Keep left!

Posted by Badger (Uppsala, Sweden) on 01/05/20 01:15 PM

Remember to keep left when driving in the UK or Ireland! An american tourist in Scotland forgot about it and did not get the holiday he was looking for (I presume). This is also one of the reasons it is usually a good idea to not rent a car at the airport and drive away, when you are tired and jet lagged it is easier to make mistakes like this.

While this ended relatively well, with everyone involved being able to walk away from it. A similar accident last year resulted in one death, and created a bit of a diplomatic incident. So please, be careful on the roads!

Posted by Laura B

San Francisco Bay Area

01/05/20 06:14 PM

5697 posts

Good reason to have a driving companion -- when I was driving in England/Scotland on vacation a few years ago my then-12-year-old daughter was in charge of reminding me "Left! Drive left!"
(This might not work as well with a spouse.)

Posted by Cyn

Colorado Mountains, USA

01/06/20 10:36 PM

8056 posts

Nobody wants to get Left by the side of the road for being a pain, but that occasional Navigator/Copilot reminder has worked for the two of us on several trips.

Posted by Chris F

Basel, Switzerland

01/06/20 11:13 PM

8889 posts

There is a danger in going too far left.
If you come from a country where the driver sits on the left, you are used to being on the left side of the lane. If you try the same in a drive-on-the-left country, where the driver sits on the right, you are liable to put your passenger (on your left) in the next lane, or even worse in the ditch.

When I was taught to drive (in the UK), I was taught to line up the white line in the centre of the road roughly with right corner of my car. It soon became automatic.
When I first drove a left-hand-drive car in France, I had to override what was programmed into my brain, and start consciously aligning the left corner of the car.

It might help to not rely on what is programmed into your brain, but go back to what you were taught, just in reverse.