Believe it or not, my life here in the UK is threatened. Within the last two days I nearly died three times! A pirate wouldn’t be the first thing coming to your mind while thinking of a Brit, but let me tell you this: Britons are true road pirates sailing down streets with four wheels. Here is what happened.
As you know I always walk to school. On this thirty-minute promenade or hike, depending on my mood and physical appearance, I have to cross roads and streets about nine times. On the bridge I usually face a particularly dangeruos situation. With cars racing over this narrow bridge, I need to find a gap to cross it. If I get lucky I find a big one. If not I have to risk a smaller one which motivates the next upcoming car to accelerate like he gets extra points for hitting a pedestrian. I literally had to run/jump off the road to save my beloved life – without exaggerating!
Looking back a few weeks I actually thought Christchurch could be a really dangerous place for a cautious Swiss. It all started when my host dad picked me up from the airport. After successfully calling for shotgun, even though there was only the two of us, I embarked on the little red car from the wrong side. Driver’s seat is on the right and shotgun is on the left. The next big shock came after we entered the first roundabout. I seriously thought we are going to die but of course driving on the left side also means entering the roundabout from the left and going clockwise. The confusion didn’t stop after that. Entering the bus from the wrong side, looking in the wrong direction whilst trying to cross the street, getting confused how to overtake someone, are just a few examples.
Consequently I wondered why the British were still driving on the left side of the road. With my teacher claiming the British had built the first roads and for that everybody else should change, we came up with some more ideas why this will never happen. Just imagine how long it would take to change all the infrastructure. Turning over all the road signs is just the beginning. Money is another reason. The Brjtish government has made research of how much it would cost and after the sum went over a trillion they stopped calculating. Last but not least, a change would also cause many dead people who were forced to accustom the new system.
If England doesn’t change, I guess I have to get used to it. And as politely as an Englishman is, in London they put neat little warnings on the road which remain you in which direction you have to look. First right and then left. It’s as simple as that!
Have you every experienced “left-road-driving” and almost died?
PS: I have a strong feling that there are loads of mistaces. So please don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments.
England 
8 Comments
