Driving In Canada
 

How have people found the transition from driving on the left to driving on the right?

Cheers,

Carl

Re: Driving In Canada
 

this thread should help

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=705290

Re: Driving In Canada
 

Having never driven outside of the UK I experienced Canadian driving for the first time on our 1st recce 2 years ago.
Having the steering wheel on the opposite side helps greatly :thumbup:
Also a satnav with up to date Canadian map was essential.
Only ended up on the wrong side of the road once briefly but soon realised :rofl:
The one thing I found myself doing alot at first was drifting too far over to the right being used to having the pavement area close to my right hand side but again soon adjusted to this.
I would look up the Canadian highway code for the province you will be driving in before going to get used to the various road signs especially 4 way Stop intersections, they're abit like free for alls, ie first one there gets to go first :rofl:

All in all though after a couple of days driving around I felt like I had been driving there forever, you'll soon get the hang of it :thumbup:

Re: Driving In Canada
 

Thanks for the answers :)

Re: Driving In Canada
 

I found it didnt take too long to get used to.
Like the other poster said, having a LH drive makes it a whole lot easier! Would be more confusing driving a RH drive over here!
I also found that buying a good map of the city and learning our way around really helped. I now feel confident when driving in the city, rather than having to rely on a satnav.
Definately check out a highway code book or look online for the basic rules of the road over here.
School buses are a huge one, where you cannot overtake when they are stopped and red lights flashing, regardless of which side of the road you are passing on.
Good luck!

Re: Driving In Canada
 

Having an automatic also helps as you are not having to thing about changing gear.

Re: Driving In Canada
 

I had to transition the opposite way, from right to left (Canada to Oz). I was worried about it but everyone told me it's not that big of a deal. The first week was stressful (driving in Sydney) but it wasn't terrible. Thankfully it seemed easier when we were following other cars because it reminded us which lane we were supposed to be in. After a couple of weeks it seems a lot more natural and didn't think so much about it.

After being in Australia for about a year I was actually stressed about having to drive in Canada when we went back for a visit!

It's really not that big of a deal and it will get easier. I would try to avoid driving in big city centres with lots of traffic at first if possible though.

Re: Driving In Canada
 

No problem, if in LH drive car the white line in the middle is next to you. Works on most roads. Just watch out when you are driving around car parks as the tend not to have the white lines, got caught out once, facing car coming other direction!!

Re: Driving In Canada
 

Oh, and don't forget to get in the left hand side LOL!!

Re: Driving In Canada
 

Highway driving is even easier. You just drive in any lane that you want and at any speed that you want.

Re: Driving In Canada
 

Can you really drive at any speed you want??;)

Re: Driving In Canada
 

Technically, the limit is 62mph. Practically, the traffic goes at 75-80. I routinely drive at 100 and find that one or two other cars will keep up. It's difficult and unsafe to drive at 100 because vehicles will be going at any speed in any lane and so constant lane changes are required. It is, of course, equally difficult and unsafe to make any progress at any speed because of the constant lane changing, cars moving to the centre lane from the left and right are on a collision course and cannot use mirrors to detect each other.

I believe it is this lack of convention rather than any inherent inability to operate a vehicle on the part of the population that results in such frequent collisions and gobsmacking insurance rates. That said, I'm always relieved when I pass a ditherer on the wrong side and find the ethnicity of the driver I've just passed to be one of those I associate with incompetence at the wheel. "You drive like a Canadian" I shout at those bewildered ditherers as they poke their fingers at me.

Re: Driving In Canada
 

If you look at the statistics in the link you will see that the road traffic fatalities in Canada per 100,000 people are more than twice that of the UK. Not that I would consider Wikipedia the latest authority.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ted_death_rate

Re: Driving In Canada
 

Another thing to note is when at traffic lights you don't stop at the lights themselves but about 10-15yds ahead of them. This has almost caught me out a few times, especially when the stop lines have worn away.

City driving (in Toronto) is complicated by certain time restrictions e.g. no left turn between 7.30 and 6.30 Mon-Fri, especially as the sign telling you this is tiny and across the junction so by the time you can actually read it chances are you have either been beeped at so much you decided not to turn or you've turned anyway!

And the last thing I find is the signage - it's pretty crap! Seems that instead of being given advanced warning of junctions on the highway you are told at the junction itself so then have to cross several lanes to get to the right lane! And when you are driving through the country you really have to know where you are going as signs are very limited. And one-way signs blend in to the surround as do speed restriction signs.

Like others have said, once you get used to it, it's OK. It's not really the driving on the other side of the road that's the issue, it's the other stuff you have to get used to!

Re: Driving In Canada
 

That's true enough took a couple of days driving to work out the sign you are looking at is for the junction you have just past!!

Re: Driving In Canada
 

If I drive on the 401 highway in Ontario (assuming someone will let you onto the highway), I will see people at the wheel reading books, putting on makeup, knitting, fidgeting with kids in the back seat, etc. Having breakfast in the car is almost a prerequisite. Not all at slow speeds either. And they thought cell phones were a problem.

Re: Driving In Canada
 

:rofl::rofl: Saw a woman next lane to me doing this in the rush hour traffic on the Manchester ring road this morning, she prob figured she could save half hour in bed doing this :rofl:

Re: Driving In Canada
 

The snow is now melting so OH says I now can't use that "too snowy too drive" excuse anymore. I did drive half way to Banff last month but it was Sunday morning and we only passed one car! He goes up and down Deerfoot every day without a second thought but for me the thought of having to drive on there makes me come over all peculiar, mind I was the same with the M6 :eek:

Maybe if we had arrived in the summer months it would have been different. Probably need to leave the kids at home and go out for a bit of a practice.

Re: Driving In Canada
 

I think we shoudl correct the first line to...

I believe it is this lack of convention in addition to any inherent inability to operate a vehicle on the part of the population

Re: Driving In Canada
 

you gotta watch for the cops and their stupid radar guns..i have been done three times for speeding (never had any points in the UK with 20 yrs driving) once i got pulled over when i was appartently doing 125kph in a 100 zone..yet i was stuck behind a truck going up hill???..radar is not admissable evidence in the UK anymore but with Canada being 25 yrs behind the times what can you expect..not justice thats for sure.

Re: Driving In Canada
 

Yes, it's shocking to think motorists breaking the law should have to be accountable for their actions. Slow down or stop whining.

Re: Driving In Canada
 

not when i was stopped and i wasnt speeding!!!!

Re: Driving In Canada
 

This was in our local paper in the last month. Lady caught driving (and speeding) while reading a book. Just insane if you ask me.
http://www.recorder.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3013310

I just want to know what book she was reading as it would have to be really, really good!

Re: Driving In Canada
 

We did our recce trip in Jan this year ... landed in TO after a 8 hour flight, picked up hire car, and drove to hotel in the dark ... city driving, in the dark, after a plane flight ... and it was my first time in a) a left hand drive car and b) driving on the 'wrong' side of the road and c) an automatic (and a terrible one at that!) OH was having kittens next to me! :rofl:

Mind you it was not too bad - we survived as did the car! After the week, it was second nature really ... having said that the lack of lane discipline was stunning, and I was far more patient with the middle land drivers stuck on the M6 on my last trip down south!!

But, one thing I never really figured out, was the four way stops with the flashing lights - who goes when?! It all seemed rather hit and miss!!!

2 points we learnt of note - from a fellow ex pat when we were over - parking on residential streets - be aware to park on the correct side of the road and not on snow routes ... and school buses - no passing either way when they are stopped ... and, if I understand correctly - in TO be careful how you park on your drive ... (is it correct you can be fined for incorrect parking or number of cars on the drive?!)

Re: Driving In Canada
 

So it seems that driving in Canada is in itself an adventure! :D