Driving on the WRONG side of the road

[apict]

It is well known that for american (and other) drivers who are used to driving on the RIGHT side of the road, driving on the left side of the road in Britain requires an adjustment. That adjustment can be made relatively easily. But there is another, more subtle adjustment that has to be made in order to drive safely on the WRONG side of the road.
Here is the problem. Cars designed to drive on the RIGHT side of the road have their steering wheels on the left side of the car. So the driver is used to being positioned on the left side of the lane (so that the rest of the car, which is to his/her right, is still within the lane). When you take a driver who is used to being positioned on the left side of the lane, and you put that driver behind a steering wheel that is on the right of the car, the following happens. The driver tends to still want to be positioned on the left side of the lane. But since the rest of the car is to the driver's left, the left side of the car tends to wander left and off the edge of the road, sideswiping whatever might be over there. The guy that went with me on my first trip to Scotland just could not make that adjustment and he kept putting me (who was on the passenger's side of the vehicle) and whatever might be on the side of the road in harms way.
So there are TWO things which americans (and others) need to keep in mind when driving in Britain. !st, keep your car in the left lane. 2nd, make sure that you the driver are in the right side of the left lane.

[Polwarth]

Visitors from other countries may also drive on 'our' side of the road, eg Australians, NZers.

[Scotsgait]

Originally Posted by apict

Cars designed to drive on the RIGHT side of the road have their steering wheels on the left side of the car. So the driver is used to being positioned on the left side of the lane (so that the rest of the car, which is to his/her right, is still within the lane). When you take a driver who is used to being positioned on the left side of the lane, and you put that driver behind a steering wheel that is on the right of the car, the following happens. The driver tends to still want to be positioned on the left side of the lane.

I've just come back from driving on the "wrong" side of the road in Italy. I didn't suffer anything like that. In fact, the adjustment was remarkably simple (as it always has been for me).

[tig]

Originally Posted by Polwarth

Visitors from other countries may also drive on 'our' side of the road, eg Australians, NZers.

visitors from every country MUST drive on "our" side

[Polwarth]

You ken FINE what I meant

[maxkirk]

The center of the road is outside the driver's window .
Anyone who cannot grasp that simple fact should not be allowed behind the wheel .

[Dinagaling]

You should try living in rural India for a while, its driver's choice which side to go on. Kinda surprised more world class rally drivers don't come out of India now that I think of it.