Wrong side of the road???

Travel discussion for St. John
Post Reply
User avatar
nothintolose
Posts: 1960
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:36 pm
Location: New Orleans, LA

Wrong side of the road???

Post by nothintolose »

Okay - how many of you have trouble when you get back stateside driving on the wrong side of the road after being in the VIs???

It's been a little over a month since we have returned, and I am STILL doing it.

The sad part is, I never drive when we are down there :?

Just wondering if I am the ONLY one having these problems. It happens EVERY time we come back and if if I am not actually doing it, I have to tell myself in my head which side I should be on.

nothintolose
California Girl

Post by California Girl »

I found myself driving on the wrong side on STJ a few times, but went right back to driving on the right once we got home. But I'm left-handed & dyslexic... suppose that has anything to do with it? :roll:
cat
Posts: 1013
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2006 12:55 pm
Location: Lafayette, LA

Post by cat »

I was driving in the right lane but thinking that I was in the wrong lane. Just as I started to switch over another car turned onto the road I was on and I realized that even though it didn't look right it was!
Connie
Posts: 1940
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:20 pm
Location: Philly burbs

Post by Connie »

Husband does most of the driving on the islands and i'm the lookout. When we're down there i'm constantly saying or yelling "left, left, left!!" and don't forget to look right.

Last time we got home, he came out of a driveway, was on the left hand side of the road and a truck was coming right for him. He really didn't know what to do and i'm sitting next to him STILL yelling "left, left, left!!". Got a good laugh out of that.

Funny how fast you do learn to drive on the left hand side.
User avatar
Tracy in WI
Posts: 1624
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 8:39 am
Location: Wisconsin

Post by Tracy in WI »

This is so funny! I do alot of the driving on STJ since it is so much fun and I never have problems while there. But, when I get home, the same thing happens - I keep having to remind myself and think which side of the road I need to be on!

Tracy
Tracy, Seaside Properties at Grande Bay
jimg20
Posts: 1840
Joined: Mon May 28, 2007 11:43 am
Location: Fayetteville, AR

Post by jimg20 »

I haven't driven in STJ, but I thought about that just the other day. I was on a narrow winding road and thought to myself, "shouldn't I be on that side of the road?" :? :o

I need more Beach Therapy! 8)

JIM
Man it's like some dream we live down here....

Image
jmq
Posts: 2373
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 9:32 am
Location: NJ

Post by jmq »

I have a tougher time re-adjusting to the speed when you get out of the airport parking at home and get on the interstate it feels like you are going 100mph.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
User avatar
Steve S
Posts: 1052
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 4:31 pm
Location: Southern Adirondacks

Post by Steve S »

Never found myself on the wrong side, but have had several "hey wait, is this the correct side?" moments. Something that definitely never happened before the STJ trips started.
User avatar
RickG
Posts: 5397
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2006 3:06 pm
Location: Coral Bay, St. John

Post by RickG »

I find the transition going home harder than getting on island. I get those "Am I on the wrong side feelings" routinely.

I also find driving in the UK very different from the the Virgin Islands. It's always embarrassing when I get in the left-side passenger side of the car when I'm driving. I did one time rent a right-side drive car on Tortola, that was interesting.

Cheers, RickG
S/V Echoes - Coral Bay - St. John, VI
User avatar
nothintolose
Posts: 1960
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:36 pm
Location: New Orleans, LA

Post by nothintolose »

Rick - you just reminded me of our trip to England where they gave us a stick shift car when we had requested automatic so not only was the SO driving on the other side of the road in the wrong side of the car trying to shift with his left hand. Talk about a nightmare!

Oh, and EVERY time we turned a corner, he knocked a hubcap off. His son would get out, get it and put it back on till eventually we left it off till the end of the trip.

Much prefer the BVI way.

This afternoon when I was a passenger, I almost told the driver to get on the other side of the road!

nothintolose
User avatar
Maryanne
Posts: 905
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 6:09 pm
Location: Massachusetts

Post by Maryanne »

Weird to see this post, because I was JUST driving home down a dark, tree-lined country road near here and I had such an urge to drive on the left! And I got to thinking about how normal it feels to drive on the left on STJ. And how easy it is to transition back to driving on the right here.

That being said, my husband's from Ireland, and I have a really hard time with the right-hand steering wheel, left-hand side of the road thing in Ireland. I have to constantly remind myself at rotaries and such, to stay on the left.
User avatar
Bob & Anita
Posts: 611
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:20 pm
Location: Charlotte, NC

Post by Bob & Anita »

Steve S wrote:Never found myself on the wrong side, but have had several "hey wait, is this the correct side?" moments. Something that definitely never happened before the STJ trips started.
Steve S perfectly describes our situation. There are times when we still have to think, "I'm on on the correct side of the road?" It seems to happen mostly when we are in our neighborhood, windy roads or roads with low speed limits.
Bob & Anita
Nic in KC
Posts: 1015
Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2006 9:45 am
Location: Kansas City

Post by Nic in KC »

Just drove for the first time this morning. I'm the driver for the most part on island. Hubby drives most at home so he drove all day yesterday and when I pulled out this morning I almost pulled into the wrong lane. My brain took no time to adjust when arriving on island, but it did coming home. Too funny!
Post Reply