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Driving RHD.

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Old Dec 7, 2010 | 05:27 AM
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Default Driving RHD.

Has anyone that's been shifting with their right hand all their life ever tried driving a RHD vehicle? I know it's not that different but being right handed it'll be awkward. If you drive a RHD car, have you ever tried passing?(this seems dangerous as hell, but if someones doing 10-20km under the speed limit, I'd most likely want to get around them, haha.
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Old Dec 7, 2010 | 08:54 AM
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It's not that hard. I was in the UK a few years back and our rental was a manual (as most of them are in most any country but the US). I shifted slower than I do w/ my right hand, but you get used to it.
I had a harder time learning to judge where I was in my lane. I admit that I scrubbed a few curbs while I was over there, and was likely riding the stripe on the left side most of the time.
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Old Dec 7, 2010 | 10:04 AM
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I had the same problem as mxt 77 the few times I've rented RHD vehicles. It was difficult to judge the left hand edge of the vehicle.

Plus in Antigua, there are large, deep ditches right on the edge of the road. It made driving very nerve racking.
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Old Dec 7, 2010 | 10:14 AM
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Oh... as for the problem of passing in a RHD car (I'm assuming you're now talking about driving it in a LHD country), I'd say that it would just require you to back off of the car in front of you far enough to see around them before you pass.

My bro drives a RHD postal jeep every day and doesn't have any problems with that... but he probably doesn't do much passing.

My recommendation is to just not drive a RHD car in a LHD country unless you have an actual reason. Find a LHD car that suits your needs, or pay to do the conversion.
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Old Dec 7, 2010 | 11:39 AM
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I was driving LHD for 8 years before I first drove a RHD stick shift car. Changing gears with the left hand was easy. I agree with the other guys who say that judging vehicle placement was tougher. My trick was to look down the center of the car rather than straight ahead.
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Old Dec 7, 2010 | 12:09 PM
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No problem for me when I drove RHD a few times -- but I'm a leftie.
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Old Dec 7, 2010 | 12:16 PM
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this is a must for paying tolls and whatnot.
other than that you'll be fine.

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Old Dec 7, 2010 | 12:18 PM
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It is not a problem at all. I driven RHD in the US and overseas. RHD in the US is not as fun because our roads are made for LHD cars. Also, just remember which side the the turn signal and which side is the wipers.
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Old Dec 7, 2010 | 12:20 PM
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Not hard just take a couple minutes of driving to get used to. But making left turns in the US sucks and going through drive thrus haha.
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Old Dec 7, 2010 | 12:26 PM
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From what I hear from people who've done it, it isn't that difficult shifting wise, but it's more jsut getting used to the view from the right side more than anything, but since the shifting is the same pattern but ur just on the right side, it actually makes it easier since ur brain already knows the pattern because I thought that it wouldve been easier had they reversed the gear pattern so first is towards you on the right side.
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