Posted: May-15-2008 05:22AM

Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything.
Charles Kuralt

Autox/Rallyx Videos

Posted: May-14-2008 10:57PM

www.MinisUnlimited.co.uk

Posted: May-14-2008 12:54PM

Yikes!

Quack.  Quack.   Orange Cream soda.  Shaken, not stirred.
Served with a side of melted peanut butter toast.

Posted: May-14-2008 12:17PM

I believe you can pass any side u want on this setup!

Martin.

My mind's made up - don't bother me with facts!

Posted: May-14-2008 10:39AM

Interesting.  Traffic Circles.  I always thought that the car already in the traffic circle has the right of way.

When turning left (in the USA).  The narrower the street, the more apt that you will turn left in front of the car turning left in front of you.  We have a 4 lane road with a decent median.  The median is wide enough that you can stop in the median without blocking traffic.  when I turn left here, I stay to the right, and would pass behind another car turning left that is coming towards me.  This is because I would be following the traffic flow of someone who might be crossing the main road, and I would also be lined up with the exit road/driveway when exiting the main road.  It also means that I would not be directly facing a person trying to enter the intersection from the road I was trying to exit to.  I think that it is primarily up to how wide the intersection is.

Quack.  Quack.   Orange Cream soda.  Shaken, not stirred.
Served with a side of melted peanut butter toast.

Posted: May-14-2008 10:09AM

I can't quite agree that that's "intuitive." I've spent a lot of time in the Midwest (KS, NE, OK, IA) as well as living in Calif, and turning before passing seems more the norm. This was exceedingly confusing to me when I drove in France, however, because there, they pass and then turn behind the facing car. Got lots of honks and puzzled looks until a French friend educated me.

Posted: May-14-2008 08:36AM

When he says "pass then turn", I think he means, at an intersection. Not passing a slower car while driving down the road.

On a normal "X" intersection, two lane to two lane, it is normal to turn after opposing cars have passed by each other. But for some intersections, like a large, divided road, in Michigan anyway, many large intersections have lanes marked by painted, dotted lines on the pavement, preventing the turning cars from passing and turning (the painted lines want you to turn in front of each other, rather than turning after you pass by each other). Where I have seen these they have made sense, based on the layout of the large, divided intersection.

On a little, side road intersection, it is intuitive to turn "behind" the oncoming car ("pass, then turn").

Norm

Posted: May-13-2008 12:21PM

Charrison,

Really??? Around here that would look like bumper cars.  
But, there again, a few miles from my house is a traffic circle that has the oddest protocol I've ever seen... If you're traveling from the main north south roadway, you have the right of way... If you're on any of the other intersecting roads, traffic in the circle has the right of way. Strange and a regular source of bent fenders. 

Posted: May-13-2008 11:45AM

However, local customs sometimes dictate otherwise, for instance if the roads are really narrow, there may not be space to pass & turn. It takes less space to pass in front.

Posted: May-13-2008 11:37AM

The rule in England is to keep left except to pass.

The way people drive in the US is the same way.

Posted: May-13-2008 11:15AM

kra, The Highway Code states that you should keep left,except when overtaking.Unfortunately,once drivers pass their Driving Test,they forget what the code says. I've been on the Motorway and kept pace with cars hogging the Middle and outside lanes for miles. I actually prefer the American system where you can pass both sides,wakens the dozy buggers up. I also like the fact that the local Licence Office in US, GIVES you the Rules of the Road for FREE. In the UK you have to BUY IT,and it aint cheap.

"Come to the Edge"he said,"I'm afraid"I said,"come to the Edge"he said, I did...and he pushed me off,...and I FLEW.

Posted: May-13-2008 10:22AM Edited:  May-13-2008 11:47AM

Got to say that I'm a little confused about this. American drivers turn left ahead of one another, nearly always. I've always understood that British drivers turn right after passing one another, but have just read a UK drivers ed website which says nearside to nearside turning is generally the prefered method, though both are still technically correct. Which is more done in practice? It's been about 4 years since I was last in the UK, and I don't remember which I found to be more common.