Page 3 of Touring Ireland by Car by Car Rental Council of Ireland

inishmaan aran the road less travelled welcome to driving in ireland the mountain road veers down past wild rock formations rising from the sea then inland as a magical light sweeps the intense green of the fields and the blue of a shimmering lake picking out a row of whitewashed cottages beneath the endless azure sky incredibly there s no other car in sight where else in europe would you find roads so free of traffic through such spectacular scenery unwind on a driving holiday irish-style ireland now has an extensive network of modern motorways and dual carriageways even through rural areas so surfaces are generally in good condition unleaded petrol diesel and gasoline are available everywhere virtually all petrol stations accept major credit cards if you plan to take your car or motor home to ireland inform your insurance company if you will be driving in both northern ireland and the republic most car rental companies impose age restrictions so you are advised to check availability if you are under-25 or over-70 if you would like to rent an automatic car book well in advance as most companies stock largely manual transmission cars if you are travelling across the border or would like to pick the car up at a different location to where you want to return it you should confirm these arrangements when you book you should inform the car rental company if you intend to drive in both northern ireland and the republic of ireland road signs no right turn no right turn speed limit stop sign rules of the road visitors to ireland must bring a valid national driving licence with them issued in the country of their permanent residence driving in ireland is on the left and seatbelts must be worn at all times in the front and back of the vehicle motorcyclists and their passengers must wear helmets the laws regarding drinking and driving are very strict and the best advice is simply `don t drink and drive in the republic the speed limit is 50kph in built-up areas 80kph on rural regional and local roads 100kph on rural national roads including most dual carriageways and 120kph on motorways in northern ireland the speed limit is 30mph in built-up areas 60mph on the open road and 70mph on motorways unless shown otherwise always turn left into a roundabout thereafter drive clockwise and give way to traffic on the roundabout stay in the right-hand lane until turning left at a junction where no road has priority you must yield to traffic coming from your right at a pedestrian traffic light the flashing amber light means you must yield to pedestrians but may proceed with caution if the crossing is clear no entry no stopping no parking pedestrian zone give way traffic signal ahead series of bends bend warning 2 t junction ahead crossroads junction ahead uneven road 3 road works quayside ahead steep hill upward slippery road when you are planning your day s itinerary make sure you leave adequate time to reach your destination outside of motorways and dual carriageways you should estimate on covering an average 30 miles/50 kilometres an hour on other roads in the republic of ireland signposts and place names are in both irish gaelic and english while distances on signposts and speed limits are in kilometres in northern ireland signposts and speed limits are all in english while a few may also be in ulster scots and irish gaelic too while distances on signposts and speed limits are in miles hgv weight restriction maximum headroom children ahead school stop ahead only keep left turn left turn right national speed limit parking motorway motorway ends traffic-free roads easy driving style always drive on the left steer to the centreline it is difficult to judge your distance from the left-hand side so use the road centre line sharp deviation information signs at roundabouts go clockwise and give way to traffic on the roundabout stay in the righthand lane until turning off picnic site ahead camping ahead

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