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Keep Left

6/20/2018

6 Comments

 
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Australians drive on the left. I had never driven on the left. Not once. Not even when I visited England. The London Tube was my transportation. When I arrived in Australia, the idea of driving on the left filled me with anxiety.

However, Australia has a lot of wide open space, and there is no Tube in Canberra. Like it or not, I was going to have to hit the road.

As I climbed into the driver’s seat of our car for the first time, I thought about how weird it would be to have the steering wheel on the right. To my surprise, I felt comfortable, not disoriented at all. Okay, sitting in the car felt fine. What would the actual driving be like?

I soon realized that Canberra is a forgiving place for anyone learning to drive on the left. The roads are nice and wide, and what traffic congestion does exist is minor compared to the D.C. metro area. Best of all, perhaps because of the embassies here, Canberrans are used to foreigners finding their way. Medians divide many of the highways to keep traffic on the correct side of the road. Dotted lines and road signs remind drivers how to make the turns at intersections.

Lower road speeds help as well. Many highways have speed limits of 80 kilometres, which is 49.7 miles per hour. Speed cameras are ubiquitous, and even a few kilometres over the limit earns a ticket with a hefty fine. I’ve heard that the strict policing has brought down the number of traffic deaths, and I believe it. 

Rather than traffic lights, more often a “Give Way” sign (like our “Yield”) or roundabout controls the intersection.  
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In the States, drivers enter a roundabout from the right and yield to other drivers on the left. Here in Australia, we do the opposite. We enter roundabouts from the left and yield to drivers on the right. Roundabouts do keep traffic flowing, although sometimes the signs can be hard to follow for a newbie.
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I’ve been confused by other road signs as well. In Australia, you don’t pass. Rather, you “overtake” other cars. And a refuge island is not the oasis I was picturing.
This is a refuge island.
This is not.
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The most challenging part of driving in Canberra may be avoiding the wildlife, particularly at dawn and dusk. A study from one Australian insurer found that collisions with kangaroos in 2015 accounted for 88 percent of 20,000 reported road claims, and Canberra is one of the hotspots for those collisions.

Nearly eight months after arriving in Australia, I finally feel comfortable driving on the left. I don’t know that I’ll ever fully relax; my fear is that muscle memory would still urge me to the right if I had to react by reflex. Still, being on the left side of the road seems natural to me.

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Now I’m dreading driving on the right back in the States.

6 Comments
Laurinda link
6/21/2018 01:28:17 pm

Rose,
This brings back memories of our daughter learning to drive in Japan when her husband (USAF) was sent to Misawa for three years. She took to it quickly and had to adjust when they came back to the States.

Reply
Rose
6/21/2018 03:13:11 pm

Laurinda, I didn't realize that people drove on the left in Japan. Thanks to you, I learned something new today. I'm happy the post brought back memories for you. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!

Reply
Diane
6/21/2018 07:05:40 pm

Oh my! You are amazing and this experience is challenging your brain muscles which will keep you healthy. So excited for this chapter of your life journey.

Reply
Rose
6/22/2018 12:45:48 am

Thanks for the kind words. I am excited to think that my abysmal driving skills are helping to keep my brain healthy. ;) Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!

Reply
Ed R
6/28/2018 05:32:52 pm

I always wondered how the choice between left and right was made. Most countries with British colonial heritage were lefties. Besides Great Britain and Ireland, I don't think anyone on the European continent still drives on the left. I think roundabouts (those lovely traffic circles) work better when you drive on the left.

I remember when I went to Sweden that they told me that they used to drive on the left. Sometime in the 60's or so they decided to convert to the right and match the rest of the continent. So they had everything prepared ahead (signs in place but covered, etc.) and on one Sunday morning no one was allowed to drive anywhere while all the roads were switched from going left to right by covering or removing the old signs and putting up or uncovering the new ones. Probably some pavement painting as well here and there. Only Swedes would do something like this and be so successful. I have driven in England and found it worked fine. It doesn't take long to switch back either, because the signs do help orient you. I mean if a sign has its back to you, what are you going to see?

Reply
Rose
6/29/2018 02:24:49 pm

That's a fascinating story! I cannot imagine keeping people off the roads for only one day to make the final switchover and having it be successful. Only in Sweden …
I'm glad to hear it doesn't take long to acclimate to driving on the right again. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!

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    Rose Ciccarelli is an American writer and editor living in Canberra, Australia.

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