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#31
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Driving on the unaccustomed side of the road
I have 15 years driving experience in germany (right(hand) side). I had
no problems driving in Australia 4 years ago. The only problem was the switches for windshield wiper and turn signal, because it was changed in the rental car as well. So I needed 3 of 4 weeks in order to accustom me to it. And then, back home, another 3 weeks to turn it over again. But realy dangarous is to go with an continental european car (right) to England or Ireland (left). |
#32
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Driving on the unaccustomed side of the road
Burke & Wills wrote in message ...
That said, a good piece of advice I received was, "think of the centre line as being beside you," According to an Aussie mate of mine, it's "mother-in-law in the gutter, mother-in-law in the gutter..." Nancy |
#33
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Driving on the unaccustomed side of the road
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#34
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Driving on the unaccustomed side of the road
"Gerrit 't Hart" wrote in message .au...
"Alastair J. Smith" wrote in message ... The Aussies drive quite courteously, you need to come and practice in the UK where slow or hesitant drivers are not tolerated very well. I have done it several toimes now in Europe, and only twice have had a problem with the wrong side of the road. Both times during 1972 when I was young (and stupid) but later trimes have not proved a problem and I have actually driven further each time. I would like to dissagree on the relative courtesy of drivers here in Oz compared with those in the UK. Invariably I have found the UK drivers very tolerant. Once in London driving down Victoria Embankment, realised I had taken a wrong turn off a bridge and, finding a break in the median stopped to do a U-turn. Held up traffgic behind me but not so much as a beep! Luckily it was a Sunday morning. :-) Also on narrow country roads I continually was astounded at the courtesy shown by drivers. Here in Australia is a different matter. Only yesterday a road rager killed a little kid, who had got out of his parents car in their driveway and the offender crashed his car into the parents car and squashed the kid. The offender was taken to hospital with serious injuries after the parents had got to him and beat him up. Gerrit - Perth by accounts in tonight's tv news the driver had been seeking help at a local mental health hospital but had been turned away Ed SW/Wa |
#35
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Driving on the unaccustomed side of the road
"Raffi Balmanoukian" a wrote in message news:BC71E4BA.21B97%walkabout@TAKEOUTTHETRASHTOREP LY.ns.sympatico.ca... in article UES2c.19381$Zp.16969@fed1read07, 4000 psi at wrote on 3/8/04 12:28 AM: pull up/pull out ... what is this ancient means of birth control? "Raffi Balmanoukian" walka Yeah, many European cars ARE too small for "back seat activity," now that you mention it 8-) this explains the population shrinkage |
#36
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Driving on the unaccustomed side of the road
John0714 wrote:
This past November and December I drove extensively in the area bounded by Adeaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne, or whatever I am an American who has driven in the USA and Canada for 40 years. I found driving on the left often quite disconcerting. Several times I got on the wrong side and got pulled over by the police. No tickets or accidents unfortunately. But I feel I am living on borrowed time and thus may never be back to anywhere you drive on the left since vacations without automobiles I have found very unsatisfying. I would be interested in others' experiences on driving on the unacustomed side of the road anywhere in the world. Would you care to share? Like the others, I can only stress to keep concentrated and preferably have someone else in the vehicle who is also concentrated (instead of a distraction). In my experience, it gets (much) better with time. We have made four trips to Oz and driven a total of some 40,000 kms. Last time, after some 30 hours of travelling, I had to jump in a campervan and make a direct U-turn across multiple lanes. It was a piece of cake. That doesn't mean that you should take it lightly, because one error at the wrong time can be fatal (said he who thought he had a protecting 'shadow', but hadn't, and a road train missed him by a few seconds). And always, if you have to make a difficult maneuver, then take your time and if that is not possible, then (try to) pullover or continue on your way and backtrack later. |
#37
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Driving on the unaccustomed side of the road
"Niels Osmers" wrote in message ... I have 15 years driving experience in germany (right(hand) side). I had no problems driving in Australia 4 years ago. The only problem was the switches for windshield wiper and turn signal, because it was changed in the rental car as well. So I needed 3 of 4 weeks in order to accustom me to it. And then, back home, another 3 weeks to turn it over again. But realy dangarous is to go with an continental european car (right) to England or Ireland (left). Or vice versa so watch out Niels my trusty Rover and I are headed for Switzerland in June Keith |
#38
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Driving on the unaccustomed side of the road
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#39
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Driving on the unaccustomed side of the road
4000 psi wrote:
Automatics are easier than manuals. With an Auto you have one less thing to get wrong. is the H pattern universal or is that also reversed down under? Well I wouldn't say "universal", as there are some [mostly older] cars which do things differently, but yes the gear change pattern never reverses with left/right hand drive conversions. Likewise the footpedal configuration stays the same while switching sides. Normally the indicators and wipers swap sides though, so you'll find yourself trying to indicate turns with the wipers. On some cars however [notably Fiats and Alfa Romeos] they did right-hand drive conversions without switching the indicators and wipers over, so if someone used to left hand drive struck one of them they'd likely feel more at home. |
#40
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Driving on the unaccustomed side of the road
On 08 Mar 2004 15:05:14 GMT, Frank Slootweg
wrote: John0714 wrote: This past November and December I drove extensively in the area bounded by Adeaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne, or whatever I am an American who has driven in the USA and Canada for 40 years. I found driving on the left often quite disconcerting. Several times I got on the wrong side and got pulled over by the police. No tickets or accidents unfortunately. But I feel I am living on borrowed time and thus may never be back to anywhere you drive on the left since vacations without automobiles I have found very unsatisfying. I would be interested in others' experiences on driving on the unacustomed side of the road anywhere in the world. Would you care to share? Like the others, I can only stress to keep concentrated and preferably have someone else in the vehicle who is also concentrated (instead of a distraction). In my experience, it gets (much) better with time. We have made four trips to Oz and driven a total of some 40,000 kms. Last time, after some 30 hours of travelling, I had to jump in a campervan and make a direct U-turn across multiple lanes. It was a piece of cake. That doesn't mean that you should take it lightly, because one error at the wrong time can be fatal (said he who thought he had a protecting 'shadow', but hadn't, and a road train missed him by a few seconds). And always, if you have to make a difficult maneuver, then take your time and if that is not possible, then (try to) pullover or continue on your way and backtrack later. In re-reading this thread, I realised no-one had mentioned the main problem I found, and which also occurred to an American friend who visited me here. It's OK to say "keep the white line on the driver's side" but I consistently allowed insufficient room between the passenger side and the kerb. Your brain is used to seeing a certain distance between you and that white line, whether on the left or right; you have become trained to position your body in a certain location relative to those lines. Also, you automatically stay a little further away from oncoming traffic in that unfamiliar position. At least, that's what happened in my case. So the result was, after wiping out the passenger mirror a few times (thank goodness they spring back now) I learned to consciously remind myself to move closer to that white line on the left in the US and Europe. For a week or two there I'd hear a strangled "too close" from my wife and look across to see electric poles flashing a few inches past her window. Like I said, I hardly hit anything :-) Cheers, Alan |
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