Re: Differences between Canadian drivers and UK drivers?
 

Ah! It's a UK thing then. Considering the amount of BE's in Canada, this explains why it felt so peculiarly familiar driving there. It was almost like driving in UK, with the only difference of being on the right side of the road and possibly slightly worse.

As for British drivers - never been so afraid in my entire life than as a passenger with a driver who kept boasting about his driving abilities and how good he was because he had taken an advanced driving course focusing on safe driving. This while laughingly telling me about all his accidents. Hurtling down a winding country road with zero forward visibility due to the damn hedges, while holding the phone with one hand and pointing in the air at an imaginary computer screen with the other was standard. His idea of "hands free" in the car was no hands on the wheel. Straddling the center line was another one of his favorite tricks. In particular at night in the dark. Swerving in to the lane at the last minute to let oncoming traffic pass. I asked once if he'd ever hit any oncoming cars on his side. "You mean clipping the wing mirror? Many times. hehehehe"

At the same time other drivers from UK who had not taken the advanced course are some of the safest drivers I've ever travelled with. What is up with these advanced course drivers?

Re: Differences between Canadian drivers and UK drivers?
 

or one of my bug bears is cyclists with no lights - commuter cyclists usually pretty good, student / residential areas can be a nightmare

Re: Differences between Canadian drivers and UK drivers?
 

Totally agree with you. It's legislated here to have two cat eyes on each wheel, a white light in the front end and red in the back.