Timeline for Drive to UK in my car or fly and use manual right-hand drive car?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
15 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2021 at 11:28 | comment | added | Trains and Planes | The thing that trips me the most in Australia and New Zealand is that signals and wiper controls are reversed. So every time I take a turn, I wipe my windows :-) | |
| Oct 6, 2021 at 12:08 | comment | added | phoog | @DiegoSánchez no, it's the same thing; I just didn't recognize it from the way it was expressed. For me it seems more like a false sense of spatial awareness. In the end that is surely equivalent to "distances being off," but somehow that phrase makes me think of one-dimensional measurements, so I didn't connect it with the three-dimensional sensation I had. | |
| Oct 5, 2021 at 19:29 | comment | added | Diego Sánchez | @phoog Wouldn't that be covered by 2 or is it a different effect? | |
| Oct 4, 2021 at 14:03 | comment | added | phoog | On point 3: I found that it wasn't only about the relationship between my position and the lane but also my entire sense of where the car was relative to my position. I expect the front left corner of a right-drive car to be much closer to me than it is, and the front right corner to be much farther, with the result that in parking I give too much clearance to obstacles on the right and tend to strike obstacles on the left. | |
| Oct 3, 2021 at 15:39 | vote | accept | GenevaBrown | ||
| Oct 3, 2021 at 7:35 | comment | added | Diego Sánchez | @Dennis Added your comment about remembering which side of the road to drive in. | |
| Oct 3, 2021 at 7:35 | comment | added | Diego Sánchez | @DavidSupportsMonica It seems like it is more a US thing; cars in Europe all have the indicators on the left stalk so this issue shouldn't affect someone driving from France to the UK. | |
| Oct 3, 2021 at 7:32 | history | edited | Diego Sánchez | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Added Dennis' comment about remembering which side of the road to drive in.
|
| Oct 3, 2021 at 4:41 | comment | added | Dennis | @DavidSupportsMonica, My Toyotas in the UK and Hong Kong had the turn signal stalk to the left of the wheel, the same as LHD cars, and I never had a problem. I've gotten RHD rental cars in the Caribbean with it moved to the right, though, so it seems not all RHD cars do it the same way. I'd note that the Bahamas, where they drive on the left but the rental cars are mostly American LHD models, is the only place where I've had difficulty remembering which side of the road to drive on, so I personally would be more scared of driving the LHD car in the UK than of the manual transmission. | |
| Oct 2, 2021 at 23:17 | comment | added | DavidRecallsMonica | Folks have different experiences. I always pick the wrong stalk, at least once. I never try and shift by reaching into the door panel. YMMV. | |
| Oct 2, 2021 at 22:48 | comment | added | Diego Sánchez | @DavidSupportsMonica I've done a little digging. It seems like the difference is due to where the car was built and not what side the steering wheel is in. worldstandards.eu/cars/trivia-about-driving-left | |
| Oct 2, 2021 at 22:22 | comment | added | DavidRecallsMonica | Yes. I live in the US, where LHD cars are the rule. I have taken numerous trips to the UK, Ireland, and NZ since the mid-1960s, all countries with RHD cars. I rent cars and drive there. I always get the stalks wrong at least once, and often more than once, in every trip. | |
| Oct 2, 2021 at 22:18 | comment | added | Diego Sánchez | @DavidSupportsMonica Are you sure of that? I've owned both LHD and RHD cars and never noticed anything odd. | |
| Oct 2, 2021 at 22:15 | comment | added | DavidRecallsMonica | I would add the common challenge of manipulating the headlights, wiper controls, and turn signals: the former two are often on stalks, mounted on different sides of the steering column on LHD and RHD vehicles, the latter is always on a stalk on the side you don't expect. You want to signal a turn, and will instead turn on the windshield wipers. Guaranteed. | |
| Oct 2, 2021 at 21:24 | history | answered | Diego Sánchez | CC BY-SA 4.0 |