People who have driven on both sides of the road

Publius

Is there a trick to better judge distance on the left hand side of the car?  I know it's probably just something I have to learn by doing, but I almost scraped the side of a parking garage today so I am wondering if anyone who has gone from driving on one side of the road to the other has any tips/tricks. 

EnidFalcor

Wish I could help, but I can commiserate! I seriously feel like I am re-learning to drive here in Japan. I just keep reminding myself to use the center-line (when there is one) as the gauge since I find teh left side of the car always seems too close to whatever is over there. Even when I'm riding shotgun, I'm always on edge because in my mind DH is close to things on the left side.

callatini

It gets better with practice. I've been driving in England for three years and I still sometimes get too close (but never as close as I did when learning to drive over here), but like EnidFalcor said, use the center-line when you can and just remember it takes time to get used to it!

welshgirl

I was going to say the same as Enid - try to allign yourself by the centre lines. It's difficult - when I was working on driving (before children), I tried to do that, but you're right, it's just abou ttime and acclimatising. Good luck!

aMrsin09

After a year of it, I still tend to drive a "little left".  H calls it one of my American quirks.  He however can drive perfectly fine on either side.

I also have trouble backing up.  It is just so awkward to look over my left shoulder instead of my right.

LMBCI

Uss the central line as your guide - sadly it just takes practise.

Publius

I am ok when I'm in a lane, it's the sharp narrow turns inside of parking garages that are getting me.

EnidFalcor

Publius:

I am ok when I'm in a lane, it's the sharp narrow turns inside of parking garages that are getting me.

I've never had  to do that yet, but I now plan to avoid it. I like to just avoid avoid avoid doing all difficult things. That's the best way to get better right?

bridebahama

yes, the trick is to have a higher car. I'm not joking. I drove a friends minivan no problem, with a regular car much harder but it does get easier with time.

 Also here it's common to drive in the middle of the road. So I stay as close to the middle as I possibly can even if that means being partially in another car's lane (as long as there is no other car of course).

parking garages are the worst bc the lanes are so narrow. 

MrsBini10

I have no useful advice, but I do have a story. On our family trip to England in 1999 we were in London first and then my parents rented a minivan to drive around some of the rest of the country. Except instead if a minivan they gave us like a 15 seater huge van. Then my dad had to drive this giant thing on the left for the first time in his life in the middle of central London. After he clipped someone's side view mirror, I just closed my eyes and hoped for the best! Luckily the mirror was the only casualty of this rather difficult situation and the rest of the trip was fine

hamilton.ja

I wish I had some tips. I didn't really find it hard at all. It took me a while to learn to manuever the smaller roads in the UK but it wasn't so much about my car so much as the fact that everything else was smaller! The only tip I was given that really helped me was to always make sure the steering wheel was in the middle of the road. That worked until we went to France in our UK car and the steering wheel had to be on the outside! haha.

neeps

Living in the Scottish highlands taught me this - the rule of tiny sharp turns is that there are no lanes. Drive in the middle until you see another car then jerk back to your own side at the last second.

hamilton.ja

neeps:

Living in the Scottish highlands taught me this - the rule of tiny sharp turns is that there are no lanes. Drive in the middle until you see another car then jerk back to your own side at the last second.

 

Yup, that's how I always drove in the UK. The roads are too small to drive any other way. And I had to work on my reverse skills - you'd meet another car on some stupidly narrow road that was, of course, two ways and one of you would have to reverse until you found a spot large enough for the other car to squeak past you! 

 

ebartzen

Like everyone said about the center line. But I want to another warning of never letting yourself make a mindless right turn. Both DH and I have almost killed ourselves turning right without looking at traffic coming the other way. Such a hard habit to break!

You'll get used to it. After only five months, it was hard for me to drive when I was in the States. I had a bit of a panic attack the first time I had to make a turn. I couldn't remember which side!

bail229

I agree with the center lane advice, and just keep practicing!