Photo: How to adapt to left-hand traffic (toyota.com.au) Author: Konstantin Shirokun
Finding yourself in a country with left-hand traffic, a driver from continental Europe experiences considerable difficulties. But it is not the saints who make pots – auto journalists share their experiences of traveling in “right-hand drive” countries.
Read about several techniques for safe driving on roads with left-hand traffic in the RBC-Ukraine article.
It doesn't matter whether it's a rental car or a company car – driving on the left side of the road will be quite successful and safe if you are careful and follow a few simple rules.
When everyone drives on the left side
In fact, for a Ukrainian driver – careful and with sufficient driving experience in general – it is quite possible to fully adapt to left-hand traffic in a day or two. Yes, the first few hours behind the wheel will be the most intense, but already in the evening of the first day you will notice that some purely “right-hand drive” actions are performed automatically. However, you should not feel at home in a foreign country until you return home.
The following rules will help you get used to left-hand traffic faster and make your trips safer and calmer:
Get comfortable behind the wheel . Even before your first exit from the parking lot, you should get comfortable behind the steering wheel, located on the right side of the car. Practice shifting gears with your left hand, learn to pull the parking brake or press its button without looking, remember where the turn signal and wiper switches are – they should be “mixed up” only on purely Japanese cars. Practice shifting your gaze from the interior rearview mirror to the now important right one. You will also have to learn to determine the distance to the left front corner of the hood in a new way;
A reliable navigator. It is essential to have a reliable navigator – a person or a gadget, so that you are not distracted from new problems by navigation. Ideally, it would be good to prepare offline maps for your smartphone, and do not hesitate to use the good old GPS navigator, which also does not require money for Internet traffic. Keep in mind that the right electronic map will tell you when to change lanes before turns or junctions;
I keep to the left. When driving on roads with left-hand traffic, it is important to always remember this feature and not to automatically cross to the right side – and there is such a threat, because all the years of your driving practice you drove on the right. If you are not sure of your correct orientation on the road, it will not be superfluous to say to yourself from time to time something like: “keep to the left, keep to the left”;
Follow the example of others. At first, in difficult places, it makes sense to stick to other cars: locals, moving ahead, will show you how to turn into the right lane and, most importantly, how to enter and exit a roundabout;
Be careful at the roundabout. A roundabout is perhaps the most difficult thing that awaits you in a right-hand drive country. When entering a roundabout, your first glance should not be to the left, as at home, but to the right – the closest threat to you is moving from there;
Obstacle on the right. It is not very clear why this is so, but the rule of obstacle on the right is also established in some countries with left-hand traffic. Therefore, before a business trip or a vacation to a particular country, be sure to find out all the features of the local traffic rules. Look for reliable information on the website of the embassy of the specified state;
Road signs and markings. Usually, both signs and markings will be similar to Ukrainian ones, but remember that “your” signs should be looked for on the left side of the road.
Short
When starting to travel in a country with left-hand traffic, remember your first trips on the road after finishing driving school – and tune yourself to the same wave. Forget about your many years of experience behind the wheel, do everything as if it were the first time, thoughtfully and unhurriedly. Ignore the signals of impatient local drivers who you will disturb – let it console you that this time you will get used to the road much faster than at the beginning of your driving career.
In preparing this article, materials from Autobild and Motor were used .
Let us recall that RBC-Ukraine recently reported why pedestrians are not always right.