Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I used to love to drive until I had to do it in a big city. I hate it now as there isn't anything I can do about other people's bad habits. I still love to drive back roads but not the city mess.
I'm of the same opinion, used to love driving and had many sportscars but now driving is relegated to traffic jams in the city,no more fun.
One of my sons just got a job driving around one of those trucks with a big advertising sign on the back. He complains about how boring it is. I have a hard time with that. I love driving. Other than the pittance he is paid, is sounds like a great job to me. Within a certain area, he can drive it wherever he wants. When I get bored, I go for a drive - for fun. Sometimes I just keep driving all day, because I am enjoying it. I cannot see it getting boring ever. It might get tiring, but 8 or 9 hours is not that long. On road trips I often drive for 16 hours if necessary. I stop when I get too tired, but I am never bored.
Anyone drive all day and love it or hate it?
Why?
I enjoy driving my cars, not company vehicles or rental cars. I buy my cars because I like certain things about them, amenities inside the cabin, styling, handling, acceleration, space, etc. Now my primary fun driver is a highly modified 2001 Camaro Z28, driving an older car with very rudimentary technology that has a big engine and is fast is the most fun to me.
Wow! That's a lot of driving! Over 10,000 to 12,000 miles a month. That's hard core.
Extra zero probably. Since it is not freeway driving being discussed, that would be 10 - 12 hours sitting in a car 6 days a week. Not much of a retirement there.
Me and you both, I’m from London U.K., and in my mid twenties I got a job driving 18 wheelers from London to virtually anywhere in Europe, take the ferry from Dover to Calais, France, or Oostende, Belgium, then to Holland, Germany, Poland, Czechoslavakia (as it was then), Hungary, Austria, or take the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre, France, then France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia before it broke up, Greece and Romania.
In my thirties I did the intensive training course known as The Knowledge, to get my London taxi driver licence.
This took just shy of two years, you have to know virtually every street within a six mile radius of Central London, hospitals, embassies, stations, museums, you name it.
I drove my own taxi for almost thirty years, then hung up my green badge, I never want to touch a steering wheel again, if my wife wants me to drive her car, she has to hold a gun to my head.
The only time that I willingly get behind the wheel, is when we visit my French relatives with my wife’s car, she’s nervous about driving on the right with a RHD car, difficult to see around trucks to overtake.
When we’re in FL or GA though, I relax in the passenger seat of a rental.
Me and you both, I’m from London U.K., and in my mid twenties I got a job driving 18 wheelers from London to virtually anywhere in Europe, take the ferry from Dover to Calais, France, or Oostende, Belgium, then to Holland, Germany, Poland, Czechoslavakia (as it was then), Hungary, Austria, or take the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre, France, then France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia before it broke up, Greece and Romania.
In my thirties I did the intensive training course known as The Knowledge, to get my London taxi driver licence.
This took just shy of two years, you have to know virtually every street within a six mile radius of Central London, hospitals, embassies, stations, museums, you name it.
I drove my own taxi for almost thirty years, then hung up my green badge, I never want to touch a steering wheel again, if my wife wants me to drive her car, she has to hold a gun to my head.
The only time that I willingly get behind the wheel, is when we visit my French relatives with my wife’s car, she’s nervous about driving on the right with a RHD car, difficult to see around trucks to overtake.
When we’re in FL or GA though, I relax in the passenger seat of a rental.
I'm curious. Why doesn't the UK switch to driving on the right side of the road? Sweden did so in 1967. It would make a lot of sense to do so, especially with the Chunnel and ferries making it so easy to drive over to the Continent.
I'm curious. Why doesn't the UK switch to driving on the right side of the road? Sweden did so in 1967. It would make a lot of sense to do so, especially with the Chunnel and ferries making it so easy to drive over to the Continent.
Probably the same reason the US doesn't switch to metric. Too many people who can't deal with change. At least in their defence one-third of the world still drive on the left, and switching is a pretty complicated matter. We are literally going to be the last country in the world to switch to metric, which is a relatively simple matter.
I'm curious. Why doesn't the UK switch to driving on the right side of the road? Sweden did so in 1967. It would make a lot of sense to do so, especially with the Chunnel and ferries making it so easy to drive over to the Continent.
My first thoughts were, the enormous cost and disruption, my second, as a U.K. citizen with a more than strong blood link to France, was the undeniable fact that the goddam Brits just like to be awkward.
Then I thought, what’s the best way to find these things out, especially in this country, that’s it, go into a bar and throw it open to discussion, preferably before everyone gets totally wasted.
There were some weird and wonderful ideas put forward, but first, I’d mentioned Sweden’s conversion in 1967, so someone started Googling, and discovered that Sweden, at 441,370 sq km, is almost exactly the same size as California, at 423,970 sq km, a piece of cake in other words, it was so small it was easy.
I said to the Googler, now check U.K., this materialised to be 242,495 sq km, so I said we’re half the size of Sweden, wouldn’t it be just as easy?
The consensus was, “are you nuts, the population of Sweden is probably about the same as London, it must have been easy with only a handful of drivers, compared to U.K.”
I digress, one guy, (not drunk), said, “the vast majority of people are right handed, it makes sense to have your dominant, (right), hand on the steering wheel, while the less dominant left can switch gears in a stick shift vehicle.”
I said, “how come that I can rent a stick in Germany or Spain, steering wheel on the left, and can easily shift gears with my right hand?”
A two or three second silence ensued, then they chorused, “because you’re more of a Frog than an Englishman.”
You can’t argue with stupid, so I just told them that they were too dumb to have a sensible discussion with.
Their parting shot, as I raised a finger to signal for another vodka, was, “If the lovable Yanks are wondering why we don’t drive on the right, let them ask India, Australia, South Africa, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Eire, Pakistan, and New Zealand why they don’t either.”
Over to you Erik.
My first thoughts were, the enormous cost and disruption, my second, as a U.K. citizen with a more than strong blood link to France, was the undeniable fact that the goddam Brits just like to be awkward.
Then I thought, what’s the best way to find these things out, especially in this country, that’s it, go into a bar and throw it open to discussion, preferably before everyone gets totally wasted.
There were some weird and wonderful ideas put forward, but first, I’d mentioned Sweden’s conversion in 1967, so someone started Googling, and discovered that Sweden, at 441,370 sq km, is almost exactly the same size as California, at 423,970 sq km, a piece of cake in other words, it was so small it was easy.
I said to the Googler, now check U.K., this materialised to be 242,495 sq km, so I said we’re half the size of Sweden, wouldn’t it be just as easy?
The consensus was, “are you nuts, the population of Sweden is probably about the same as London, it must have been easy with only a handful of drivers, compared to U.K.”
I digress, one guy, (not drunk), said, “the vast majority of people are right handed, it makes sense to have your dominant, (right), hand on the steering wheel, while the less dominant left can switch gears in a stick shift vehicle.”
I said, “how come that I can rent a stick in Germany or Spain, steering wheel on the left, and can easily shift gears with my right hand?”
A two or three second silence ensued, then they chorused, “because you’re more of a Frog than an Englishman.”
You can’t argue with stupid, so I just told them that they were too dumb to have a sensible discussion with.
Their parting shot, as I raised a finger to signal for another vodka, was, “If the lovable Yanks are wondering why we don’t drive on the right, let them ask India, Australia, South Africa, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Eire, Pakistan, and New Zealand why they don’t either.”
Over to you Erik.
That is an easy answer. Because your left hand is on the wheel, and doesn't really have to do much work. There are only two directions you can turn the wheel. Your right hand is on the stick, and has to shift through a relatively complicated shift pattern. So your dominant hand is doing most of the work. Left side drive cars are best for right handed people. Right side drive cars are best for left handed people. So I'm guessing you are right handed. Nothing particularly unusual about it.
Been driving since I was 15 years old will be 63 this April and driving is way different because younger drivers think they own the road and that the traffic laws don’t apply to them, to much texting, and driving aggressively and to many hot heads behind the wheel today.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
