Left Hand Drive

[Busybeeyellam]

Hello, I've just purchased a 1997 Burstner i572 left hand drive. I chose left hand drive because I intend to spend much of my motorhoming in France. My questions are : How quickly do you get used to driving a left hand drive vehicle... to the gears and handbrake not being where your used to.... to the different 'spacial awareness' ; particularly on UK roads.... and is it easier when your driving in Europe ?

 

[Manic]

It didn’t take long to get used to driving LHD.
I find it easy in the UK because you can easily see how close to hedges etc you are.
I line up different parts of the wipers so I can judge where on the road I’am.

 

[Rob Turner]

It’s real easy. I’d rather drive a lhd in Britain where I know the road system a lot better than drive a rhd in other countries where it’s all a bit different if that makes sense.
Ive driven lhd trucks on the continent and it’s a hell of a lot easier especially on roundabouts.

 

[Nasher]

When paragliding guiding in Slovenia, I used to drive both LHD & RHD minibuses, often both on the same day. Only problem I found was which side the wiper or indicator stalk was on!

Gears never an issue, handbrake on many vans can be by the drivers door or central so not necessarily a LHD/RHD issue

Just take it easy and you'll be fine

 

[WillH]

When I went to Sweden or Germany on business I would always request an automatic hire car, got fed up bashing my knuckles on the door looking for the gear lever.

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[Southdowners]

We both prefer driving a LHD vehicle both here in the UK and on the continent. We don't travel much in the UK - mainly just to and from the tunnel but obviously it makes life easier driving abroad. You'll get used to it very quickly.

 

[Lenny HB]

Last 2 vans have been LHD, much prefer them, both auto so that makes life easier. Can be a bit daunting on narrow roads with big hedges in the UK feels like you are driving into the hedge.
Only takes a few miles to get used to LHD but if it's your first A Class the spacial awareness does take a while.
Over the ditch makes life so much easier, our annual mileage about 1000 in the UK and 8000 - 9000 over the water.

Another big bonus is they are so much easier to sell/trade when it's time to change vans. You can sell/trade in any country. Abroad selling prices are lower and trade in prices higher than in the UK as they work on smaller margins.

 

[Lenny HB]

got fed up bashing my knuckles on the door looking for the gear lever.

Been there done that.

 

[tacr2man]

With LHD in UK , use your mirrors even more than you usually do , this helps your brain build a spatial map . The reference mark on dash/windscreen point is helpful when getting the spatial awareness map set up . They are a pain when you get behind something large and slow moving , particularly if driving solo , as you have to be really careful about getting a view to enable an overtake. I have a forward facing camera on o/s (UK) which helps a lot with an RV that is max width for vehicle in UK ! The up side is definitely you don't get these problems when traveling in a foreign environment .

 

[jo10000_6]

I’m new to a motorhome and bought a LHD last year.
I have to agree with everything said above - very quickly.
Initially you use mirrors more than you would normal then after a little bit back to normal mirror use (motorhome mirror use)
The comment above is very true about the spacial map .....I wouldn’t have thought of the words but I realise now I have done just that.
I tend to have the right hand window net curtain open if travelling on my own and just position myself at the junction to see out of that.
But honestly it becomes second nature very quickly.

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[jollyrodger]

All as the previous post LHD
Easier in the UK ,just position yourself at a better angle when at junctions at roundabouts .

 

[dabhand]

Never had a RHD motorhome in 30 years, on narrower roads with a white line you will drive with your wheels over it from time to time as your reference point is often the hedge/trees/wall on the left so the tendency is to drift a bit, hence constant use of wing mirrors particularly with oncoming traffic!

 

[nicholsong]

I have posted this before but, whether it is for LHD in UK or RHD on Continent I believe good parabolic mirrors giving 45 degree view at slip roads are essential. Once yo have got them you wnder how you managed without.

There - I have said it again.

 

[pappajohn]

In the UK, once you get the near side in a usable position you have no choice where the offside is. If its over the center line on narrow lanes etc you just have to be careful with oncoming traffic.

 

[SpeedyDux]

The only sort of place in the UK I've had a problem with LHD is on the very short slip roads for joining the Hog's Back, in the dark. Otherwise, quite easy.

Switching from RHD to LHD and back to RHD the habit that takes some adjustment is which way to turn to view the windscreen mirror! That mirror is probably the least important rear view mirror in a MH. Mine doesn't have one. Gear lever not a problem, because I prefer auto.

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[nicholsong]

The only sort of place in the UK I've had a problem with LHD is on the very short slip roads for joining the Hog's Back, in the dark. Otherwise, quite easy.

Switching from RHD to LHD and back to RHD the habit that takes some adjustment is which way to turn to view the windscreen mirror! That mirror is probably the least important rear view mirror in a MH. Mine doesn't have one. Gear lever not a problem, because I prefer auto.

We have a RHD MH and a LHD car. I have no problem switching but then I had been hiring LHD crs in various countries for years before moving here.

Even in the car I do not really use the interior rear-view mirror, because even before the MH I had for 10 years been driving vans and trucks without one. We did not have one in aicraft either

Geoff

 

[Lenny HB]

I also have no problem swapping from LHD Motorhome to RHD car not even conscience of it just hop in either one and drive.
A far bigger problem is remembering to drive on the left in the UK, as these days we do a lot more miles in the Motorhome of which very little is in the UK.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Right handed, LHD works best for me on a Manual.

 

[pandas]

RHD as the UK is by far the most congested so prefer RHD here even though most of our trips are in Europe.

 

[Graham of Madrid]

Blind spots

My daily driver here in Madrid is a UK RHD car and I've stuck an additional mirror onto the regular door mirror on the passenger side. It provides me with more information about what is happening in my blind spot on my left behind me and to the left of me. It's been a life saver.

I would contemplate doing something similar in the UK with a LHD vehicle, fitting a small blindspot mirror on the right door mirror (passenger side) as the blind spot would be towards the right of the vehicle

In both instances you need it if you want to overtake by changing lanes and means you don't have to physically turn your head and look behind you which you cannot do with a motorhome.

My theory anyway !

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[Khizzie]

All as the previous post LHD
Easier in the UK ,just position yourself at a better angle when at junctions at roundabouts .

Same as RHD in Europe. Lol

 

[Puddleduck]

Our old Hymer was the size of a single decker bus and LHD.

I always took the view that cars were able to move round me much easier than I could move round them...... if I needed to be part way into the "wrong" lane at junctions in the UK then so be it. Today I would have cameras set up.

LHD across the channel is easy.

 

[Busybeeyellam]

I've now driven my motorhome several times on different routes and feel much more confident . Thanks for all the advice.

 

[Aerialmark]

Sorry to butt in but we are just in the process of looking and buying a MH but have not considered Lhd. Would there be any difference in insurance buying a left hand drive MH as opposed to Rhd ?

 

[bellabee]

Sorry to butt in but we are just in the process of looking and buying a MH but have not considered Lhd. Would there be any difference in insurance buying a left hand drive MH as opposed to Rhd ?

Not in our experience

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[Aerialmark]

Thankyou

 

[Reallyretired]

I have had both LHD and RHD motorhomes, getting used to them is a matter of minutes. I also regularly drive two manual and one automatic, no problem it just happens naturally.

 

[XYL]

Sorry to butt in but we are just in the process of looking and buying a MH but have not considered Lhd. Would there be any difference in insurance buying a left hand drive MH as opposed to Rhd ?

When enquiring with Comfort and Safeguard we were advised no difference in price but they need to know.