Stay Left

South Africa is one of the few countries in the world where you drive on the left side of the road. If you live in the US (or any right drive country) you might be thinking that it can’t be that hard to drive on the left. You’re wrong. It’s harder than you think.

I’m a very confident driver. I like doing it and I think I do it quite well. That got me the keys to one of the Toyota Corollas that we’re renting in SA. Van was voted driver of the other car. We’ve both done a good job ferrying everyone around so far, but we’ve had to work pretty hard at it sometimes.

One thing you first notice when you drive on the wrong (sorry, left) side of the road is that you have to think about it all the time. And I do mean ALL the time. I’m constantly telling myself “stay left”. Your automatic reaction is to drive on the right and if you let your guard down for just a second, you will find yourself over in the on-coming traffic.

It’s worst when there are not other cars around to follow. It’s much easier if you can see what others are doing. If the street is empty, and you fail to repeat the mantra “stay left,” you will find yourself heading the wrong way. It’s even worse at night. Somehow you go with what you know when you can’t see well. Not a good thing when the traffic doesn’t know you’re a silly yankee.

Luckily the cars are set up the same with foot pedals and transmissions. The clutch and first gear are all on the left. It can be a little tough to calibrate your left arm to find the right “H” pattern for third and fourth gears, but I’ve adapted well now. I’m getting quite comfortable with my driving now. I’m able to employ my aggressive city driving skills to help us get around well in Cape Town. This is all irrelevant though when we are trying to get 2 cars to the same spot at the same time. You know, it’s always hard to keep 2 cars together, especially in a city…that you don’t know…driving on the wrong side of the road.

One thing I didn’t realize when we first got in the cars is the fact that the turn signal is not on the left side of the wheel like it is in the US. They don’t switch most of the controls (pedals, shifter, key, air conditioning controls) but they do switch the turn signal. What genius decided that this was one thing that should flip sides of the wheel? When we first got in the cars, Van and I were turning on the windshield wipers every time we had to signal a turn. I have stopped grapping the wipers every time I want to turn, but I still put my hand on the stalk when I am surprised or hurried. I have learned to delay my signaling long enough for my brain to take over and say “use your right hand Steve.” It is entertaining for those in the car when you keep cleaning the window on a bright sunny day.

Another thing that entertains me is that I can’t make myself look to the center of the car to use the rear view mirror. I think today was the first time I actually looked up to the center mirror when I wanted to check the rear scene. It’s just not wired into me to look up and left. I use the side mirrors all the time, just like every good driver should, but I can’t look up and left for that center mounted mirror. Even when I do that my brain is a little confused as to what I’m really looking at. It just doesn’t register well. I’m much better now after almost a week of driving around Cape Town, but it was impossible for a while.

The Toyotas are anemic little cars, but they are fun to drive with nice handling and a smooth 6 speed gearbox. The cars are nice and small, which is very convenient when you see how small everything is here. Everyone drives little cars. I think I’ve only seen a couple SUV’s and I think my Subaru Outback would be considered a big car here in SA. I actually forgot how much fun a standard transmission can be. Everything here is standard. From what I’ve seen, they don’t even make an automatic transmission for these cars. At least there are no Cape Tonians lazy enough to actually pay for an automatic transmission upgrade.

Overall, I’ve been having a blast driving on the left. I like driving and I’ve really enjoyed the challenge this week. Van and I have been performing our duties well. But, if you see a Toyota Corolla heading towards you the wrong way with its windshield wipers going on a sunny day, give us a little extra room. We don’t mean to be a nuisance. We’re just trying to get to Green Market so we can buy some African trinkets from the locals.