What a difference a Country makes

For the past two weeks I have been driving on the left side of the road in the U.K. I lived the majority of my life in Bermuda where we drive on the left, so this was no great challenge to me; except that for the past seventeen years I have been living in Spain. Naturally that means I have been driving on the right side of the road. Whenever I visit the U.K. I have the same problem, and it is a real problem because one mistake is usually enough to end my life; and worse I could end someone else's life.

I did make two of those mistakes but became aware immediately without endangering anyone else. However, the major difference I had to get accustomed to was road courtesy. We don't usually practise that form of inter-personal behaviour  here, so the first time someone extended courtesy to me, in the car rental yard I was a little confused. What was he doing? He then waved me on, as to say, "after you." Oh! I remember this. The proper response was to ensure that I indicated "Thank You," and to be sure he got that message.

That was how I grew up in my driving life. British road rage comes from someone extending a courtesy and not being acknowledged. That is so understandable, so I was careful.

We attended a wedding and reception. As usual my wife drove there and I drove us home, being the designated driver. I drank only soft beverages. On the way home we passed a police patrol car that had pulled off the road to observe passing traffic. They were stopped in a well lit area. My car lights were set on automatic so that during the day when we drove into well shaded areas the lights would automatically turn on. The car decided that this night, because the area was so well lit it would turn the lights off just as the police took a look at us.

Sure enough, they came screaming after us. You were driving without lights. Eh? We soon discovered what had happened. At night we should switch the lights to permanently on mode.

This brings up the question of what happens when we are being driven in a autonomously driven car. Why challenge me about what the car was doing. I'm not driving. In fact, I'm drunk!

Where have you come from? A wedding reception. Have you been drinking? My wife said she had, I said I was the designated driver and had no alcohol. The officer said he could not smell any alcohol, so we were free to go.

The thing is that at the reception a glass of wine was poured for me and it sat in front of me all through dinner and tempted me terribly. At one point I actually took a sip, then thought better of it.

Being the designated driver is serious business, with the police being the least of our worries. The roadways are dangerous enough when we're stone cold sober.

It's like I say: What a difference a country makes!

Copyright (c) 2016
Eugene Carmichael