Driving on the wrong side.

[S-Westerly]

I read somewhere that apparently most accidents in the UK involving drivers used to driving on the right happen first thing when people pull out from hotel car parks and turn straight into oncoming traffic.

[John Metcalfe]

I had a habit if I had the route printed off and in the clear pocket in the top of the tank bag to either write KEEP RIGHT or to draw an arrow to the right on the relevant sheet.

Over here in Tunisia though it can sometimes be a case of driving in the lane with the least amount of traffic in it because you find that a 3 lane carriageway can suddenly become 5 or 6 lanes including the Tunisian version of the hard shoulder being used as a lane to drive in. For the newcomers driving here it can be a little bit arse twitching when you see a scooter/moped heading straight towards you on the wrong side of the road, but this is common practice for scooter/moped riders here and without lights at night also

[onesea]

Think OP has lost interest in this advice I was given was start your journey by following some one particularly your first roundabout.

 

Once your started it becomes normal.

[Gerontious]

This was the main reason that when I started organising trips to Europe I used the tunnel as it’s impossible (to all intents and purposes) to go wrong as you are guided onto the motorway from the train and it’s all one way. By the time you leave the motorway you are used to riding on the right and it’s just a case if taking it easy from then on, pausing at junctions and keeping a close eye on signs and what other traffic is doing. Doesn’t take long to become completely natural. I’ve not needed reminders just a willingness not to rush it. Take it easy.

[manxie49]

2 hours ago, John Metcalfe said:

I had a habit if I had the route printed off and in the clear pocket in the top of the tank bag to either write KEEP RIGHT or to draw an arrow to the right on the relevant sheet.

Over here in Tunisia though it can sometimes be a case of driving in the lane with the least amount of traffic in it because you find that a 3 lane carriageway can suddenly become 5 or 6 lanes including the Tunisian version of the hard shoulder being used as a lane to drive in. For the newcomers driving here it can be a little bit arse twitching when you see a scooter/moped heading straight towards you on the wrong side of the road, but this is common practice for scooter/moped riders here and without lights at night also

I envy you the weather in Tunisia but not the traffic!  I rented a car out over there a few years ago, we drove to Sfax to see the amphitheatre,  I can safely say driving there is the only place I’ve ever been that scared the crap out of me the drivers are manic!  There doesn’t seem to be any road or lane discipline, I suppose you get used to it though.  I bottled out and returned the car after two days

[S-Westerly]

3 minutes ago, manxie49 said:

I envy you the weather in Tunisia but not the traffic!  I rented a car out over there a few years ago, we drove to Sfax to see the amphitheatre,  I can safely say driving there is the only place I’ve ever been that scared the crap out of me the drivers are manic!  There doesn’t seem to be any road or lane discipline, I suppose you get used to it though.  I bottled out and returned the car after two days

Sri Lanka was the one which scared the tripes out of me. Closely followed by Egypt. 

[onesea]

21 minutes ago, S-Westerly said:

Sri Lanka was the one which scared the tripes out of me. Closely followed by Egypt. 

Worse than Egypt

[Bender]

2 minutes ago, onesea said:

Worse than Egypt

I agree, Sri Lanka everything appears to be optional think that's a bike coming towards you, nope it's a wagon with only one light working, it's OK though it has no brakes and it's missing wheels, it's driving in the middle of the road though so you can pass either side. 

[Stu]

I came here to read what this was all about with interest 

 

But some child has edited posts making it unreadable  

[rennie]

 No idea! 

[bonio]

I drove a car in Cairo once. Well, I was steering while some friends were pushing. That's as much driving in Cairo as I cared to do.

Worst place I ever really drove was Palermo. The technique that worked for me was imagine the space that was about to appear and drive into it. Bonkers.

[bonio]

Cairo is the only place where I've been in a car that caught fire. 

I was in the passenger seat. Someone in the back said, "look at the bonnet" and sure enough the paint was bubbling up and peeling off. Traffic or no traffic (there was traffic - lots of it), we were out in under a second. Someone dived into a shop, got an extinguisher, opened the bonnet to a great plume of orange flame and grey smoke and put it out. The guy whose car it was went back the next day and drove it home. Also bonkers. 

[Guest]

7 hours ago, bonio said:

I drove a car in Cairo once. Well, I was steering while some friends were pushing. That's as much driving in Cairo as I cared to do.

Worst place I ever really drove was Palermo. The technique that worked for me was imagine the space that was about to appear and drive into it. Bonkers.

I'm with you on Palermo. Sicily as a whole has nuts driving. Every single car has multiple crash damage.

[manxie49]

11 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

Sri Lanka was the one which scared the tripes out of me. Closely followed by Egypt. 

Never been to Sri Lanka,  but my wife didn't have the courage to allow to drive when we were in Egypt! 

[Throttled]

I have been warned to be careful on returning to the UK having driven on the right as people relax, but then forget to go back to driving on the left. My only abroad driving has been going from Scotland into England and over to Ireland. So no issues there.

[iangaryprice]

23 hours ago, KiwiBob said:

Its easy to have a lapse of concentration when stopping for fuel so I try and pick petrol station on the right hand side of the road.

Sensible! I had my car written off in the UK, squaddie just back home form Germany, drovw down my side of the road after pulling out of petrol station - lapse of concentration after several years of driving on the right in Germany.

[Steve_M]

20 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

I read somewhere that apparently most accidents in the UK involving drivers used to driving on the right happen first thing when people pull out from hotel car parks and turn straight into oncoming traffic.

Abroad I’ve been caught turning left from a one way system… because I was already on the left I turned into the facing traffic. Oops. 
 

I now have a mantra I repeat at every junction. “Look left, keep right”. A little simplistic but effective for me.  

[Essem]

When I started going to mainland Europe in 80s I once pulled in for fuel to a garage on left side of rural road. When I pulled out I did the classic and remained on left side of road, must have gone a few hundred metres before car came around corner ahead of me. Luckily there was enough room to just go across to right side. Early lesson learned. I always pull in on right hand side now.

 

be aware of priorite a droite in France, it’s still around and can catch the unwary.

[Davidtav]

3 hours ago, Essem said:

When I started going to mainland Europe in 80s I once pulled in for fuel to a garage on left side of rural road. When I pulled out I did the classic and remained on left side of road, must have gone a few hundred metres before car came around corner ahead of me. Luckily there was enough room to just go across to right side. Early lesson learned. I always pull in on right hand side now.

 

be aware of priorite a droite in France, it’s still around and can catch the unwary.

You. Admit. It. And I have done siniliar

[bonio]

I'd been driving in the States about a month and thought I had this other-side-of-the-road stuff all sussed when I ended up on the wrong side of the median. Frank Phillips Blvd, Bartlesville, OK. Fortunately evening time, so only one other car around. 

[S-Westerly]

I managed that many years ago when I was a bad lad and riding over to my girlfriends place after a night on the lash found myself on the wrong carriage way of Aigburth Road in Liverpool. Can't use the excuse of being in a foreign country although Liverpool almost qualified.

[Fleck]

I've driven to Benidorm and back about 10 times since 2014 in our motorhome and only a couple of times briefly i've been caught out by a lack of concentration, always as we set off and quickly corrected. 

 

The worst thing is those yellow diamond signs in France though, ridiculous rule, Ann usually shouts "we have priority" or "we don't have priority" when passing the sign

[DR1]

10 hours ago, Fleck said:

I've driven to Benidorm and back about 10 times since 2014 in our motorhome and only a couple of times briefly i've been caught out by a lack of concentration, always as we set off and quickly corrected. 

 

The worst thing is those yellow diamond signs in France though, ridiculous rule, Ann usually shouts "we have priority" or "we don't have priority" when passing the sign

Surely the OP’s question was asking if you have any system for starting off on the correct side of the road. I guess that as you have made mistakes you don’t. I don’t understand your point about the yellow diamonds, what’s ridiculous about them, you will only find them on main roads and they are just confirming that either you have priority or that priority has ended. They may be different but that does not make the silly or wrong. They obviously work as you have a parrot who notices them and warns you about your status. 

[Stu]

5 hours ago, DR1 said:

Surely the OP’s question was asking if you have any system for starting off on the correct side of the road. I guess that as you have made mistakes you don’t. I don’t understand your point about the yellow diamonds, what’s ridiculous about them, you will only find them on main roads and they are just confirming that either you have priority or that priority has ended. They may be different but that does not make the silly or wrong. They obviously work as you have a parrot who notices them and warns you about your status. 

 

You tell us what the question was! You wrote it flounced then created another account 

[Somerset]

I would say that you need to be aware of fatigue above everything else. When your brain is coping with a number of factors such as weather, night-time, long journey or perhaps even worrying about something then you are in a higher risk zone. Fatigue creeps up on you. Perhaps you might say to yourself before you start the bike "What I'm doing is hazardous but I will be safe. I will be alert and not stretch my endurance". So if you are new to continental riding then take it easy, stop frequently for coffee and don't hurry.  Dont be afraid to pull over and get your wits back especially when coming into a town where there are likely to be lots of potentially confusing traffic signs. Sometimes I will plan my route to avoid going through larger towns. Ride safe

Edited January 9, 2022 by Somerset