RHD Safety

[nootkase]

As an RHD newby, I want to learn as much as I can about RHD driving before I find out the hard way. There is a lot of talk about safety issues, but few specifics that might be helpful. If our government and ICBC were actually concerned with safety, one might expect them to provide some guidance to citizens with RHD vehicles, rather than trying to start a witch hunt. I would like to see a list of the actual safety issues, and suggestions on how to minimize the hazards.

For instance, it seems to me that at any distance, the fact that the wheel is about 3 feet to the right is not of much consequence. Lane positioning does not take long to learn, and if you can't see to the left of a truck in front, you are probably too close anyway. Try backing off. You get a better angle and lots of time to peek and duck back. If you see a car coming and it's clear behind it, you can build up speed in your lane until it passes, then overtake.

I find parking and close maneuvering more of a challenge. I'm wondering if this is the source of ICBC's concerns.

I can see where doing a shoulder check for a left lane change is one sort of thing that needs practice. Are there other tips and work-arounds? Could this be a new section?

[g_man1972]

Hi there,

I have been driving for about 3 weeks in my Deli and I was pretty concerned as you are before I picked it up also. All I can say is that it is pretty much a non issue, I have yet to experience a time when I said "damn I cant see well enough sitting on the right" and I live in a busy part of the city with lots of big trucks. The trick that I found is for the first few hours keep your main focus on the lane line on the right, if you focus primarilly on the car in front of you you will drift over to the left as that is what your eyes are used to seeing, not saying don't look at what is in front of you, just keep a little more attention on the line, after a few hours it will become second nature and you won't have to do it anymore. As for parking, first time seemed weird, second time and the rest since, no problem, almost easier than a left hand drive. Parallel parking was his and miss (although I didn't hit anything ) on the first few attempts, but again didn't take long to get the feel for, can do it just as well as ever now. Don't worry about passing on the left as that doesn't happen much in these vans... speed machines they are not! But the times that I have, just remember that you can see over the top of 95% of the vehicles our there including jeeps/ suvs, caravans ect visibility is a heck of a lot better than you would think... I was pleasantly surprised.

Enjoy the weekend

[Adam]

I have to agree with most of these points. I find parallel parking easier, one because you can judge your distance to the curb better, and two, because of the front and rear parking mirrors. These vehicles are also relatively slim compared to similar capacity vehicles, which also helps with parking of any kind. I've had mine since April and it is easily the most fun vehicle to drive that I've owned. Once you learn how to use all the mirror on these beasts you'll be pleasantly surprise at the visibility you have.

[marsgal42]

I'm visiting family in the Cariboo at the moment (9.8 l/100km on the way up, BTW). My Mom had a go at driving Gumdrop, and it took her all of two minutes to acclimate. She had never driven RHD before. She is impressed at the comfort, and particularly likes the excellent visibility. My niece thought it was a hoot to ride in the front passenger's seat.

Do not make the mistake of buying in to ICBC's FUD. Because that's all it is.

...laura

[Green1]

I find parking and close maneuvering more of a challenge. I'm wondering if this is the source of ICBC's concerns.

close manoeuvres is where the advantages of RHD really show! parallel parking is a breeze because you're that much closer to the vehicles you're working around, you also have an advantage on narrow roads with oncoming traffic because you can better judge how close you can get to the edge (or the parked cars) to allow other vehicles past.

[nootkase]

If the consensus among RHD folks is that their unsafety is a myth, where does that myth come from? 1. Pathological greed of the auto dealers and their need for total control of the consumer?
2. Xenophobia, the fear and hatred of anything different?
3. Resentment many people have of others having too much fun?


I have seen a column in a flying mag "I Learned From That", wherein pilots confessed to mistakes they had made so that others might not have to repeat those errors. They also analyze every accident in an attempt to learn something of value from it. I would like to hear of the smash-ups, fender-benders, near-misses and so on that must happen, in order to know what to watch for. If there are 40% more claims from RHD's it would be worth knowing something about them. Insurance companies are only interested in probabilities, not causes.

any ideas?
...Bob

[Erebus]

If the consensus among RHD folks is that their unsafety is a myth, where does that myth come from? 1. Pathological greed of the auto dealers and their need for total control of the consumer?
2. Xenophobia, the fear and hatred of anything different?
3. Resentment many people have of others having too much fun?

All three would be my suspicion.

I've had my Delica for 2 months now, and it only a hour or so to get used to. But did notice for the first several weeks that if I was doing something else (changing radio, reaching for coffee mug, etc.) I would start to drift left. Figure it was cause the brain was using peripheral vision and trying to put me in the usual place in the lane. Not so good in a RHD when used to LHD. But since the Delica is so narrow, I never actually drifted out of my lane. Now it doesn't happen anymore, my brain has adapted.

Safety? A couple of years ago, on the job I had, every week for 6 months I was driving a different vehicle. So I never really got used to any one of them. BCIB would claim that was safer because they were all LHD. I'd say that is way less safe than driving the same vehicle for 2 months straight.

On an amusing side note, I just returned from a weekend-long search and rescue exercise in Grande Prairie. It was a 2 1/2 hour flight there and back, plus quite a few hours of flying while there. I'm a navigator, so I sit in the right seat and tell the pilot where to fly. So when we got back to Calgary, it felt entirely natural to sit in the right seat of the Delica and still be controlling the vehicle, just more directly this time

Visibility: as Green1 says, parking is easier. Most other times, the greatly improved visibility and height make for much better situational awareness. Occasionally, there are spots where I can't see because I'm either higher or on the right. But in my previous vehicle (Chevy Caprice) I had problems much more often because it was low, and you sit about 8 feet behind the front bumper (stupid long hood). Sometimes, coming out of a parking lot, the trees and such would completely block my view of traffic on the road. Now, in the Delica, since I'm only a foot or two behind the bumper, I have a clear view in that same spot.

The long and short is: if you can't see, don't pull out or pass or whatever. Nothing to do with RHD vs LHD. Just differences from one vehicle to the other, and that particular situation.

[josh]

Or just pass on the shoulder... then you can see everything clearly and you don't have to worry about hitting anyone right? (i wonder if the humour will be appreciated?) .

Josh

[Green1]

If there are 40% more claims from RHD's it would be worth knowing something about them.

You have to compare apples to apples, put it this way, collector cars in pristine condition are more likely to claim a parking lot ding than a 15 year old domestic rust bucket... does that make the rust bucket safer?
people are afraid of the unknown, people assume that RHD must be unsafe because everything around here is LHD, they never stop to question what difference it makes, or realize that us driving on the left hand side of the vehicle is really just a fluke left over from eons past.
they have decided that because the vehicles don't meet CANADIAN safety standards that they must not meet ANY safety standards, instead of realizing that the rest of the world has standards too, which are arguably much better than the Canadian ones these vehicles "don't meet" (never mind that they could exceed them, they just happen to be missing one little sticker)

[coaxial]

Is the bias issue not caused or partially caused by kids (brand new drivers and such) importing supras and skylines and various other 300+ horsepower cars for $10,000~ and crashing them horrifically? I hear of many many many cases of kids crashing skylines. I don't think it's a RHD/LHD issue, I think it is a too much power and speed for an inexperienced motorist issue

[Green1]

Even those haven't had an above average crash frequency... also note that even in that ridiculous study it shows that RHD vehicles have LOWER injury rates...
Keep in mind that those same "kids" that buy a high performance JDM would otherwise buy a high performance north american vehicle otherwise, only the north american one would be falling apart for the same budget...

When IVOAC spoke with ICBC they basically said that they couldn't really prove anything was wrong with RHD, but that they just KNEW there had to be and that they would find proof eventually... Nothing like starting with your conclusion before you do any research...

[sean]

After my wife got stopped by the RCMP today for so called compliance issues http://www.delica.ca/forum/installing-h ... -1294.html
I asked her if the police officer came to the right or left hand side of the vehicle. She said she came to the right.
I was thinking that we could petition the RCMP to support RHD drives due to safety concerns. They are safer pulling us RHD's over compared to LHD because they are not standing on the road.

How many officers are killed each year standing on a busy road giving a moving violation?
Sean

[Adrock]

sounds like encouraging cops to ticket us.... haha no thanks.