Right side vs left side driving in Australia ? - NCRS Discussion Boards

Right side vs left side driving in Australia ?

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  • Kenneth T.
    Very Frequent User
    • March 23, 2008
    • 631

    #16
    Re: Right side vs left side driving in Australia ?

    I flew into Sidney and took a cab to my hotel. Now, cab drivers are the same all over the world, crazy He took off like a bat out of hell and made a left turn into "oncoming traffic"

    I was almost on the headliner and he laughed like hell and said "Welcome down under Yank" He confided that it worked every time with Americans and he loved doing it. We both had a laugh and an interesting trip to my hotel.

    Ken

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    • Jack H.
      Extremely Frequent Poster
      • April 1, 1990
      • 9906

      #17
      Re: Right side vs left side driving in Australia ?

      Another 'no joke' issue which I have been guilty of! I spent a few weeks in JOE (jolley olde England) driving around. Came back to the States and drove my Suburban form Denver to Vail the next day.

      Vail has LONG copied European traditions and has something like six 'round-abouts' to skirt the cost of using traffic lights and/or police to direct traffic on their busy ski weekends.

      OK, I exit the freeway, see the round-about and my recently acquired 'JOE' experience kicks in as I look the wrong way and turn the wrong way into the intersection. A tiny 'voice' from the back of my mind screams, "Error, Error, ERROR!" and I SLAM on the brakes.

      Fortunately, there was NO traffic in the round-about allowing me to skirt disaster and sheepishly recover from my mistake...

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      • Stuart F.
        Expired
        • August 31, 1996
        • 4676

        #18
        Re: Right side vs left side driving in Australia ?

        My first experience with right hand drive was in Thailand around 1967. I had been driven around Bangkok for several months and my turn behind the wheel came on my first test drive of a new 67 Vauxhall Cresta. I pulled out onto a very busy street heading down the right hand side of the street directly at oncoming traffic. After a few rude gestures and many horn honks, I swerved back to the left hand side real quick. After that, I loved driving there. I never lost a stop light drag because all the drivers there always clutched and shifted into neutral while waiting for the light to change. Me, I sat there in gear with the clutch in ready for a jack rabbit start when it did. I asked my part time local driver why he did that and he told me they were taught to do that to save the clutch. I tried to explain to him that he used the clutch twice as often as I did, and the only possible item I was using more than he was the throwout bearing - and they were much cheaper to replace than the entire clutch. I had a blast with that car; 12 port head, dual exhausts, 2-barrel carb, only three main bearings in an in line 201 cu. in. 6-cyl. engine. The only crs that could stay with me were the BMW 2002's, Audi's and some Mercedes. The little Japanese cars I ate like rice.

        Stu Fox

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        • Robert G.
          Expired
          • May 31, 1990
          • 429

          #19
          Re: Right side vs left side driving in Australia ?

          Originally posted by Jack Humphrey (17100)
          Of course this is a joke, intended as humor. But, for those who don't know, as Graham said you'd be laughed all the way to the local lock-up for presenting a car like this to licensing authorities...

          Those who practice LH-RH conversions HAVE to register their design/approach with the appropriate governmental authorities, provide engineered drawings and cite applicable ADR (Australian Design Rules) to support the safety/integrity of their system.

          Graham may actually be CONSERVATIVE in his $50K estimate of the conversion cost, depends on what all is being done, the specifics of the target car, and who does the conversion.

          Certain model year cars are exempt from conversion and can be imported + registered in their native LH drive format. So, why would anyone want to spend the conversion $$$ when they don't have to?

          Ever tried paying highway toll from the wrong side of car? How about going through a fast food drive through? For those who are serious about driving/using these classic Corvettes, the conversion process can make a LOT of sense...
          Jack, toll booths and drive throughs are easy. All you have to do is back through them.

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          • Roy B.
            Expired
            • February 1, 1975
            • 7044

            #20
            Re: Right side vs left side driving in Australia ?

            1954
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            • Tom L.
              Extremely Frequent Poster
              • October 17, 2006
              • 1439

              #21
              Re: Right side vs left side driving in Australia ?

              I happen to be on St. Croix USVI, one of the very few places in the US (It's a territory) where they live life in the "Left Lane". Getting used to driving on the left is no big deal here since the cars are all left hand drive. While here I did see a C-6 though. I was shocked mostly because everything here gets destroyed by the salt air. Even though the winding roads on and around the mountains would be a blast I would never take my C-3 here, it would probably rot out in a week!!
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