I was recently in Paris, and saw an exhibition by Renault, with some vintage cars from the 1920’s. What really surprised me was that four (out of six) cars were driver-on-right!
I can only see two options:
[ul][li]They were made specificaly for the British market, with the driver towards the trafic.[/li][li]They were made for the French market, but with the driver sitting on the kerb side. Maybe so that the driver would be able to get out quickly in order to open the door for the patron, who would be in the back seat.[/li][/ul]
In the latter case, we have an interesting question. When did the drive-on-the-right–driver-on-the-left / drive-on-the-left–driver-on-the-right dichotomy become dominant?
1967 to be correct.
I woudn’t even give it Urban Myth status, it just sounds like a joke.
As I heard it {insert joke country here} wanted to change progressively and so those who lived in houses with odd numbers would change on Saturday and the evens would change on Sunday.
At first glance, you’d think it should be the other way around. Easier to get in and out if your door doesn’t open into the traffic stream, and in the event of a head-on collision, you are further from the oncoming traffic, but the main reason the driver sits in the seat closest to the centre of the road is for passing. You know what it’s like having to pull out a little to peek around the back of a huge truck you’re trying to pass on a single lane road. It’s dodgy at the best of times, but it would be incredibly dangerous if you had to put four feet of metal into the path of the oncoming traffic before you could get a clear view.
The (very few) left-hand drive cars in Australia must have a LEFT HAND DRIVE VEHICLE sign affixed to the rear, to warn other motorists that the driver may have limited vision in certain circumstances.
Sweden doesn’t have anything like the concentration of people and roads that the UK has. The UK is smaller than Sweden, has about six and a half times the population and many cities of comparable size to Stockholm.
I would argue that the low population density is one of the reasons why it could be done in Sweden.
Please tell me you’re joking.
We drive on the left with the driver on the right of the vehicle for one simple reason: we can open the car door and knock off pesky motor cyclists as they over-take in traffic jams.
here’s a car talk call in question of the same topic.:
No Joke…
We are right, and they are wrong.
But also, regardless of which side you prefer ( I have been driving on the left side of the road and on the right side of my BMW for about two years now, and it is no big deal), I find it a whole lot less difficult to face oncoming traffic when you are closer to their vehicle.
When travelling at 90km/hr, an oncoming vehicle on your distant side causes an awful amount of concern as it is more difficult to judge the amount of separation, causing you to veer way too wide.
However, this does nothing to explain why the bloody poms still drive on the wrong side of the road.
I wondered what they would do in the case of the projected road tunnel under the english channel. (As well as the train one) They would have to swap sides in the middle somehow. Perhaps they would have a two tiered road or something (as on some american suspension bridges I have travelled on).
While I was living in the Middle East, I purchased my first Range Rover from a pommie, who mentioned that after he actually had two vehicles. One (wrong side drive)he drove around London, the other (right side drive) he would drive through the Chunnel,and then use while in Europe. But I never thought to ask when he was expected to actually switch sides. Maybe during my next visit, I will attempt to conduct a test drive.
The version of the “some vehicles change from left to right earlier than others” that I’ve heard more than once was that the 1967 Sweden changeover was applied first to streetcars and then to all motor vehicles.
It’s probably still urban legend, but it’s not nearly as preposterous as the other versions. Cars driving on streetcar tracks have always been a vexing problem, and it makes little difference whether track-hogging cars meet or overtake streetcars since the onus is always on the motorist to swerve around the streetcar and not vice versa. In fact, having the streetcars and autos going in opposite directions would, ahem, encourage drivers to get out of the way more expeditiously.
Sorry, what I’m trying to find out if you’re joking about is:
Basically, I’m curious about whether the racism is attempted humour, or just idiocy? I’d also like to know where you’re from, as the only people I know who call Brits ‘Poms’ are Aussies, and they also drive on the left.
You do not drive through the Chunnel. These are rail tunnels only and all road vehicles are transported on special shuttle trains. So there is no differance using the Chunnel as using a car ferry. You just have to remember which side of the road to drive on when you disembark.
Thanks David, I have never travelled the Chunnel. I have only visited England about three times and the mainland only a few more. I do greatly appreciate your most valuable assistance, though.
Still, no joke…
I am quite aware, however, of which side of the road people drive on in Australia, as I have reason to visit on a regular basis.
However, there is no racism involved here and no offense is intended.
It is simple fact, though…We are right, they are wrong. Actually, there are two distinct British accents. The snobby snotty one, and then the more cockney one (like the corporal in the movie, “The Trench”). The cockney speakers seldom come off as “better than thou”. That is always reserved for the snobby snotty accent speakers. I have several friends who have strong cockney accents, it really is quite amusing. The Aussies do have more of a pleasant accent, but their tendency to cut everything as short as possible, makes it difficult to understand sometimes.
However, this thread is oriented around on which side of the road different locales drive. And to avoid the wrath of the moderators, I suggest we try to return to the thread.
As I previously mentioned, neither is actually any more or less difficult to drive as long as the driver is closest to oncoming traffic. But it can most certainly take a little bit of getting used to.
When I first started driving on the wrong (left) side of the road, I used to just about piss my briches when turning onto a divided roadway. I naturally wanted to go to the right side of the road, but the oncoming vehicles never seemed to quite appreciate that idea. And once the mistake is made on a divided roadway, you are screwed.
Also trying to learn to shift with my left hand was a bit confusing, too. I still look to my right in search of the rear view mirror every now and again, though.
Anyway, I apologise for the slight deviation.
With the exception of Sweden & Japan, just think British Empire. One that I can add is Jamaica.
Thanks David, I have never travelled the Chunnel. I have only visited England about three times and the mainland only a few more. I do greatly appreciate your most valuable assistance, though.
Still, no joke…
I am quite aware, however, of which side of the road people drive on in Australia, as I have reason to visit on a regular basis.
However, there is no racism involved here and no offense is intended.
It is simple fact, though…We are right, they are wrong. Actually, there are two distinct British accents. The snobby snotty one, and then the more cockney one (like the corporal in the movie, “The Trench”). The cockney speakers seldom come off as “better than thou”. That is always reserved for the snobby snotty accent speakers. I have several friends who have strong cockney accents, it really is quite amusing. The Aussies do have more of a pleasant accent, but their tendency to cut everything as short as possible, makes it difficult to understand sometimes.
However, this thread is oriented around on which side of the road different locales drive. And to avoid the wrath of the moderators, I suggest we try to return to the thread.
As I previously mentioned, neither is actually any more or less difficult to drive as long as the driver is closest to oncoming traffic. But it can most certainly take a little bit of getting used to.
When I first started driving on the wrong (left) side of the road, I used to just about piss my briches when turning onto a divided roadway. I naturally wanted to go to the right side of the road, but the oncoming vehicles never seemed to quite appreciate that idea. And once the mistake is made on a divided roadway, you are screwed.
Also trying to learn to shift with my left hand was a bit confusing, too. I still look to my right in search of the rear view mirror every now and again, though.
Anyway, I apologise for the slight deviation.
As it’s a simple fact, no doubt you’ll be able to prove it. You might want to provide reasoning and cite, as your opinion (which is all you’ve supplied so far) is pretty much worthless. On you go.
Secondly, you might be shocked to learn that
is racist and offensive. If that’s your intent, please continue. If not, please desist.
Finally, and my apologies to the OP for the hijack, your statement that “two distinct British accents. The snobby snotty one, and then the more cockney one” is almost impressively stupid. If you’d like to actually learn something on the issue, why not start a question on it.
David Cronan,
You mentioned the chunnel. At what point are you required to switch. Are the vehicles loaded in a neutral or specific left or right position? And how common might it be for the islanders to own right drive vehicles?
I suppose, Americans are lucky that in general where ever we may care to drive from the States, we will not come across as any place that we would be forced to retire our vehicle for a wrong drive vehicle.
However, when travelling to certain areas around the world, it can be quite a treat. Although, I would venture to guess that the locals would strongly dissagree.
As for the kumquat…“on you go, then!”
Try not to take life so personal and you will find life is much more fun, exciting, and even more importantly, rewarding that way. The Aussies have y’all beat an hundred to one.
roy, what have you got against the British? I don’t think you can call what you just wrote anything but racist. Both your posts are prejudiced and insulting. I might as well say there are only two distinct accents in America: the more ‘posh’ californian one and the New York accent. If you did some research, I think you will find that people in Britain in the 16th/17th century spoke with an accent very similar to the american accent. Americans simply spoke with this accent when they began moving to America. You claim to have perfected the language? I would argue that you have demeaned it.
As for your arguments on topic:
‘When travelling at 90km/hr, an oncoming vehicle on your distant side causes an awful amount of concern as it is more difficult to judge the amount of separation, causing you to veer way too wide.’
This is just bullshit. If you thought about it for more than three seconds you would realise that it is exactly the same for both ways of driving. Although we drive on the left we sit on the RIGHT. In fact there is no advantage to either way of doing it. Besides, if you cannot judge the amount of separation and tend to ‘veer to wide’ I don’t think you should be allowed to drive.
Where is your evidence? What is it that makes you right and us wrong?