RHD on Canada's Worst Drivers

[lrp374]

Last nights episode features a RHD in one of their tests. (It was not a Delica.) They treated it just like a regular vehicle - no big deal, just get in on the other side. If Canada's worst Drivers can drive on the right anybody can.

[strada-caster]

are you forgetting the girl smoked the windshield with a stationary camera? Although she couldn't decide wether or not to jump off the cliff or stay on without her husbands aprooval.

I could see this as good publicity...they didn't treat it any different than a LHD, no special instructions or lessons.

[jaggedfish]

It was a Nissan Fairlady. The reaction of the first lady was astounding! Whilst sitting in the left front seat... "The steering wheel is on the wrong side"... followed by... "Well, how am I supposed to drive it?" Ummm... get behind the wheel?... geez! Apart from the initial reaction there seemed to be no further unusual reactions and the drivers drove the same (albeit poorly) as if they were driving on the left.

The premise of the whole exercise was the high percentage of right-side collisions with obstacles would be decreased if the driver were to drive on the right side. While the CWD participants (as predicted) collided with obstacles that were on their left due to driving on the right, one could argue that in everyday driving there are far less obstacles (parked cars, street signs, pedestrians) on the left side than the right and thus there would be reduced number of collisions as a result of RHD vehicles. Hmmm.

As we've always said... it's not the side one drives on that makes one a bad driver... it's the driver!

[mararmeisto]

It was a Nissan Fairlady...

What was a Nissan 300ZX - in our market. Nice car, shame about the windshield.

I don't wholly agree with jaggedfish: I think the purpose of the event was to see if drivers unconsciously steer wide/clear of obstacles on their side of the car (the left for LHD). This was demonstrated quite well by the drivers who had the chance to drive the Fairlady: they all missed (or barely clipped) the right side mirror while driving the RHD car, but all clipped (or completely took out) the part of the arch on the left side. That being said, a lane that is more than 8' wide gives plenty of room to miss objects on the left and right, regardless of where the driver sits.

Almost all of the participants on CWD are at least one thing: UNAWARE. The driving-through-the-arches event demonstrates not only how unaware the drivers are of the edges of their vehicles, but for some of them how unaware they are of how their actions in a vehicle affect others.

[deli1733]

Sometimes i wonder if those are actors on that show. Like how does that lady actually not know that you have to sit in the right seat to drive the car... duh! That show is hilarious but it scares me that these people exist and are qualified to kill us.

[jaggedfish]

It was a Nissan Fairlady...

What was a Nissan 300ZX - in our market. Nice car, shame about the windshield.

I don't wholly agree with jaggedfish: I think the purpose of the event was to see if drivers unconsciously steer wide/clear of obstacles on their side of the car (the left for LHD).

Yes, I didn't really explain it that well because I was rushing when I wrote it. Seems I was using the same tactics as those who are against RHD's - use mis-information to further one's point of view. You said it better and I will crawl back under my rock...

[Paule]

Sometimes i wonder if those are actors on that show. Like how does that lady actually not know that you have to sit in the right seat to drive the car... duh! That show is hilarious but it scares me that these people exist and are qualified to kill us.

I can assure you that they are not actors.

"How do you know," you ask?

You may have seen me in the background, holding the microphone. Running for my life.


p


EDIT:
Mararmiesto, You are correct. The point of the exercise was to determine if poor drivers position a vehicle to protect themselves at the passenger's expense, regardless of what side they are driving from.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Whoa.

[mararmeisto]

Sometimes i wonder if those are actors on that show. Like how does that lady actually not know that you have to sit in the right seat to drive the car... duh! That show is hilarious but it scares me that these people exist and are qualified to kill us.

I can assure you that they are not actors.

"How do you know," you ask?

You may have seen me in the background, holding the microphone. Running for my life.


p


EDIT:
Mararmiesto, You are correct. The point of the exercise was to determine if poor drivers position a vehicle to protect themselves at the passenger's expense, regardless of what side they are driving from.

And here I was just worried for the host!

I know the people on the show are not actors: we've got a bunch of them living here in Victoria!

Back to the car though, shame about its windshield. BTW: where do the vehicles come from? Are they donated? Bought on the cheap? There is usually quite an assortment of really nice cars on the show, and it seems like such a shame to have them abused in the manner displayed each year. Are they police seizures? Is this year's Camaro still for sale?

[Paule]

And here I was just worried for the host!

I know the people on the show are not actors: we've got a bunch of them living here in Victoria!

Back to the car though, shame about its windshield. BTW: where do the vehicles come from? Are they donated? Bought on the cheap? There is usually quite an assortment of really nice cars on the show, and it seems like such a shame to have them abused in the manner displayed each year. Are they police seizures? Is this year's Camaro still for sale?

In the past the cars were bought on the cheap. Very often breaking down between driver's runs (some still do, but usually breakdowns are unavoidably caused by the drivers). But as the popularity of the show increases, so does the budget. Cars are chosen for specific characteristics - RHD, rwd, big sunroof - so there are some that make it back every season (5L Mustang) but usually they try to up the ante from the previous season. I'm not entirely sure where the cars come from; Craigslist, Auto trader, dealerships, offering $$ to some guy on the street... All I know is that the Camaro came straight off the assembly line.


p

[mycale]

"I know the people on the show are not actors: we've got a bunch of them living here in Victoria!"

Bad drivers in Victoria??? Nevah!! Victoria's driving woes are the result of cluelessness not badness