Driving in London

Driving in London is absolute chaos. Not because they drive on the left -- there's no clear advantage to right vs left, as long as everyone follows the same convention -- but many streets are so narrow, only one car can fit, and yet it is a two-way street! Drivers don't follow lane markers; it seemed you could park anywhere and in any direction (including the middle of the street, in some places); you don't stop at intersections; there are few crosswalks; the signs make no sense; and the road markings make even less sense.

Two weeks ago I read the Highway Code and the signs and road markings now make sense, but driving was still madness. So I did what any 16-year-old would do: I signed up for driving lessons. For an obscene amount of money, I had a two-hour lesson, and the instructor -- who was Nigerian but had lived in Miami and New York City -- stressed three main points: positioning, priority, and consideration. Positioning is where you put your vehicle, and it has nothing to do with lane markers; those can be helpful at times, and completely ignored at others. For example, if there are no cars parked on the left side, you should be a "drain's width" (about a foot) from the curb (or bicycle lane). If there are cars parked on the left, you should be a meter away to avoid car doors, because they have the "right" to open their door without fear, even if double-parked! (Try that in the US.) On narrow streets, with cars parked on both sides, that means you have to drive down the middle of the road! If there is oncoming traffic, then you need to slow down and get back on the left, or possibly even pull over in a really narrow road.

Priority is just that: Cars on main streets have priority over those entering from a side street, etc. There are two dashed lines at intersections to indicate "give way" and if you can see in both directions and determine it's safe to go before you reach those lines, then there is no need to stop. If there is traffic, you may need to stop, or even do a "creep and peep," but bottom line is you're responsible for pulling out. In a roundabout, you have to give priority to those already in the roundabout, those entering the roundabout from the right (unless you can safely enter before they get there), and oncoming traffic turning right (your left) because -- well, I'm not sure why, but you do. (Roundabouts are a whole different beast, and there's not much point to explaining them to anyone in the US, but there are guidelines for entering and exiting that make them more of a choreographed ballet than the free-for-all they appear.)

In my last email, I jokingly referred to consideration as determining priority, but it is actually the basis for determining fault. Unlike the US, where the laws (and lanes) are clearly defined to specify right-of-way, they have no concept of right-of-way here. As the instructor explained, if a pedestrian steps out in traffic and you hit him, the police look for skid marks: If you tried to stop, then it was the pedestrian's fault; if you didn't, then it's your fault, because you didn't give him consideration. If you were driving on the left and someone tried to overtake you on the right, but you suddenly swerved to get around a stopped bus and hit the other car, he was at fault -- because he should have realised you needed to go around the bus, and didn't show consideration. Similarly, if you are driving and an oncoming car swings into your lane to get around a stopped bus and hits you, it would be your fault if you could have anticipated this and moved over to the left!

Any set of rules will work as long as everyone follows them, but I think it's fantastic that they don't just have a different set of rules, but a whole different mindset. By making the driver responsible not just for his car, but really for the whole road, it makes it much more challenging, but ironically much safer. (The instructor told me the UK has the lowest incident of traffic accidents, per capita, in the world.) And it makes sense -- in the US, the rules are very specific in order to determine fault; here the rules are very loose, and fault is a judgment call based on the road and circumstances.

I think the most telling statistic about the safety of UK roads is that only 42% pass the driving test the first time. So now when I see people rolling through intersections, or driving 30 mph down the middle of a narrow road, or reversing around a corner, or driving into oncoming traffic, I no longer think of it as reckless driving, but controlled chaos, and I understand the method to the madness.

On Friday I will be taking my "theory" test and "hazard perception" test. Assuming I pass, I can then sign up for the practical (road) test, but I've been told there is a two-month waiting list!

P.S. Driving on the left is easier than it looks, probably because I've spent the last two weeks "thinking" about driving on the left. That is, I'd watch cars and imagine myself in the driver's seat, and when I was on a double-decker bus, I'd go up top and sit on the right, above the driver, and watch the road. (Being a passenger in a car didn't help because I was sitting on the left, so everything felt backwards.) The only thing I found difficult is that when turning right, you're supposed to go to the far-left lane. The US equivalent would be turning left into the far-right lane. Try it some time--I'm sure you'll find it just as disconcerting. (And should you hit anyone, you'll be at fault, because you didn't have the right-of-way.)