Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72790
bigcarpchaser wrote:
I went round a roundabout in rural France the wrong way once, towing the caravan
Won't be doing that again, the abuse from Mrs BCC was too much to take!!
Did that round a roundabout in the UK after stint in Euroland. Don't know how I did it but it was late at night and nothing else on the road. Well almost nothing, there was a Corsa driver that decided my D3 had priority even if it was not where it should be.
14th Jul 2013 4:01 pm
crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
I have a LHD car in the UK... biggest brain fart is trying to drive it in the UK after a long spell driving abroad !
Often have to think really hard at left hand turns
15th Jul 2013 12:42 am
Joyride4life
Member Since: 14 Jun 2013
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 245
The difficulty is usually on quiet turns with little or no immediate road indication. The brain needs either to make conscious effort to choose one over the other, helped by a visual key like road markings or existing traffic or it will revert to its skill based behaviour and you'll end up driving on the wrong side of the road.
My worst example had to be driving a hire car to the village hall at 2:30 in the morning because the courier couldn't find the house I was staying at in a tiny village in France. He was dropping off my delayed/lost luggae. I ended up careering down the back lanes straight at a confused looking local who must have thought I was hammered or something because I was clearly insisting that I was on the right side of the road. A lack of sleep and lack of awakeness that followed this late night phone call to come help the courier find my house did exhaserbate the situation. True brain fart.
One of the better tips is a post it on the speedo that you peel off before you set out which shows you which side of the road you should be driving on. After driving for a few minutes your brain will have keyed in to the concept of driving on the wrong side of the road relative to your skill base. But the point of the post it is to ensure you start your driving with the conscious effort of thinking about what you are doing. It's the same rational behind the use of check lists in airplanes.
15th Jul 2013 5:22 am
Farmer Chalk
Member Since: 07 Mar 2013
Location: Independent Republic of Kentishshire.
Posts: 4156
[quote="Popelka"]
crews control wrote:
I ask because we've still got police driving instructors telling people to only bother indicating if your signal will benefit other road users!
this is one that has puzzled me when I read threads on advance driving and even watching youtube where police advance drivers giving same advise.
I read somewhere that in the advance driving test that over use of the indicators is a fail point
I understand that if there are no other road users that you are indicating to no one; but to me that means I have to think about whether its needed or not; while at the moment I indicate every time out of instinct/training and is less to think about giving me more time to observe/ risk assessment.
so anybody who teaches or tests drivers for advance pass, can you give us the reasons for this; I would appreciate it greatly
The general idea behind it is that the police driver should have already completed a risk assessment and evaluated whether there are other vehicles present which would need a signal. By indicating when there were no vehicles present demonstrated to the instructor that the driver is sloppy and is not driving in a managed style.. The police driver on test even has to do this during the pursuit phase.. As well as acknowledge every road sign, every change of road surface and obviously every approaching junction. Most intense course ever but brilliant life skill!
15th Jul 2013 6:28 am
crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
But that attitude isn't just for police drivers… it's now filtered through to normo's too!
It might be a brilliant life skill for police drivers, but you don't have to go far in the UK to see that the present teaching isn't working for ordinary drivers. The old standards of indicating your intentions has visibly dropped in the last 20 years, (and not just by Audi drivers) to the stage where indicating on roundabouts and the like, is almost rare! This isn't just dangerous, it slows up traffic flow and causes a lot of unnecessary stress.
To consider learning something by rote as 'sloppy' has now caused a lot of problems!
(and most teenagers don't appear great at completing risk assessments)
15th Jul 2013 8:06 am
Joyride4life
Member Since: 14 Jun 2013
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 245
I always understood that the poor indicating by BMW drivers was due to everything on a BMW being an optional extra over the base price. As a result many BMW drivers omit the option of indicators when ordering
Don't panic, it will soon feel normal to you, just remember, if you are sat next to the white line, then you are on the wrong side of the road In Spain - 2018 F Pace - Down and out's Velar
In UK - Dare not say on this Forum
Gone - Lots of Lode Lane vehicles.
- Beta User
15th Jul 2013 8:59 am
Popelka
Member Since: 31 May 2008
Location: Praha (Prague)
Posts: 2430
OMG.... way too much to think about, and I'm always next to a white line, but you didnt stipulate which side ...........
being ex-pat I passed my test in the UK and pay a lot of attention to other road users etc and use my indicators ALL the time, here in Czech what i miss (in observation, but not with car) is most the holes that the Czechs seem to dodge (and not care about other road users). I'm guessing my driving skills have improved being here; as I'm still alive and no accidents to the car yet (just my nerves and patients)
the good thing I can say about driving in UK is that now my daugter is taking driving lessons over here is that she can get through most junctions, but every round-about as the Czechs/europeans dont know how to approach, but Sarah has said that she learned from listening to us (parents) as we are quite vocal about the idiots on the roads (did she mean us ? ).....Experience is a difficult teacher, because she gives the test first and then the lesson afterwards!!!!
and if you drive in Scotland, remember to let the locals past you on single track roads otherwise they get a bit upset and complain about you on car forums
haha, that's why I never get those complaints
we'll be back in a few weeks ... can't wait D4
Disco4.com sticker
D3 11y, 425k km - sold, miss it though (MAR, DNK, NOR, SWE, SCO, WAL, MUD ...)
16th Jul 2013 9:39 pm
ruben D3 Decade
Member Since: 26 Sep 2006
Location: ASTURIAS
Posts: 2387
for now everything is OK, some hesitation occasionally mostly empty streets ... but everything OK .... with the limitations that gives me HAVE THE WRONG SIDE WHEEL
thank you very much for your answers, now from London lost in translation!
16th Jul 2013 9:56 pm
ruben D3 Decade
Member Since: 26 Sep 2006
Location: ASTURIAS
Posts: 2387
my big trip THROUGH the UK has concluded ... I'm back safe and sound ... just when I had already used to driving the British way back home ... and everything changed here ....to right
I survived the heavy articulated lorries ... to the British roundabouts, narrow roads with to much traffic density .. and speed cameras? ... this well we'll see in a few days ....
thank you all for your advice ... all have helped me a lot ... and I enjoyed your wonderful country ... I will miss the pints and pies in the pub ... and forgiveness to those who have not given me time to visit ..DiscoDunc
Nice to be back in the warm In Spain - 2018 F Pace - Down and out's Velar
In UK - Dare not say on this Forum
Gone - Lots of Lode Lane vehicles.
- Beta User
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Don't know how I did it but it was late at night and nothing else on the road. Well almost nothing, there was a Corsa driver that decided my D3 had priority even if it was not where it should be. 
- Beta User 
holes that the Czechs seem to dodge (and not care about other road users). I'm guessing my driving skills have improved being here; as I'm still alive and no accidents to the car yet (just my nerves and patients) 
