In all honesty, I think the first thing new drivers should do is find a fairly twisty, unpopular road, and driving it. That way, you "connect" with the car and can estimate its limits far better. From there on, you can go through traffic, intersections, etc. with more confidence because the car feels more like an extension of you. I would also practice parking a lot in empty parking lots so you get the hang of it down (do all kinds of parking- parallel, slotted, and back up into a space). I would recommend driving for more than 40 hours, so if unforeseen circumstances arise during your test, you will know how to handle them.

The analogy I have for it is riding a horse versus driving a carriage. When you ride a horse with a saddle, you are far more involved and can tell what the horse is doing. When you drive a carriage, you're hoping that your commands register with the horse, but it's difficult to see how he's really responding.

Driving at night is more difficult, because it feels as though you are going faster than you really are. It's not very different if you go into a city, though, because the street lamps help quite a bit.

Originally posted by Tiikeri
Yeah I know, it was an example of typical British banter When it comes down to it, there actually is no right or wrong side of the car/road to be on. Each to their own as they say...
Not true! The right side of the road is right, damnit! If you Brits would make more cars left hand drive, it would be far easier for us Americans to import your cars!