Visitors to the uk be warned

[Rama4390]

Nothing to do with kilting of course, but I appreciate Jock's warning and have enjoyed the conversation. I've decided against hiring a car for my upcoming trip to Scotland and have booked a small group tour for the limited free time that I have.

There is a region in Eastern Australia not far from where I live where lots of fruit is grown and a lot of European backpackers are employed to pick it. Following a spike in road accidents attributed to European drivers driving on the wrong side of the road over a decade ago a lot of work has gone into signage, road marking and education in the region. From what I have heard it has been successful. I am a Civil Engineer for the adjacent Local Government area, so these issues are of particular interest to me.

In Australia we drive on the Left Hand side of the road, so I'm not too concerned about my upcoming visit to Scotland, but have experienced the need to concentrate and remember where you are when visiting the USA, Mexico & France.

I grew up driving a manual with the shifter on my left so it comes naturally to me, but have driven a couple of vehicles with the shifter on the right. My father in law has a WWII Jeep which is Left Hand Drive. My Father has a collection of historic cars, which are all Right Hand Drive, but two of them have the shifter on the Right Hand side in the doorway. A 1917 Buick tourer and a 1951 Bentley.

[CBH]

I grew up driving a manual with the shifter on my left so it comes naturally to me, but have driven a couple of vehicles with the shifter on the right. My father in law has a WWII Jeep which is Left Hand Drive. My Father has a collection of historic cars, which are all Right Hand Drive, but two of them have the shifter on the Right Hand side in the doorway. A 1917 Buick tourer and a 1951 Bentley.

The thing I could not get past when shifting with the left hand, is that the shift pattern itself is not reversed. 1st gear is closest to the driver on LHD cars in America and Europe. But when sitting on the right side of the vehicle, the lowest gears are furthest away. That just never felt right.

Can manual transmission vehicles still be rented in the UK or Europe ? I haven't tried renting a car there in 20 years.

[Rama4390]

The thing I could not get past when shifting with the left hand, is that the shift pattern itself is not reversed. 1st gear is closest to the driver on LHD cars in America and Europe. But when sitting on the right side of the vehicle, the lowest gears are furthest away. That just never felt right.

Can manual transmission vehicles still be rented in the UK or Europe ? I haven't tried renting a car there in 20 years.

The other quirk of Dad's three vintage Buicks is that the three speed shift pattern is the opposite to the modern H pattern. First gear and Reverse are on the Right Hand side of the pattern.

There were lots of manual transmission cars available for hire when I looked.

[Pleater]

If you do decide to drive here, GPS might be useful as it prompts the correct lane to be in and how to get around the sometimes complicated combination of roundabouts - there is one in Christchurch which used to worry me but it is a doddle now as there is the blue line on the screen to show which exit to take, all I have to worry about are those drivers trying to negotiate the situation without guidance other than the road signs, which look as though they were based on a spider's web spun under the influence.

Anne the Pleater

[MacKenzie]

...the road signs, which look as though they were based on a spider's web spun under the influence.

That's no different in the US.

Until a few years ago roundabouts were few and far between here in North Carolina. Now they seem to be the solution for every point of congestion. And people are about as adept at navigating them as they are 4-way stops.

[SF Jeff]

That's no different in the US.

Until a few years ago roundabouts were few and far between here in North Carolina. Now they seem to be the solution for every point of congestion. And people are about as adept at navigating them as they are 4-way stops.

There's a great video on youtube about why roundabouts never took off in America, and why 4-way intersections dominate. They are slowly catching on now but it's a hard sell, which is also addressed in the video. I think it's on the Wendover channel. Well worth a look.

[OC Richard]

There's a great video on youtube about why roundabouts never took off in America, and why 4-way intersections dominate.

I've watched a couple videos on roundabouts in the US.

The bottom line is that study after study has proven that they vastly decrease accidents. At least one study showed that they decreased fatal accidents by 90%.

For people outwith the USA, note that the vast majority of accidents here occur at intersections, and the vast majority of those are cars making left turns.

Numerous cockamamy intersection designs have been created to avoid having cars make left turns. Here's a type I experienced in Utah, called the "diverging diamond" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnjqAwtkEkM

The simplest, most effective, and most obvious solution is roundabouts but Americans resist them simply because they're different.

[SF Jeff]

The thing I could not get past when shifting with the left hand, is that the shift pattern itself is not reversed. 1st gear is closest to the driver on LHD cars in America and Europe. But when sitting on the right side of the vehicle, the lowest gears are furthest away. That just never felt right.

I think that's what made it so easy for me, no new pattern to learn. The engrained muscle memory did all the work and I didn't even have to think about it. Learning a new shift pattern would have taken longer and probably done some damage to the transmission as well.

[stickman]

I think that's what made it so easy for me, no new pattern to learn. The engrained muscle memory did all the work and I didn't even have to think about it. Learning a new shift pattern would have taken longer and probably done some damage to the transmission as well.

You haven’t driven in England till you’ve driven over Hard knot pass and Wrynose pass both in the Lake District. Look them. By the way there’s a Roman fort you can see up Hard Knot.

[CBH]

I'm very impressed that you and your girl drive your stick-shift car !!