Driving on the Left Side

[2LaneCruzer]

Only experience is St Thomas. Was definitely weird being on other side of road while still having left hand drive.

I'll say one thing...if I ever go back and rent a car, it will be a 4 wheel drive Jeep and not a *** Kia. That car had the most obstructed rear vision of any vehicle I have ever driven, with maybe the exception of a 53 Chevy panel. If you can't see to back up...and you will back up a lot on those roads...life gets very difficult. We even had to back down the driveway. Even with front wheel drive, a little rain and you would smoke the tires on some of those hills.

 

[jbwilson]

How did you folks get started driving on the wrong side of the road? Don't you think it's about time to face up to the error of your ways? :laughing:

We thank the Brits for that. Many drivers here have tried to steer us down the path of right - however they couldn't find many followers.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

We thank the Brits for that. Many drivers here have tried to steer us down the path of right - however they couldn't find many followers.

One of the islands we visited last year, we were told they tried to convert to right hand driving, but it was so chaotic that they gave up and went back to driving on the left again.

 

[dave1949]

We thank the Brits for that. Many drivers here have tried to steer us down the path of right - however they couldn't find many followers.

Well, of course it really doesn't matter which side you drive on. I think it's six of one and a half-dozen of the other. Global consistency would be nice though.

I don't know the historical origins/reasons for how driving on the left or right came to be preferred. Maybe it goes back to something related to horse drawn coaches.

Switching driving sides is really too intense for island life. :laughing:

 

[tractchores]

The thing that really throws me is the rotaries (and at least in the UK and Australia there seems to be one every block)

 

[niemeyjt]

In UK military, we salute with right hand to show we are not carrying a weapon in it (least that is how it was explained to me). Otherwise, if you are holding a sword in your right hand and charging towards an enemy, you keep to left hand side as does enemy. The rest follows from there - although Napoleon was supposed to have been left-handed so reversed it for the bits of Europe he conquered.

J

 

[2LaneCruzer]

In UK military, we salute with right hand to show we are not carrying a weapon in it (least that is how it was explained to me). Otherwise, if you are holding a sword in your right hand and charging towards an enemy, you keep to left hand side as does enemy. The rest follows from there - although Napoleon was supposed to have been left-handed so reversed it for the bits of Europe he conquered.

J

That is very interesting. I had always heard it had something to do with arms and combat.

 

[Pete Judd]

Done it for many thousand KM in OZ, and in the UK. Wife would slap me on the arm if I started to drift into the "right side of the road". Always had a hard time with the roundabouts with the wipers going instead of the turn signals.

 

[jimmpatrick]

In France, in some places, they have a rule about giving way to vehicles coming from the right.

I think my most interesting experiences have been taking the (RHD) Land Rover around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris - where there are no lanes painted on the road, vehicles are 10 or 12 abreast and cars just speed in from the right - and towing a long trailer through the middle of Paris!

J

I spend half my life driving in France too, but fortunately out in the country. The rule is "Give way to cars coming from the right" except on modern roundabouts. So, on the Arc de Triomphe cars coming on - from 12 main avenues - have priority over cars already on an overcrowded roundabout. Cars coming on to the Peripherique, the Paris inner ring road, have priority over those already on it. You can be driving along a main road in Paris and cars can legally come out from side streets in front of you.
Otherwise, the main problem with driving on the "wrong" side of the road is, as someone noted earlier, rejoining after a short break.

 

[Pixguy]

Went to Ireland last year and the wife had planned on me driving 6 hours the very first day there. Very nerve racking especially with the narrow streets, fast speed limits and hundreds of roundabouts. I took he insurance not knowing if my car insurance would cover us over there. Not cheap at over 500US for 8 days, but I'd pay it again. Beautiful country though, we will return.

Bermuda and St. Lucia was the same but we took taxis when there.

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