#159 – Flipped
Posted on July 26, 2012 at 12:00 am by Chris
Chapter: Comic
I wonder how long it takes to adjust to driving on the opposite side. I sometimes look at the roads ahead of me when I’m at a stoplight and imagine everyone driving on the other side. It gives me butterflies in my stomach.
Also, check out the guest strip I did today for Sam and Fuzzy!
Tags: blood, sharp pointy things, surgeon
When I was 16, my dad took me to England for 3 weeks. I had just gotten my learner’s permit, but couldn’t use it in England. So I spent 3 weeks sitting on what I was used to being the driver’s side, then I was set loose on Canadian roads upon my return home. I turned into the wrong lane a few times before I got used to it.
About a week either side. It takes just as long adjusting when you come back to your home country. (for me this is as someone from the UK going to Europe. I now live in Japan and was lucky enough not to have to go through this particular hurdle when moving here. That said, I never drove in Europe, just cycled and had to get used to it as a pedestrian…)
Next month I’m taking a short holiday to Korea for four days, which’ll probably mess up my perceptions of the roads a little bit since they drive on the right…
I rented a car in England; was met OUTSIDE of London to learn how to do the ‘wrong side of the road’ driving. Luckily, I’d asked for an automatic. Drove through England and Wales with little problem. Had to go through London to bring the car back, tho. THAT was nerve-wracking.
Same in Australia, but this time, there was a driver and a navigator, so it was much easier.
Oh, and remember to look RIGHT first when you cross a street!
It’s easy, natural to adjust. I’ve driven in Europe loads (I’m British). It’s surprisingly only confusing when at slow speeds
Was going to make “Wrong Side Of The Toilet” joke, but thought better of it.
Given the attitude I tend to see from British people online touwards thae wildly countraphounaetic spaellngi counvaentiouns thye have, I’m assuming he’ll just ignore the difference aside from smugly chiding Americans for having their lungs in the wrong place.
In reality, the WORST thing about swapping from the UK to the US is that the UK keyboard layout swaps the @ symbol and the ” symbol… plays absolute mayhem with writing text in code and sending emails.
I have a problem when I go from a manual transmission to an automatic. At least once a trip I keep jamming on the “clutch” to change gears. Unfortunately the clutch in an automatic is the brake.
Yeah… I always wondered why the manufacturer forgot to install the clutch pedal.
Worse yet is when you’ve been driving a slushbox for a month and you start pushing just the brake when you go to start your stick shift…
I don’t get it, what is surprising about someone having two lungs? How many are they supposed to have, twenty?