VERY scary happening yesterday.....

[asterix]

Used to work near Harwich ferry port. One of the hazards driving to work were the cars off the ferries. One poor sod came off the ferry on a scooter and got as far as Clacton on the wrong side of the road. There he met a bus and his untimely end.

 

[XmisterIS]

Used to work near Harwich ferry port. One of the hazards driving to work were the cars off the ferries. One poor sod came off the ferry on a scooter and got as far as Clacton on the wrong side of the road. There he met a bus and his untimely end.

Whenever I drive on the continent, I never take my own car, preferring instead to use a left-hand drive car (or use public transport) because otherwise I can just see myself slipping back into UK driving mode. When you're sat on the other side of the car, it's constant reminder about which side of the road to be on!

I did have one near-miss like the one you described though - I was with a German girlfriend at the time and we had spent the day cycling from Heidelberg to Eberbach along the Neckar. On returning, I insisted that I had to climb the Koenigstuhl (a very large hill in Heidelberg) and then come pelting down at idiot speed. "You do that dear, I'll sit here and have a Pilsner and wait!" I climbed the hill, took some snaps from the top, then started the descent. Amid the adrenaline rush, I clean forgot about riding on the left, came round a corner at speed on the right, and nearly collided with a car!! Ever since that incident I have never ridden a bike on the wrong side of the road in Germany again!

The classic mistake that I sometimes made as a pedestrian in Germany was to look right and step off the pavement - with my girlfriend suddenly grabbing my arm and yanking me backwards while saying, "Verdammte scheisse! Kukmal! Links! Links!"

 

[fimm]

My sister once drove round a corner to be confronted by a motorcyclist (and his bike) on his side in the road sliding towards her... she jammed on the brakes (obviously) and fortunately for all concerned the motorcyclist was going very slowly indeed by the time he hit her... iirc he was unhurt.

 

[funnymummy]

So glad you OK Lisa, there certainly are some loons out on our roads - makes me wonder how half of them oassed their tests!!


After leaving school a friend of mine joined the Army, spent time in Canada & Germany, she lerant to drive while on the continent.
On her first visit home, she picked me up, drove out my road & round the rab the wrong way... Luckily nothing was coming, but the banshee like scrreech I let out nearly caused us to crash!!

 

[Archie_tect]

Forgot twice in Denmark about 15 years ago:
-in a supermarket car park; I drove down the left hand side after leaving a space- just lucky no-one was reversing out looking their way, and,

-on a single track road with passing places; met a car as I reached a passing place on 'their side' and, without thinking, drove into it to let the other car past... got a bemused wave of thanks and only then realised what I'd done.
That was enough to make me remember.

 

[Norm]

Despite living / working abroad for years, and doing lots of touring as well, I have only once had a problem when I reached for the door handle to change gear when I got back into my own car. I don't seem to have an issue with it in a car.

But when I take a motorbike abroad, I make a HOOOOGE big black arrow which I stick in the top of my tank bag pointing to the right and get into the habit of glancing down when pulling out of fuel stations or when setting off in the morning.

And, when I get back to the UK, I turn it upside down.

 

[andy0001]

A mate of mine was on his motorbike a few years back and he was going over the brow of a small hill,
when he just got over it ahead of him was a car heading towards him on his side of the road, he swerved to the right and the car owner must have realized where they were on the road and swerved to the same side as him, my mate swerved back and the bike went from underneath him, he hit the kerb head on, his helmet took 90% of the impact and saved his life, the chin part of the helmet broke though and caused considerable damage to his jaw and teeth(smashed to pieces) he spent six months eating his dinners through a straw, he was very lucky to live, the owner of the car forgot he was in England and thought he was back home..
must say that the surgeons that rebuilt my mates chin and jaws did an amazing job on patching him up,
he's given up bikes since then.

 

[Crackle]

I'll get you next time Lisa

 

[Lisa21]

I'll get you next time Lisa

I thought I recognised the eyes eye....................................