

Could the UK drive on the right? - yannis
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8239048.stm

======
jacquesm
It's one of those cases where the future total cost is infinite and the
current cost to switch is finite. And yet, you know that in the long run there
will never be a moment when the perception of those two will make it urgent
enough to get everybody on the same page to make that switch.

I've driven in England, it takes me about 20 minutes to really get 'in' to it,
after that it is ok. The danger points occur when you enter traffic from a
very small road onto a larger one and there is no other traffic. Years of
conditioning are hard to overcome when there are no other references.

And when crossing the street, I invariably look the wrong way. Nearly got
flattened by a bus outside a London convention center a while ago. Good brakes
on those buses!

~~~
yannis
My wife had almost the same accident a few days ago on a holiday to Cyprus.
Personally by now I am very good at being 'bi-directional?'. If there is a lot
of traffic there is no problem driving at any direction. However, some years
back while driving at night I turned in the wrong direction on a circle in
Dubai.

Amazingly, if you watch pedestrians they will either avoid oncoming
pedestrians left or right depending on their country's of origin driving
direction! Try and observe it when you next in Heathrow!

------
bdfh42
This would just be a massive cost for zero benefit. Silly idea - and a silly
article.

Switching from one side of the road to another when visiting continental
countries is a trivial problem easily encapsulated by the process of crossing
the channel. I regularly move between the UK and France and happily drive cars
on either side of the road and with the steering wheel on either the left or
right depending upon which car I am driving.

~~~
Edinburger
I think the benefits are low but greater than zero. For example, us Brits
would be able to buy left-hand drive cars instead of paying more for right-
hand drive cars as we do today.

