Have you ever went to another country that drove on the opposite side?

Question

of the road than the country you live in and you were used to looking the other direction for traffic coming or driving on the other side and either, nearly crashed or got nocked down, ive never left the uk so i wouldnt know but, my mum used to live in canada and she said that when she came back she nearly got killed about twice for looking the wrong way before corssing the road, and drove the wrong way round sometimes too, bu i think she done that on purpose lol.

Thanks

Answer 1

Yeah some of the cities in Spain ( not Tourist areas) are pretty bad, it's basically just GO, GO,GO!!!! and also you have to wear your seat belt in the city but as soon as you leave the city area and get on to the fast roads you can take it off. How mad is that????

Answer 2

Yes, the first time I went abroad with the car, it was to Denmark, as soon as I got off the ferry I proceeded to travel on the left, until a local waved at me frantically then I realised my mistake, I was fine after that and have been ever since.

Answer 3

yes, bermuda aka "worst drivers on the planet" they of course think they are the best.... go figure

Answer 4

no but I have done gone places where people speak ok.

Answer 5

Yep, Japan drives opposite then the US. Thankfully I was a rider in the cab cause had I been driving there would have been a crash for sure. Still can't say we didn't come close to crashing a few times. But its very hard to get adjusted to.

Answer 6

yes i have,  but its not hard to adjust and prevent yourself from getting killed.

Answer 7

No, never been to another country that drives like that, but I have seen it here in the USA. Maybe its the ones from the other country.

Answer 8

I live in the USA but have been to England, Scotland, and Japan.  It takes a day or two to get used to it but it isn't a big problem.  Just pay extra attention.

Answer 9

Yeah Matt, I've done it loads of times - living in the UK and then driving in varous countries (Spain, Italy, US, France, etc). It's never been a problem going fromthe UK to the other country - you are constantly thinking 'drive on the right... drive on the right...drive on the right'.

Somewhat bizarrely the problems always arise when I return to the UK and go back to driving on the left like I have done most of my life. I think it's because you relax, thinking 'Aaah! Back to normal at last', whereas your brain has by this time got used to driving on the right, and right has become 'normal'. You stop paying attention and suddenly you're face to face with an oncoming car and it's you that's on the wrong side!

That's my experience anyway!

Answer 10

yes several

Answer 11

haha yeah in thailand it is the opposite side. its hard to get used to!

Answer 12

I live in the US, but have been all over the UK.  fortunately, I did not drive.  I have heard of others that drove on the wrong side by mistake.

Answer 13

yes at many occasions,indeed it is confusing

Answer 14

Yes. When you are confident in your driving skills, it's no problem.

The first time I did it was in Dublin, Ireland. I rented a tiny, tiny standard transmission car which meant the stick shift was on my left. I made the mistake of getting the car during rush hour in a busy town, but it was fine.

The drives through Irish countrysides are not to be missed.

Safety is not the only reason to go slow - enjoy the sights! -- SP

Answer 15

When i go to Thailand (drive on the left compared to the right here in US) I go to the wrong side of the car's passenger seat all the time. Also not use to being able to make a left easier than a right at an intersection.

Answer 16

you have to be careful at fist...but within a day or so you get used to it because that's just the way things are.

Answer 17

Not me , but my husband and me were new to USA (in India we drive on the left side of the road) .. both had newly learnt to drive and had gone downtown for the first time.

As usual I had avoided driving ;)  My husband was driving and we were kinda lost in the streets in downtown.. i was busy looking and the map and he was stressed ... and then he took a turn on a street and drove a bit  on the wrong way.. luckily it was a 2 way street and we quickly moved back to the correct side. :)

it seems funny now but then it was so scary.. to see all cars coming in ur direction!

Anyway it just takes a couple of days to switch  and for a first few days you need to pay more attention than usual.

Answer 18

I've driven an English car in France, and a French car in England, and I've never had any problems.  Just obey the roadsigns, speeds etc, and be sure to give yourself plenty of room before overtaking.

Your best bet is to hire a car once abroad.