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I always found driving a left hand drive car in England worse than driving in Europe or the US.
But I did drive for about 2km on the wrong side of the road in the US one time. Luckily it was in Vermont so I didn't hit any traffic.
I've twice completely feared for my life in a car, but driven by others, once in Vietnam where our driver from Hue down to the caves (can't remember their names) is the worst driver who just passed everything regardless of oncoming traffic.
The other was a FOB Samoan dude picked me up hitchhiking one day and emulated the Vietnamese driver, I was likely saved by the fact we passed an off duty cop who called the local cops who pulled us over, turns out the Samoan dude didn't have a license. The off duty cop stopped as well and was from Napier so he gave me a ride back home.
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@Nepia said in Happiness Scale:
I always found driving a left hand drive car in England worse than driving in Europe or the US.
But I did drive for about 2km on the wrong side of the road in the US one time. Luckily it was in Vermont so I didn't hit any traffic.
I've twice completely feared for my life in a car, but driven by others, once in Vietnam where our driver from Hue down to the caves (can't remember their names) is the worst driver who just passed everything regardless of oncoming traffic.
The other was a FOB Samoan dude picked me up hitchhiking one day and emulated the Vietnamese driver, I was likely saved by the fact we passed an off duty cop who called the local cops who pulled us over, turns out the Samoan dude didn't have a license. The off duty cop stopped as well and was from Napier so he gave me a ride back home.
I can't imagine what you guys would have talked about.
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@Nepia said in Happiness Scale:
I've twice completely feared for my life in a car, but driven by others, once in Vietnam where our driver from Hue down to the caves (can't remember their names) is the worst driver who just passed everything regardless of oncoming traffic
I developed a theory about that while over there. Namely that they drove cars in the same manner they ride bikes. One makes sense, the other doesn't.
Still better than the complete disregard for human life on display in India. Coaches overtaking on blind curves with certain death if you leave the "road".
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@antipodean when I was in Egypt we did an excursion from Aswan to Abu Simbel, we were in a 10 seater van, but part of a 20+ vehicle convoy.
Immaculate roads, that had only recently re-opened to tourist groups due to 'pirates' in the Nubian, therefore we had police escorts too.
Anywhoo, point was, this massive convoy was reminiscent of the wacky races cartoon.
We'd have a full bus pass us on a blind corner going over a hill at 70+ mph, then 10 mins later we'd be flying past several other buses on corners we had no business passing on...what i learnt, was it was basically one big old game of Chinese whispers...guy at front taps his brakes 3 times when a vehicle is coming, the vehicle behind does the same and so on...
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I used to have a theory about these countries who seem to drive crazy compared to us - ... "but it seems to work, so... : shrug :"
But then started to notice... hmmm... their cars have more dents than ours, and then... bike ride in India, 1 day out, 1 day back... - multiple bus wrecks on the side of the road on the way back that weren't there on the way out.
Nepal - coming across a bus wreck within an hour of it happening... not great.I don't know if one gets that shit in Iberia - I've never done country roads there, only seen the city action... but I get the impression they keep their crazy to city-speeds, city-risks.
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@taniwharugby they must be better at it than their South Asian counterparts. As Kruse notes, the roads are littered with evidence they're not good at Chinese whispers.
A taxi driver in Delhi said to me "the secret to driving in India is having three things; "good brakes, a good horn and good luck".
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@antipodean said in Happiness Scale:
@Nepia said in Happiness Scale:
I've twice completely feared for my life in a car, but driven by others, once in Vietnam where our driver from Hue down to the caves (can't remember their names) is the worst driver who just passed everything regardless of oncoming traffic
I developed a theory about that while over there. Namely that they drove cars in the same manner they ride bikes. One makes sense, the other doesn't.
Still better than the complete disregard for human life on display in India. Coaches overtaking on blind curves with certain death if you leave the "road".
Yeah the bikes definitely make sense, I've got great footage from a bus I was in Saigon which went down the wrong one way street, just backed into the traffic and the scooters just all went around, no issues, no honking.
I haven't been to India yet.
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@antipodean said in Happiness Scale:
@taniwharugby they must be better at it than their South Asian counterparts. As Kruse notes, the roads are littered with evidence they're not good at Chinese whispers.
A taxi driver in Delhi said to me "the secret to driving in India is having three things; "good brakes, a good horn and good luck".
I kind of respect the Indian model - everything infront of you is your problem, everything behind you is theirs.
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@sparky said in Happiness Scale:
Anyone ever lived in Switzerland?
Two years in the late '80's/early '90's.
Really lovely people (hospitality outstanding) but the place was so rule-bound it became a bit of a pain. Things rarely went wrong, but when they did, it was total chaos.
Simple, sensible tax regime though.
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Driving lessons with my boy are fantastic bonding time. I thoroughly recommend it to all parents.
Like most teenagers he'll absolutely hammer the accelerator after coming to a complete stop but after enduring this multiple times and fearing severe whiplash I told him if it doesn't stop then the lessons won't continue. He actually listened and doesn't do it anymore. I'm being really pedantic about his speed, checking mirrors, hazards etc.
"But Dad" he correctly points out. "You don't do all of that"
"No son, but I have my license already, you can pick up bad habits once you've got yours"
I want him getting his restricted first time if at all possible.
Best of all he said I'm a much better teacher than his mother. In front of her. I'll take that win.
We're taking the shitty spare Vitz out, no reversing camera and we listen to old CDs from the garage ( the ones that aren't all scratched to shit ).
.....and naturally I'm counting down to when he can pick me up from the pub ! Happy days
( not that I actually go to the pub much anymore being a sad GOM )
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@MN5 Miss 17 got her restricted about a month back, has changed our lives
She bought her car in Feb so she could learn in it for her restricted test, now we barely see her, and i dont need to go and.pick her up from work 3 nights a week.
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@taniwharugby said in Happiness Scale:
@MN5 Miss 17 got her restricted about a month back, has changed our lives
She bought her car in Feb so she could learn in it for her restricted test, now we barely see her, and i dont need to go and.pick her up from work 3 nights a week.
Yeah, definitely a good idea to learn in the car you're going to do your actual test in. Last thing you want is to change to a european car and switch the wipers on when you're intending to indicate.
Did she get hers first time ?
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I remember going for my restricted, my car broke down the day before the test, so I borrowed my mates. Only difference was the indicator and windscreen wipers were on opposite sides to mine, so I kept putting the windscreen wipers on by accident. I still somehow passed it, though I think it was easier to pass back then.
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@No-Quarter said in Happiness Scale:
I remember going for my restricted, my car broke down the day before the test, so I borrowed my mates. Only difference was the indicator and windscreen wipers were on opposite sides to mine, so I kept putting the windscreen wipers on by accident. I still somehow passed it, though I think it was easier to pass back then.
Yeah they ping you for anything apparently. It's quite an effort to get it first time these days.
......and I stand by my belief that if someone grabbed me with no warning and made me do a restricted test I would 100% fail due to all the bad habits I've picked up over the years. Anyone who says different is a liar.
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@MN5 unfortunately not, within 500m of starting, thought she had moved to 60km zone, but was 50, immediate fail.
I sat in.the back as you hear.stories of some testers being dicks, thats not much fun, especially when she had.somehow turned the air-conditioning off, and I was overheating in the back, but not allowed to ask her to put it on!
Was amusing seeing all these muppets on the road while she is doing her test, not indicating, speeding, all sorts of poor driving.and she's.there trying to do everything perfectly just to pass her test that most people couldn't pass.
Most of her friends failed at least once, while TR Jnr and his mates, most passed 1st time.
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@MN5 said in Happiness Scale:
Driving lessons with my boy are fantastic bonding time. I thoroughly recommend it to all parents.
Like most teenagers he'll absolutely hammer the accelerator after coming to a complete stop but after enduring this multiple times and fearing severe whiplash I told him if it doesn't stop then the lessons won't continue. He actually listened and doesn't do it anymore. I'm being really pedantic about his speed, checking mirrors, hazards etc.
"But Dad" he correctly points out. "You don't do all of that"
"No son, but I have my license already, you can pick up bad habits once you've got yours"
I want him getting his restricted first time if at all possible.
Best of all he said I'm a much better teacher than his mother. In front of her. I'll take that win.
We're taking the shitty spare Vitz out, no reversing camera and we listen to old CDs from the garage ( the ones that aren't all scratched to shit ).
.....and naturally I'm counting down to when he can pick me up from the pub ! Happy days
( not that I actually go to the pub much anymore being a sad GOM )
I thought it was an acknowledged rule that you never teach your own kid to drive? A family friend taught me back in the day.
@No-Quarter said in Happiness Scale:
I remember going for my restricted, my car broke down the day before the test, so I borrowed my mates. Only difference was the indicator and windscreen wipers were on opposite sides to mine, so I kept putting the windscreen wipers on by accident. I still somehow passed it, though I think it was easier to pass back then.
I did mine with the handbrake on.
For some reason I did the test in an old Hillman Hunter we had because it had a smoother gearbox despite the fact I had learn't in my own Mazda - I think my Mazda was too sporty looking.
Anyway the Hillman had the handbrake on the drivers side door so I just forgot about it. I think it helped me as it kept my speed down a bit. At the end when I realised I pulled out my best Marlon Brando impression to make it look like I was putting the handbrake on.
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@taniwharugby said in Happiness Scale:
@MN5 unfortunately not, within 500m of starting, thought she had moved to 60km zone, but was 50, immediate fail.
I sat in.the back as you hear.stories of some testers being dicks, thats not much fun, especially when she had.somehow turned the air-conditioning off, and I was overheating in the back, but not allowed to ask her to put it on!
Was amusing seeing all these muppets on the road while she is doing her test, not indicating, speeding, all sorts of poor driving.and she's.there trying to do everything perfectly just to pass her test that most people couldn't pass.
Most of her friends failed at least once, while TR Jnr and his mates, most passed 1st time.
Yeah there's quite a few instant fails and whilst that's something we've all done it certainly pays not to do it in a test ! I didn't know parents were allowed to ride along though ?!?!?! not sure if the boy would tolerate that.
@Nepia yeah the stories we've heard would indicate that but I promised to work on my patience and he promised to work on actually listening to me. Seems to be going well so far. There isn't actually a hell of a lot of teaching now, it's more a case of him going for a drive up the coast and me tagging along.
Happiness Scale
