Driving in Jamaica: Keep Left From the Right-Hand Seat

If you're renting a car in Jamaica, two things change at once. You keep left. And the steering wheel is likely on the right, so you drive from the seat you know as the passenger seat.

Your US license works for a vacation. The habit is the part to practice.

Which side of the road Jamaica drives on

Jamaica drives on the left. The Jamaica Tourist Board puts both changes in one sentence: "In Jamaica, we drive on the left side of the road and most vehicles are right-hand drive."

Sixt, which rents cars at Montego Bay, adds how passing works: "Drive on the left side, with right-side overtaking."

Jamaica is one of the 54 countries on our list of countries that drive on the left.

Expect the steering wheel on the right

Because the Tourist Board says most vehicles are right-hand drive, plan on sitting on the right. Ask your rental company when you book, so the seat isn't a surprise at the airport.

In a right-hand-drive car on the left side of the road, you sit next to the center line and your passenger sits at the edge.

Your US license, and what to bring

You don't need a separate permit for a vacation. The Tourist Board says "North Americans may use their country's license for up to three months per visit."

Bring the card itself. The Tourist Board says "photocopies or digital copies of your license will not be accepted."

Two things to ask when you book:

• What does the company require of drivers? Age rules differ between companies, and the Tourist Board says your license should have been valid for at least one year.
• Will you need a credit card? The Tourist Board says a credit card may be required to rent some vehicles.

The roads, and why the first drive should be in daylight

The UK government's travel advice says "Many roads are badly maintained with poor signage." It adds that rural roads "are often narrow and winding and poorly lit at night," and that lane discipline is poor.

The US government is plainer still. Its advisory says "U.S. government employees working in Jamaica are not allowed to use public buses or drive between cities at night due to road conditions and safety risks." It also advises: "Avoid walking or driving at night."

So if you can, land, pick up the car and make the first drive to your hotel before dark. That first drive is your first drive on the left.

The part your license won't fix

The first time I drove on the left, I had an accident while taking a right turn. I looked the wrong way for oncoming traffic.

I knew the rule. The problem was habit.

These are the moments where a habit from home shows up:

• Right turns. On the left, a right turn crosses oncoming traffic. That's the turn I got wrong.
• After the turn. Your instinct pulls you toward the right side of the new road. You keep left.
• Pulling out. Leaving the airport lot or a parking space, there's no traffic to copy, so you choose the left side yourself.

Practice from the seat you'll drive from

LeftLane rehearses those moments in your browser, in a right-hand-drive car. If your Jamaica rental is right-hand drive too, you practice from the same seat.

Start with First Drive, then T-Junction Right Turn, Main Road to Side Road Right Turn, Parking-Lot Exit and the Roundabout. All five are free.

Ten scenarios are free forever, no signup and no card. Twenty more come with a one-time pass. It runs in your browser on a computer, tablet, or phone held sideways.

Quick answers about driving in Jamaica

Where these facts come from

• Jamaica Tourist Board, "Renting a Car in Jamaica", on driving on the left, right-hand-drive vehicles, using a North American license and carrying the physical card.
• U.S. Department of State, Jamaica Travel Advisory, on driving at night.
• GOV.UK, Jamaica travel advice, "Safety and security", on the roads.
• Sixt, "Car Rental in Montego Bay", on keeping left and overtaking on the right.