Driving on the left: a newcomer's guide to Maltese roads

Malta drives on the left, the same as the UK — the driver sits on the right of the car, and traffic keeps to the left of the road. For anyone arriving from a right-hand-drive country, this is the single biggest adjustment, and the good news is that it becomes second nature faster than you expect.

Where instinct catches you out

Most people adapt to the basic flow within a day. The danger is not the open road — it is the moments when old instinct quietly takes over:

• Pulling out of a side street or car park
• Turning across the road into a junction
• Coming off a roundabout onto an empty stretch

In each of these, years of right-hand habit can steer you to the wrong side. The fix is a simple spoken rule: "stay left." Say it every time you set off and every time you emerge from a turn, until your hands stop needing the reminder.

Getting your positioning right

On the left, your natural road position shifts. Keep your body toward the centre line and let the passenger side track the kerb. New drivers often hug the left too tightly — clipping kerbs and parked mirrors — because the car feels wider than it is on the unfamiliar side.

A good instructor spots this in the first lesson and helps you build a reliable sense of where the car actually sits in the lane.

Roundabouts run clockwise

On the left, roundabouts turn clockwise, and you give way to traffic already on the roundabout — which approaches from your right. Wait for a gap, join, and signal as you leave.

One local habit to know: many Maltese drivers do not signal their exit, and lane discipline can be loose. Never assume a car will leave just because it is slowing — watch its wheels, not its indicator.

Take it in the right order

Practise on wider main roads first, where there is room to think, before tackling the narrow village cores. Drive defensively, keep your distance, and let other drivers react to you rather than the other way around.

Left-side driving is a habit, and habits are trained. A few structured lessons turn the unfamiliar into the automatic — and then you barely think about it at all.