, especially in Victoria). While road signs generally follow international conventions there are some differences and it's advisable to learn the road rules. Each territory administers its own roading, but the rules are fundamentally the same. You can take a free road rules quiz either via DKT or Roads and Maritime

United States of America

Americans drive on the right. Each state administers its own road rules and there are regional variations in speed limits and road markings. Be careful of insurance liabilities if you agree to drive in America as it is a litigious country. You will need to familiarise yourself with the rules which you can do at a DMV practice website. While each state has its own online practice area, such as Virginia's website, it's often easier just to find a general DMV practice supplier which covers all states.

This article is a stub. This means that the information available to us is obviously insufficient. In these places little information is available or the description is severely outdated. If you have been there, whether hitchhiking, for travel or as part of an organized tour − be sure to extend this article!