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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2013 22:03:33 GMT -5
For chat about driving, vehicles and all things related. (picking up on previous conversation. ) As I said, Chris, two nations divided by a common language! M'yes - but it's not all bad. Whereas the French resent America for, in their eyes, screwing them over on the Louisiana Purchase (and latterly for de Gaulle's hooray'd entry to Paris) the British look on Americans as distant cousins who merely can't spell our language properly. not only do you have different word usage, you also drive on the wrong side of the road!!!!
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Post by markindurham on May 6, 2013 3:04:31 GMT -5
M'yes - but it's not all bad. Whereas the French resent America for, in their eyes, screwing them over on the Louisiana Purchase (and latterly for de Gaulle's hooray'd entry to Paris) the British look on Americans as distant cousins who merely can't spell our language properly. not only do you have different word usage, you also drive on the wrong side of the road!!!! Says who? We were there first!
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Tempus Fugit
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Post by Tempus Fugit on May 6, 2013 6:54:51 GMT -5
M'yes - but it's not all bad. Whereas the French resent America for, in their eyes, screwing them over on the Louisiana Purchase (and latterly for de Gaulle's hooray'd entry to Paris) the British look on Americans as distant cousins who merely can't spell our language properly. not only do you have different word usage, you also drive on the wrong side of the road!!!! Actually, the left is historically correct as most people are right-handed so when meeting a mounted threat on the road it was natural to be on the left to allow one to bring ones sword to bear. Most of known world originally rode/drove on the left. Countries like India and Australia drive on the left but that is because they were introduced to mechanical transport and roads by us. However, Japan drives on the left for the sword reason, having never been dominated by the English. Driving on left is more natural for right-handers in terms of the control arrangement, too, as the dominant more co-ordinated hand remains on the wheel and the less co-ordinated hand is used for changing gear. Also, if one is startled, such as by an animal leaping from the hedge for example, the natural reaction in right-handed humans is to jump left. If you drive on the left and you instinctively jerk the wheel then this is going to dump you in a field whereas, for those that drive on the right, it's going to dump you right in the path of the oncoming traffic. Americans started driving on the right out of some petty childishness to do with throwing off every last vestige of the former Colonial masters, so recently evicted (with the help of the French, the Portuguese and the Dutch; all of whom were having arguments with the upstart little island over the water from them at the time). Then you came up with these big freight carts hauled by up to eight heavy horse (where the "teamsters" originate). As these carts had no seats and the driver (or postillion in this case) had to sit on one of the horses and the natural position to control the whole team for a right-hander is on the left-hand rear horse this also put the cart on the wrong right-hand side of then narrow roads when passing an oncoming wagon so that the driver could see the clearance along the side of the horse team and avoid the other wagons wheels. Which is far more acceptable an excuse than the original petty "on the left is how the blasted English do it so we'll do it opposite" excuse! Not surprisingly there is also some French shenanigans in the move to the right. Do you know what the best thing between Britain and France is? The sea!! www.worldstandards.eu/driving%20on%20the%20left.htmen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffic#Vehicles
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Post by beth on May 6, 2013 10:05:07 GMT -5
TF (all), do you find it difficult to switch sides when you're in a location that calls for right side driving? I've never tried the opposite and am a little concerned I'll be up a tree or through a shop window before I "get it".
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Post by markindurham on May 6, 2013 10:37:06 GMT -5
TF (all), do you find it difficult to switch sides when you're in a location that calls for right side driving? I've never tried the opposite and am a little concerned I'll be up a tree or through a shop window before I "get it". I've not had trouble - it's easier if you get a vehicle with the wheel on the appropriate side to the country you're driving in, but I have driven my own car in France without too much difficulty - the only real problem then is if you want to overtake, as your view is much more limited, as you can imagine.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2013 11:48:59 GMT -5
I worry I would drive in the wrong direction and have a terrible accident.....I did notice our postal trucks for delivery have the steering wheel on the right side
I'm glad we are not on the metric system either; it would be to hard for me to switch over
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Tempus Fugit
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Post by Tempus Fugit on May 6, 2013 12:11:41 GMT -5
TF (all), do you find it difficult to switch sides when you're in a location that calls for right side driving? I've never tried the opposite and am a little concerned I'll be up a tree or through a shop window before I "get it". No. The only issue I have is after driving in the US where all cars seem to be automatics (talk about lazy!!! ) when I come home I'll drive up to junctions and forget to work down the gears and then try to move off in fifth.
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Tempus Fugit
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Post by Tempus Fugit on May 6, 2013 12:26:23 GMT -5
I worry I would drive in the wrong direction and have a terrible accident.....I did notice our postal trucks for delivery have the steering wheel on the right side I'm glad we are not on the metric system either; it would be to hard for me to switch over But it's so much easier dividing by ten than twelve and sixty!! Apparently in Canada they are going metric inch by inch. On driving in the US, I can't get my head around crossroads where everyone stops and whoever got there first goes first. Invariably I will arrive at the same time as someone else and then we'll sit there politely deciding the other was first. Just giving way to the right is far easier, as is the more major route flowing freely and traffic approaching on the crossing route giving way (Or "yield," as it's called to the west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) until it's clear to cross or turn. You could do with a few roundabouts, too - although not like the ridiculous arrangement they have in Hemel Hempstead whereby there is seven small roundabouts arranged around the circumference of one big one. The locals call it "the magic roundabout" because it magically causes traffic flow to cease instantly if more than half a vehicle attempts to negotiate it at the one time. I do like the turn right on red thing, though. The council in my local town tried a similar arrangement (but turning left not right) but, with typical British bureaucratic idiocy (or it could just be because the council was controlled by the LimpDumbs at the time), it doesn't really work. Instead of merely turning left from the left lane on a red light if there is no cross traffic coming the TDBC-approved method is to build lanes around the corners that you then have to give way at the end of, but instead of looking right you now have to squirm in your seat and look over your right shoulder, as can be seen from this aerial shot of the junction in question:- It also takes up as much space as a motorway junction (ours tend not to do the "cloverleaf" thing unless it is the junction between two motorways), like this:- What you call on- and off-ramps we call sliproads.
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Tempus Fugit
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Post by Tempus Fugit on May 6, 2013 12:45:09 GMT -5
I worry I would drive in the wrong direction and have a terrible accident..... You get people who've driven here all their lives doing that!! It's a useful device allowing the postman to put the mail in your mailbox without having to dismount. Of course, if we had your system of mailboxes at the garden gate some blasted teenager or other feral oik would have your mail away. Much better to make the postie get a bit of exercise and come up the path and put your post through a spring-loaded flap in the front door. On the other hand, our small street-sweepers are narrow and the driver sits in centrally and so can see both sides. The big ones have dual controls so that the driver can sit on the correct side when transiting but sit on the left and look down at the kerb to keep the brush in the gutter when sweeping. Small one:- Big one (note driver position):-
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Post by beth on May 6, 2013 14:56:14 GMT -5
We have round-a-bouts. Just not everywhere. Not in the greater Ohio river valley, for instance, but in Tennessee for sure. Street Zambonis ... as my nephew calls them. They make the rounds very early in the morning .. some of them with a lot of racket. Four way stops always advance to the left ... once some brave soul makes the first move. I don't like them either.
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Post by fretslider on May 6, 2013 16:38:21 GMT -5
We have round-a-bouts. Just not everywhere. Not in the greater Ohio river valley, for instance, but in Tennessee for sure. Street Zambonis ... as my nephew calls them. They make the rounds very early in the morning .. some of them with a lot of racket. Four way stops always advance to the left ... once some brave soul makes the first move. I don't like them either. "Just not everywhere" How to do Roundabouts www.2pass.co.uk/roundabout.htm#.UYgiX6K86tM
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2013 20:12:12 GMT -5
TF (all), do you find it difficult to switch sides when you're in a location that calls for right side driving? I've never tried the opposite and am a little concerned I'll be up a tree or through a shop window before I "get it". No. The only issue I have is after driving in the US where all cars seem to be automatics (talk about lazy!!! ) when I come home I'll drive up to junctions and forget to work down the gears and then try to move off in fifth. I love my automatic transmission and will never buy a car with a manual........they are to hard to shift, especially if one is stopped on a hill. I can understand in the sports car of having a manual but why would I need one in my Camry?
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Post by markindurham on May 7, 2013 0:35:37 GMT -5
No. The only issue I have is after driving in the US where all cars seem to be automatics (talk about lazy!!! ) when I come home I'll drive up to junctions and forget to work down the gears and then try to move off in fifth. I love my automatic transmission and will never buy a car with a manual........they are to hard to shift, especially if one is stopped on a hill. I can understand in the sports car of having a manual but why would I need one in my Camry? Funny, I can't recall problems getting going on hills with a manual 'box... but I was taught to drive on manual gearbox cars, & have mainly driven that type for all my driving career... It's what you're used to, of course
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Post by fretslider on May 7, 2013 2:09:17 GMT -5
I guess some people can't press a pedal and move a stick at the same time....
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Post by markindurham on May 7, 2013 2:23:24 GMT -5
I guess some people can't press a pedal and move a stick at the same time....
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