Perhaps this saves one or two lives each year. The Japanese drive on the left without the privilege of having been conquered by the Romans. It is very expensive to learn to drive in Japan and much, much cheaper to learn in England. It is surprisingly easy to change gear with the left hand instead of the right hand. It is not expensive to hire a car in Torquay.
Many students like to share the cost of hiring a car for a weekend.
In traditional British English we hire anything that can be moved, including people . Everything else is rented . In American English everything is rented , except people , who are hired . However, as a result of the large number of American television programmes and films seen in Britain, most people have now become unsure of the difference between hire and rent. Before you come to England make sure you get a Green Card from your insurance company.