Driving on the wrong side of the road

I grew up assuming that only the British drove on the left, mostly because of what you saw when you arrived on the other side of the English Channel. Now, all these years later, I have only ever lived in countries [four of them] which also drive on the left.

Has anybody ever got into any scrapes having to drive on the "wrong" side of the road?

@fmf said
I grew up assuming that only the British drove on the left, mostly because of what you saw when you arrived on the other side of the English Channel. Now, all these years later, I have only ever lived in countries [four of them] which also drive on the left.

Has anybody ever got into any scrapes having to drive on the "wrong" side of the road?

We have always driven on the Right hand side of the highways/ roads/ streets.

I would find it odd driving on the left I assume, but don't know as I've never done it.

-VR

You did when you passed a car.
Or a two lane highway 😉

YouTube

That Time Sweden Changed Its Traffic Direction in a Single Day

Living and (occasionally) driving as I do in Manado, darkest Indonesia, where things take a while to catch up, we are set up for left hand driving but it's all a bit theoretical, mostly on minor roads we drive in the shade, and overtake on whichever side suits. It's perfectly okay to pull out onto a busy road in front of whatever's coming, it's whatever's comings' responsibility to slow down. It's all rather organic, relaxed, polite and Indonesian, anyway it works somehow and there are remarkably few car accidents. Recently a set of traffic lights were installed at a quite busy junction quite near us which had always worked reasonably well; the traffic backed up for hundreds of metres, so they turned the traffic lights off and all returned to normal.
We are in fact 'expected' to employ a driver, so we do, (he's also the gardener) and I don't often drive myself over here, and enjoy it when I do. When I drive in the UK and everyone drives in straight lines, one behind the other, it feels weird.

@indonesia-phil said
Living and (occasionally) driving as I do in Manado, darkest Indonesia, where things take a while to catch up, we are set up for left hand driving but it's all a bit theoretical, mostly on minor roads we drive in the shade, and overtake on whichever side suits. It's perfectly okay to pull out onto a busy road in front of whatever's coming, it's whatever's comings' resp ...[text shortened]... When I drive in the UK and everyone drives in straight lines, one behind the other, it feels weird.

Many standard procedures here [in Indonesia] would literally be illegal back in the UK but I soon discovered - straight away, in fact - that if you don't follow the illegal-elsewhere flow, you are a danger to others. If you decline to overtake on the inside when the opportunity is there, someone behind you eyeing the same opportunity might just crash into you from behind.

@fmf said
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__4BPK8JU1M

That Time Sweden Changed Its Traffic Direction in a Single Day

I remember that switch very well, September 3, 1967 at 6 am, it was very smooth. The first allowed to drive was commercial and public service and later private traffic. It was very quiet and felt surreal and natural at the same time.

Great time to run over an enemy and say "oops, I forgot"

@phil-a-dork said
Great time to run over an enemy and say "oops, I forgot"

Yeah like the american bitch that ran over a british cyclist then flew back to the us and claimed political asylum becaus her husband was a us soldier serving in the uk.

Exactly! The system works.

@badradger said
Yeah like the american bitch that ran over a british cyclist.

Was she driving on the wrong side of the road?

Yep

@phil-a-dork said
You did when you passed a car.
Or a two lane highway 😉

Correct but I am sitting on the leff hand side which I am very use to been driving a very long time. Sitting on the right hand side driving would be brand new if I was in England I obviously would be renting not driving my own vehicle. 😉

-VR

Brits are weird.

@phil-a-dork said
Brits are weird.

Everyone is weird in their own special way! 😉

-VR