# Changing sides of road for English drivers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-sides-of-road-for-english-drivers/416179>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 19, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-sides-of-road-for-english-drivers/416179 "2007-08-19T23:04:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-sides-of-road-for-english-drivers/416179/1 "2007-08-19T23:04:58Z")

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Question on driving on the left side. People driving from England to France via the under channel tunnel probably must change sides someltime before arriving in France, and vice versa. How is this accomplished and where?

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**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2007, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-sides-of-road-for-english-drivers/416179/2 "2007-08-19T23:17:02Z")

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The Channel Tunnel is not a road tunnel, it’s a rail tunnel.

Edit: to clarify, the tunnel is used by different types of trains - the Eurostar, which is a normal pasenger train, and the Eurotunnel shuttles, which take motor vehicles. But you just drive onto the train at one end, then drive off at the other end, and continue driving on the opposite side of the road (there are plenty of signs to remind you which side to drive on!).

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**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2007, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-sides-of-road-for-english-drivers/416179/3 "2007-08-19T23:17:29Z")

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The circumstance doesn’t arise because there is currently no road tunnel connecting England with France.

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**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2007, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-sides-of-road-for-english-drivers/416179/4 "2007-08-19T23:20:53Z")

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Well, I learn something new every day. :smack: Thanks for this good information.

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**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-sides-of-road-for-english-drivers/416179/5 "2007-08-19T23:29:48Z")

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[Left- and right-hand traffic - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_on_the_left_or_right#Changing_sides_at_borders) gives you a lot of information.

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**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-sides-of-road-for-english-drivers/416179/6 "2007-08-20T02:27:42Z")

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Perhaps this is the question you really wanted to ask:

[When happens when you drive between two countries that drive on opposite sides of the road?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_242.html)