liquidsuite

I live in UK and have driven for 10 years manual cars. I know over there they are on the other side of road driving wise but in general what it like compared to driving in UK. Also are most cars like USA cars where gear change is on the stearing wheel. When someone with UK license goes over there do they have to re take there driving test or re do some kind of thoery test. Hope I will be able to start driving out there right after some paperwork is done. Let me know please and detials. Thanks

iaink

Depends where you are I think. In the GTA its much like the UK in terms of stress I guess, out in the boonies its very relaxed. Generally speeds are slower and limits better respected (not obeyed, but people really slow down in 40kmh school zones and try and keep within 20kmh of the posted limit elsewhere), although there are few / no Gatco type cameras. "Right turn on red" (in most provinces) is something the UK should adopt. Roundabouts is something that should be adopted here in place of the endless 4 way stop junctions.

Column shifters tend to be for Auto boxes in things like Domestic Minivans and some SUVs, once its in drive it doesnt much matter where the shifter is. Most vehicles have Auto trannys here anyway. Most of the vehicles Ive seen have the shifter in the usual place though.

Licensing depends on province, for example, in Ontario you can swap, in BC you have to take the test.

dbd33

Driving in Brampton is like driving on the M25. In general, driving in Canada is slower and duller than in the UK; there are very few bends, hills, or other features of interest. The standard of driving of the residents is ghastly even if one allows that many of them grew up in ox cart economies. Most cars are automatic but the gear level may be located anywhere. Smaller cars are just detuned versions of cars sold in Europe with their suspensions softened up a bit and the steering made more vague. Larger cars have, by and large, been replaced by SUVs which only ever had soggy suspension and poor quality steering. A UK license may be exchanged for an Ontario one.

Calgal

Might be a bit messy in the UK, though

iaink

Maybe they should adopt driving on the right at the same time

dbd33

Good God no. Sooner or later the Americans will come to their senses and switch causing Canada to follow suit.

Calgal

They could, but left turns on red might be easier/cheaper.

Where is it that you can't do right on red in Canada - Quebec?

iaink

Of course But I think its allowed in some places in quebec, just to add to the general confusion I expect. They probably only signpost that in French just to spite the Anglos

Steve_P

Sometimes you write the most hilarious things.

dbd33

Well really, are they all left handed in the US?

NessieOggy

Here's some Canadian trivia for ya


Despite the developments in the US, some parts of Canada continued to drive on the left until shortly after the Second World War. The territory controlled by the French (from Quebec to Louisiana) drove on the right, but the territory occupied by the British (British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland) kept left. British Columbia and the Atlantic provinces switched to the right in the 1920s in order to conform with the rest of Canada and the USA. Newfoundland drove on the left until 1947, and joined Canada in 1949.

Oggy

daft batty

Whats Driving Like over there???

interesting, infuriating, no concept of keeping distance, manoevering, reading the road. just point and drive automatics- and thats the drivers

Steve_P

Most Canadian drivers cannot think any further ahead than the windshield of their vehicles.

Canada Jane

When we can over I was quite concerned about driving here. We had been to Canada and the US lots of times, but my husband had always driven. I was concerned about driving on the wrong side of the road, the size of truck we had (Ford Sport Trac), automatic trans and of course the different rules.

However, I took to it like a duck to water. I can only remember reaching for the clutch once and have never been concerned about driving on the right. In fact I feel it is more natural to drive on the right. Also turning right on a red light is a brilliant idea. But like others say, we could do with a few roundabouts here. Some of the junctions get very congested and this could easily be solved by a roundabout.

We live in a rural area, but even driving in Belleville it never gets too bad. Mind you, we both hate driving round Toronto as that really does resemble the UK on a bad day.

Speed limits seem to be kept to more than they would in the UK. It seems pretty acceptable on the 401 where the limit is 100 kph to go 120, but any faster and you are frowned upon.

Bad driving stands out far more here. You still get the odd boy racer in their Honda Civic, but even they don't seem as bad as they were in the UK.

My husband used to speed everywhere in the UK and tailgate etc. I used to hate being a passenger and my seat had hand impressions permanently imprinted from where I used to grip the seat in panic. But all that has stopped in Canada. He drives at reasonable speeds, keeps reasonable distances back and I have no fear of being a passenger anymore. He says he doesn't feel he has to drive aggressively as no one else does!

So, I personally am all for Canadian driving!

Our truck has the gear stick in the center, but annoyingly as the break release under the steering wheel area. Why is cannot be somewhere more convenient I don't know.

Also, a lot of American cars have steering wheels that do not seem to be attached in any way to the driving wheels. This means that you can turn 45 degrees on the steering wheel and not change direction! Our truck is not like that, thank God, but many we have hired in the past have been. It is why you see films with people driving in the US and they are moving the wheel all over the place even though they are driving in a straight line - you can, it doesn't make one iota difference to the direction you are going!


Jane

dakota44

[QUOTE=Canada Jane;4273014
Also, a lot of American cars have steering wheels that do not seem to be attached in any way to the driving wheels. This means that you can turn 45 degrees on the steering wheel and not change direction! Our truck is not like that, thank God, but many we have hired in the past have been. It is why you see films with people driving in the US and they are moving the wheel all over the place even though they are driving in a straight line - you can, it doesn't make one iota difference to the direction you are going!


Jane[/QUOTE]

good lord what cars have you driven? Maybe a decade or so ago they were still producing cars with recirculating ball steering, but now just about everything is rack and pinion. Very responsive steering.