When I was younger I would have taken to left hand driving without a problem. While I think I still could, it would not be worth the risk of me getting it wrong somehow. If I think about left hand driving, I have to paint a picture in my mind to work it out, but even so, I just give up. It is so hard to visualise.
Sister drove in the US, out of the car hire place onto the wrong side of the road. Her driving was fine after that incident.
So for you left hand drivers, you will have to convert a right hand driver's experience to a left hand driver's situation.
Why is it that at a fully controlled traffic light intersection that every motorist carefully watches the right turn arrow except for the first car driver, preoccupied with their phone or car electronic screen. Cars behind will give an encouraging horning (is that not a verb?) to move the non traffic light observing motorist along. The last couple of cars who miss the traffic light green arrow and are faced with a red arrow because the first driver was dilatory, will think murderous thoughts.
I was a bit naughty last week. To get our building's car park if coming from the north, we have to make a U turn in St Kilda Road. I think R must have dozed off and didn't notice the risk to his life as I undercut the car in front of me and went in front of it to for me to complete the U turn as it was so slow.
In spite of my own opinion, I am probably not the best driver in the world but by golly, how do some people pass their driving test. Such bad driving is a 21st century problem. The 20th century problem was drunk drivers but generally the standard of driving was much better. Driving was a task that needed concentration.
We need to be a more tolerant and friendly society but that doesn't extend to terribly incompetent drivers who should be taken out with a Kalashnikov.
Fairly recently a visitor to my city did not make the conversion to right handed driving. He and his passengers died.
ReplyDeleteI didn't hear about that EC. Very sad and changing sides of roads is problematic.
DeleteMy grandson turned 18 last week and got his licence to drive. We were discussing morons on the road, and HE understood why his insurance was so expensive - 18, male and no experience. He mentioned testosterone twice!
ReplyDeleteIf I was a grandma Hels or even a parent, I would rather happy that an 18 year old grandson already understood the effect of testosterone. Sexist perhaps but I am not sure that women can really understand the effects of testosterone and how it can drive men into crazy and risky and predatory behaviour. But I think now men are learning how to control themselves. Mostly.
DeleteWhen I went to Asia trying to drive on the right side of the road, it really took a good adjustment to get used to. Not easy feat.
ReplyDeleteMalaysia Roentare. It could have been worse.
Delete"Horning" means something entirely different. It's not a term you should use freely in a family-friendly blog. Horning in a crowded lift (American: elevator) could easily result in arrest.
ReplyDeleteOh dear YP. I have that so wrong then. I could not possibly confess to a horning experience with one other person in a lift. It was a quiet time as we kept swinging a hand out to stop the lift from moving.
DeleteEncouraging horning sounded like such a great idea until YP disabused me of that thought.
ReplyDeleteI agree that distraction is a huge issue with current drivers. They are obsessed with their phones and their cars almost drive themselves - until they don't and chaos ensues.
Yes Caro, whatever the distraction is doesn't matter. They just need to pay attention to driving.
DeleteI don't drive so I'm not qualified to comment. When I'm on the bus all I do is watch for the bus stop numbers to be sure I get off at the right one.
ReplyDeleteNot something automatic to you River? You would know your bust stops enough to not look?
DeleteMost, but not when going somewhere new to me.
DeleteBahhahaaahahahaaaaa! That last line, though. Came out of nowhere and hit me square on my funny bone!
ReplyDeleteThat is the final solution Debby.
DeleteWe (or rather The Golfer) has driven in North America - wouldn’t do it now though. He did get given the tip that - no matter what side of the road you drive the driver is always in the middle of the road. It’s the turning left or right that is the issue.
ReplyDeleteCathy, yep. That tip is right. Once on a road it is fine. It is when you have to turn the problems arise.
DeleteYou drive and are somewhat intelligent, for your age. 😜 Can you think through turning in a left hand drive vehicle?
DeleteI have driven on the wrong side of the road twice, my first trip to England in 1990, I rented a car (you hire labor, you rent things) and drove into London - got lost - paid more to park than to rent the car. I only made one turn onto the wrong side of the street. I rented a car in Ireland in March of 2020. I returned the car without a scratch, but my driving did frighten the locals - once. That first time was car with a manual transmission, so the gear lever was on the opposite side (shifting with my left instead of my right hand.). There is one more trip we want to do that will require driving on the left, Scotland.
ReplyDeleteI've never thought about hire/rent TP and you are quite correct. Nor have I thought about operating a gear stick with my right hand, which would feel quite strange. Some European cars have the indicator stalk on the left of the wheel but mostly here they are on the right. Yours would be on the left?
DeleteIndicator stalks, turn signals, are pretty universally on the right. You are right some European cars have them on the left. There is even less uniformity on windshield wiper/ washer controls. The Mercedes has the automatic transmission control on a small stalk on the right of the steering wheel, probably a one of kind location.
DeleteInteresting. Thanks TP.
DeleteLOL -- surely anyone who's ever been behind the wheel, on either side of the road, has had similar thoughts! I drove on the left in New Zealand and found it came quite naturally to me, though that's the only time I've ever done it. I never drive here in the UK.
ReplyDeleteSteve, I am sure for some drivers, they take to it like ducks to water, but others not so really. You may not have driven in the UK but you can at least cross the road without confusion, I should think.
DeleteIt's good you don't live in the U.S. then because you could probably buy a Kalashnikov here at a gun show or off market in an alley transaction and you'd be so busy taking out the bad drivers, you could not keep up.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, I can't deprive President Zelenskyy of too many bullets.
DeleteSo kind of you to sacrifice your intentions. I'm sure Ukrainians are forced to use those old guns and taking them off the Russians to use on the Russians too.
DeleteI don't drive, never have, being a city girl. These days I am bare-knuckled when I am in the car. John is a great driver, it is not him I worry about, it is all the other idiots out there!
ReplyDeleteJackie, I think idiots on the roads are what we all fear.
ReplyDelete