My Uncle Dickie once told me that when you are driving a car at night, even if the lights of the oncoming cars were bright, you can easily manage just by looking at the line in the middle of the road. Ensure that the line visually intersects with a fixed place on your car’s hood and use that as a reference until the oncoming car has passed.
I used that technique to learn to drive even in daylight to maintain a safe distance from the center line, and by extension, the side of the road. It has helped me for my entire life as a driver. However, I didn’t think I would ever need to use it again . . . until this week.
Driving on the left side of the road in Ireland has been a learning experience. Everything is reversed so your brain should be able to make the transition after a few days just by doing the opposite. That’s fine and has worked well. However, as a driver sitting on the right side of the car, near the center line, I was having difficulty maintaining a safe distance on the left side of the car. More than once I drifted into bushes lining the road or an occasional curb that protruded into the roadway. And, I am not going to mention the cattle who flee when I come careening over the fjords. But, this is where Uncle Dickie’s advice was so valuable.
I have now made enough of an adjustment so I am not as much a danger to the cattle, poultry, and golfers wandering through the countryside. I will always remember his advice . . along with the fact that he caused me to lose most of my hair trying to invigorate a derelict golf game. Yes, it was Uncle Dickie who hooked me on the game when I was twelve.