Driving on the Left...

You may or may not know that Australians drive on the left side of the road, opposite us in the United States. It has taken me a lot of time to get used to this concept and still find myself looking to the right first almost every time I go to cross a street. Luckily, my folks taught me well and I "look both ways before crossing the street." Up until Saturday night, however, I have not had a real opportunity to drive here in Australia. After watching Tom, Tom Crew, however, Jon decided to continue that night's adventures by making me drive home from the city center.

I must say that I didn't do half bad (at least on the driving on the left part). The real problem in Australia is the streets themselves. I find them somewhat confusing here at the start of my driving experience. There are a lot more traffic circles for example (almost no four way stops). The roads are littered with parked cars, bus lanes, bike lanes, and crosswalks. The markings on the roads are a bit confusing as well. I am sure I will get more accustomed to it as time goes on. I am a pretty good driver in my estimation, so it is simply a matter of time before I am comfortable (perhaps too comfortable) on the streets of Adelaide.

So, yeah, the left side of the road thing was not so bad. The funniest problem associated with this is the actual set up of the car. With the steering wheel on the right side of the car, many of the controls are opposite what they would be in the States. More than a couple of times now I have gone to flick on the turn signal (a lever on the left side of the steering column in the States) and turned on the windshield wipers! It was really funny to everyone in my car. It takes some real concentration to activate the turn signal with my right hand. That will come soon as well.

My only real concern then, is what will happen when I get home! I reckon the first thing I do is accidentally turn on the wipers instead of the turn signal.

In Christ,

Chris