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Whose driven on the left side of road? Any timely tips?

Carter Turk

Carter Turk

Forum Sage
Charter Member
Going to New Zealand next month to watch my son in "Natural Selection" mountain bike event.
He's one of 6 selected as a wild card, so the fam is showing up for support.
I've driven once in Australia in a rented Hyundai Sonata 14 years ago, when my daughter was granted a "Make a Wish" trip there after suffering Leukemia at the age of 12.
Currently she's in remission.

I had no issues I recall, though looking to the proper direction at an intersection took a bit to adjust to.
Just checking to see if there's any refresher mind-set things to be aware of for a left hand road NFG driver. Thanks
 
The main thing is to keep your body in the center of the road. . If you're flying by mailboxes and parked cars up close and personal you are on the wrong side. When in traffic you can follow others and feed off the cues. But out in the country, it can be tricky - you pull out of some side road and onto the main highway, and everything seems OK, but it could be disastrous.
 
Once you've gotten over the repeated use of the wipers by mistake I'm sure you'll get it figured out. Have a great trip.
 
I remember wondering if the accelerator pedal would be on the left and the clutch pedal on the right, and if the gear shifting was the same or reversed, ha! I think the toilet flush water spinning in reverse due to the Coriolis effect got my mind spinning backward too. Or maybe it was the giant beers. Being tall and always seeming to drive tiny 4-cylinder 5 speeds, I didn't like having 5th gear jamming into my left leg - in the US it was 'far and away'.
 
Where I get caught out is entering empty roads from filling stations and the like.
Autopilot takes over.
I recall tourists taping a sheet of paper with an arrow to the left on the steering wheel of their rentals.
 
Brendan W said:
Where I get caught out is entering empty roads from filling stations and the like.
Autopilot takes over.
I recall tourists taping a sheet of paper with an arrow to the left on the steering wheel of their rentals.
Click to expand...

+1 on that! Whenever I'm back I'm almost certain to fall into that trap once... usually after few days driving when my confidence has returned and then *&%$%*! Luckily, no collision to this point only incredulous motorists exasperated at my apparent madness!
 
Just rembered that in a car you at least have a steering wheel as a reference, on a motorcycle it's much different.
 
I find it pretty easy to revert but occasionally it catches me out. Usually when pulling to the side of a narrow road or pulling onto a quiet street in the neighborhood or something….
it’s usually after a few days as has already been said.
years ago I’d hit the door panel looking for the gear stick when switching but these days that seems to come more naturally. :)
 
Hire a driver, it's going to be cheaper to pay them than the crash damage on a rental car!
 
i see the event is in Queenstown. Heart of the tourist area. Where you strike arrows painted on the road to indicate left hand side driving.

The biggest danger is other visitors. Proven by accident stats. Campervans are lethal.
 
You also gotta be careful as a pedestrian stepping off the curb thinking you'll just get halfway over and then suss out the other half (which is how I did it in cities for years haha). In Melbourne there are signs for the tourists - look right for traffic! At least there used to be. I remember just about stepping off and a bus whizzed by my nose. That would have been curtains for me.

It's one of the 8 lives I've used, the next one's all I got, but I intend to live forever or die trying. Oh and if you are lucky enough to encounter a hook turn in Melbourne, god help you. Look it up. I took my driving test there and on Mt. Alexander road there's a 7 way roundabout with a tram track and lights etc. They took me through there in the rain.
 
Aside from driving (which I did not do on 3 work trips to England in the 90s), be aware when walking to cross the street. Look to the right first.
 
Look Right, Drive Left...
Look Right, Drive Left...
Look Right, Drive Left...

I drove a Jeep in the Bahamas on some excursion I bought while on a cruise. Was left side of the road, but still had the steering wheel on the left. One of the other Jeeps rear ended the guide. LOL!!
 
Brendan W said:
Where I get caught out is entering empty roads from filling stations and the like.
Autopilot takes over.
I recall tourists taping a sheet of paper with an arrow to the left on the steering wheel of their rentals.
Click to expand...

I've swapped back & forth regularly for the past 50yrs and 100% agree Brendan, after driving for a long period a temporary stop for fuel or food etc. is without doubt the most dangerous time to get caught out.
 
Made it to Queenstown after 15 hours of flying.
Got the rental car, probably drove about 25 miles so far, & hit the windshield wipers 3 times instead of the turn signal.
Otherwise, driving on the left is fine. Seen some Indian Baggers, BMW GS's, V-Stroms, 1 92 CBR 900RR & others.
Had to pay a huge duty for my chewing tobacco habit. Oh well, I already purchased & packed it & it flew 5000 miles, couldn't just throw it away. Ha ha!
The crosswalks are a bit weird, so have to watch out for pedestrians in this touristy town.

Just missed the Burt Munro festival by a couple days, but noticed the 2nd round of the NZ Superbike series is stopping at Levels Raceway.

20250211_155638 by Carter Turk, on Flickr
 
Everyone knows Americans drive on the right side of the road, but it does not happen in all parts of America.

In the coagulated states it does, but if you journey south to the US Virgin Islands you will find you drive on the left side of the roads.....but that comes with another twist, as all the rental vehicles, as well as those owned by locals, are left-hand drive.

And....they do have some sharp corners and your driving position means you have to enter them almost blindly.
 
Driving a manual shift car, my right hand was practically black and blue from smashing the door panel reaching for the shift knob which of course was on the other side….
 
oldGSfan said:
The main thing is to keep your body in the center of the road. . If you're flying by mailboxes and parked cars up close and personal you are on the wrong side. When in traffic you can follow others and feed off the cues. But out in the country, it can be tricky - you pull out of some side road and onto the main highway, and everything seems OK, but it could be disastrous.
Click to expand...

That is quite true. and a second part is what to do when you are a pedestrian.
This is what can happen, when you do not adjust to local conditions.

I had the unfortunate experience of dealing with death a few years ago when the wife of a diplomat from Pakistan was visiting Canada with her husband and family.
She wanted to cross a main street in downtown Toronto and, as per her usual habit in Pakistan, she looked to the right for oncoming traffic There was no traffic, so she stepped onto the road....directly in front of a passing bus..
 
Well...survived driving on the left for 2 weeks in a Toyota Highlander on the South Is. & a Ford Everest Diesel on the North Is.
Hit the windshield wiper under 10 times, instead of turn signal. Had 1 Toyota Camry try to merge into me after two lane round-about.
The Everest had only 900 kms on the clock when we rented it.
Petrol stations have the opposite color nozzle for gas n diesel. Never have I filled up diesel in a personal vehicle, except for a forklift in Alaska.

Also, all the beeping, automated steering, reverse cameras (with more beeping), were super annoying, seeing the newest vehicle I drive is from 2002.
The Highlander has hologram speedometer, floating outside of the windshield at night. What? I fake beep my manual non key fob 91 vanagon when I have to turn the key in the slot to get in.
Imagine that.

When I got to the airport back home to pick up our car, I hit the wipers instead of the turn signal. Aha!

My son survived the NST (Natural Selection Tour), only 10 of 17 men competed & 4 of 10 women competed due to course injury, broken femur, shoulder dislocation etc.

Saw this cool truck too. What an amazing country!

IMG_20250225_184646 by Carter Turk, on Flickr

20250215_133843 by Carter Turk, on Flickr
 
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