Brendan Hughes

So, I went over to England, hired a car, drove around for 10 days. Groped the door pocket a couple of times to change gear, but soon got used to it.

Returned here, went out shopping on the same evening (fine). Next day drove off 50km down a load of minor roads to look at a furniture shop. Went to another furniture shop. Pulled out of the car park, headed calmly up the hill, went round a left-hand bend and Dear Lordy, almost collided with a Suzuki Vitara coming round the bend. Luckily he/she slammed on the brakes and I managed to swerve out of the way in time.

I'd pulled onto the left lane coming out of the car park, and neither me nor my wife had realised.

Along with many Europeans, I criticise drivers in Portugal (as is statistically correct to do), but I'm wondering which religion to take up as I'm thankful for what didn't happen yesterday.

boxst

Hello

Well, after so many years of driving on the "correct" side of the road, coming back for even a short time probably made your brain sigh with relief and then get upset again when you went back to Portugal.

I'm glad you are safe.

Steve.

SomeDude

Glad your time wasn't up ...

Such an easy mistake to make

Jye

lol @ Brendan

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

I made the same mistake when I went back to the UK, my passanger never told me I was on the wrong side of the road, the look on the woman in teh escorts face as she came round the blind corner to be confronted by a Subaru heading towards her was a picture.

I also made a mistake of going round a roundabout the wrong way coming off the M6 into a service station but that is a nother matter

fortunately never made the same mistake twice either in Britain or in Germany.

jasey

Did they have their headlights on ?

Brendan Hughes

jasey

Glad you survived by the way .


Top tip - If you can't then I suggest you get your wife to do the driving

Suresh

You were lucky.

A couple of English lads made the same mistake in Zurich a couple of years back. I remember it cost at least one of them their life..

Touch wood, I haven't made the same error, yet...

Suresh

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I've done done upon arriving back in the UK twice now: I've pulled out of a supermarket car park onto the wrong side of the road.

Last time my dad was with me and he calmly said "are we driving in Spain now". Took me a second to realise what he said, until I saw a car comming the other way heading towards me - whoops, quick swerve back to the correct side and all ok, no harm done

stevencotton

I did exactly the same thing once in Larvik, Norway, fortunately the opposing car was a good 50 metres away!

When I lived in Copenhagen I came back to the UK for a visit, I was standing at a bus stop on an empty road in Abbots Langley for about 5 minutes when I realised I was waiting on the wrong side of the road for the direction I wanted to go in

Jap2Scrap

Now that's funny!

kbsub

A German driver did what you did on a road above Mevagissy [sp] in Cornwall , except the driver in a brand new XR2 coming the other way coudn't get out the way fast enough , they hit each other head on and yes the guy in the XR2 was me , I was ok , the girlfriend (now wife ) had a briused shoulder from the seatbelt and we went home in small Peugeot (106?) from the hire car company

17 years on I still watch cars with foreign number plates like a hawk

Brendan Hughes

Glad to hear you survived it.

Erm, I'm in Portugal with a Portuguese plate!!

Apparition

Did that very same thing on a left turn in Calgary once. The gods be praised it was a bank holiday, very little traffic about, just a beep from someone following (on the correct side of the road!)
Yve

kbsub

Wont be getting an hire car over there then

jasey

Brendan - maybe you should ask the mods to make this a sticky so we don't have to dig it up .

You **** one sheep ...