British road designations are ‘M' for motorways, ‘A' for major trunk roads and ‘B' for minor trunk roads (followed by up to four numbers). Traffic in the UK drives on the left and overtakes on the right. The speed limits are 113kph (70mph) on motorways, 97kph (60mph) on single-lane main roads and 48kph (30mph) in built-up areas. Seat belts are compulsory for drivers and front-seat passengers and for rear-seat passengers if fitted. Motorcyclists must wear helmets. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08%. Non-British national driving licences and International Driving Permits are valid for driving in the UK for up to one year and drivers must be over 17 years. Insurance is mandatory. Overseas visitors bringing their own cars should bring registration documents and check with their insurance company as to whether a Green Card is needed.

Breakdown service and general motoring information is available from the Automobile Association (tel: 0870 600 0371; website: www.theaa.com), the Royal Automobile Club (tel: 0870 572 2722; website: www.rac.co.uk) and Green Flag (tel: 0845 246 1557; website: www.greenflag.co.uk).

Emergency breakdown services: AA (tel: 0800 887 766); Green Flag (tel: 0800 590 590); RAC (tel: 0800 828 282).

Routes to the city: Edinburgh is linked to Glasgow by the M8 motorway and from there to England and Wales by the M74 and on to the A74 and M6 further to the south (toward Manchester). Edinburgh is also directly linked to London by the A1.

Approximate driving times to Edinburgh: From Glasgow - 1 hour; Manchester - 4 hours and 15 minutes; London - 7 hours and 30 minutes.

Coach services: National Express (tel: 0871 781 8181; website: www.nationalexpress.com) operates regular daily coach services from both London and other English cities to Edinburgh. Scottish Citylink Coaches (tel: 0870 550 5050; website: www.citylink.co.uk) is the largest provider of express coach services in Scotland, with a comprehensive network of destinations. There are frequent services to Glasgow (journey time - 70 minutes) and Aberdeen (journey time - 3 to 4 hours). All coaches leave from the bus station on St Andrew Square. Budget operator Megabus (tel: 0900 160 0900 (premium rate line); website: www.megabus.com) sells tickets between Scotland's cities and has led to a recent reduction in fares amongst all operators.