Headlamps and other lighting equipment
Most low-beam headlamps are specifically designed for use on one side of the road or the other. Headlamps for use in LH-traffic countries have low-beam headlamps that "dip to the left", i.e., the light is distributed with a downward/leftward bias to show the driver the road and signs ahead without blinding oncoming traffic. Headlamps for RH-traffic countries have low beams that "dip to the right", with most of their light directed downward/rightward. Within Europe, when driving a vehicle with RH-traffic headlamps in a LH-traffic country or vice versa for a limited time (as for example on holiday or in transit), it is a legal requirement to adjust the headlamps temporarily so that the wrong-side hot spot of the beam does not dazzle oncoming drivers. This may be achieved by adhering blackout strips or plastic prismatic lenses to a designated part of the lens, but some varieties of the projector-type headlamp can be made to produce a proper LH- or RH-traffic beam by shifting a lever or other movable element in or on the lamp assembly.
Because blackout strips and adhesive prismatic lenses reduce the safety performance of the headlamps, most countries require all vehicles registered or used on a permanent or semi-permanent basis within the country to be equipped with headlamps designed for the correct traffic-handedness. In the UK, US government and military personnel who brought RHT/LHD cars with them used to 'trade' headlamp assemblies with a person returning to the US[citation needed]. The newcomer then had proper LHT lights and the US-bound returnee had proper RHT ones again. As most 50s-80s headlamps were interchangeable, this 'swap' could save motorists time and money.
Anecdotal reporters have observed the requirement to adjust headlamps for the traffic-handedness of the country is increasingly flouted, and is now rarely enforced by European police forces. In France, this may be due in part to the 1993 deletion of the previous requirement for Selective yellow headlamp light; foreign-registered vehicles are now much less conspicuous at night.
Without sidecars attached, motorcycles, motor scooters, mopeds, and bicycles are almost symmetric with their handlebars in the centre. However, motorcycles are often equipped with automotive-type asymmetrical-beam headlamps that likewise require adjustments or replacement when brought into a country with opposite traffic-handedness.
Posted by drunked driving at 7:15 AM 1 comments
Labels: Headlamps and other lighting equipment

Vehicles
Legal restrictions on "wrong-hand drive" vehicles
For safety reasons (and in some cases political or economic reasons), some countries have banned the sale or import of vehicles with the steering wheel on the "wrong" side.

Imported AMX from the United States with RHD assembled from CKD by Australian Motor Industries in 1969. Even the antenna location was changed.
In Australia this is the case with non-vintage (i.e. less than 30 years old) LHD vehicles, with the result that Australians who import such vehicles usually must pay sometimes thousands of dollars to convert them to RHD. The exceptions are for vehicles registered in Western Australia and the Northern Territory - both which have at various times hosted U.S. military facilities and had vehicles imported, used and sold by U.S service personnel in circulation. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) previously allowed non-vintage LHD vehicles to be registered, but changed its legislation some years ago.
In New Zealand, LHD vehicles may be privately imported, and driven locally under a LHD permit. Since 1999, only LHD vehicles older than 20 years or cars owned and operated for at least 90 days may be privately imported. Diplomats and Operation Deep Freeze personnel are exempted from these restrictions.
In the Philippines, RHD vehicles especially cars, are banned. Public buses and vans imported from Japan are converted to LHD, and passenger doors are created on the right side. However, some vans keep their doors on the left side, leading to the odd (and dangerous) situation in which passengers have to exit toward oncoming traffic.
Cambodia banned the use of RHD cars, many of which were smuggled from Thailand, from 2001, even though RHD vehicles accounted for 80 percent of vehicles in the country. The government threatened to confiscate all such vehicles unless they were converted to LHD, in spite of the considerable expense involved. According to a BBC report,[10] changing the steering column from right to left would cost between US$600 and US$2,000, in a country where average annual income was less than US$1,000.

A RHD Toyota Landcruiser in front of a Pyongyang hotel
Although it drives on the right, North Korea has imported various used RHD vehicles from Japan, from tourist buses to Toyota Land Cruisers.
However, many used vehicles exported from Japan to countries like Russia and Peru are already converted to LHD. But even if the driver's position is left unchanged, some jurisdictions require at least readjustment of the headlights.
Singapore bans LHD vehicles from being imported for personal local registration, but temporary usage by tourists of LHD vehicles is allowed. However, diplomatic vehicles in Singapore are exempt from the RHD-only ruling, and there are a few hydrogen and fuel cell powered LHD vehicles currently undergoing trials in Singapore.
In Taiwan, Article 39 of the Road Traffic Security Rules (zh:道路交通安全規則) require a steering wheel to be on the left side of a vehicle to pass an inspection when registering the vehicle, so RHD vehicles may not be registered in Taiwan. This rule does not apply retroactively so older RHD vehicles may continue to be legally driven.
In Trinidad and Tobago, LHD vehicles are banned except for returning nationals who were resident in a foreign country and are importing a vehicle for personal use. LHD vehicles are also allowed to be imported for use as funeral hearses.
In West Africa, once-British Ghana and Gambia have also banned RHD vehicles. Their traffic has been changed from on the left to on the right. Ghana prohibited new registrations of RHD vehicles after 1 August 1974, three days before the traffic change on 4 August 1974. RHD vehicles may be imported only temporarily into Sierra Leone, for example for humanitarian programmes, but must be rexported at the end of the operation.
Most of the above bans on RHD and LHD vehicles apply only to locally-registered vehicles. Countries that have signed the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic are not allowed to make such restrictions on foreign-registered vehicles. Paragraph 1 of Annex 5 states "All vehicles in international traffic must meet the technical requirements in force in their country of registration when they first entered into service". Therefore all signatory countries and most non-signatory countries allow the temporary import (e.g. by tourists) of foreign-registered vehicles, no matter which side the steering wheel is on. Oman, which has not signed the convention bans all foreign-registered RHD vehicles.[11]
Both RHD and LHD vehicles may generally be registered in any European Union member state, but there are some restrictions and regulations. Slovakia, despite being a member of the European Union, does not allow the local registration of RHD vehicles,[12] even if the vehicle is imported from one of the four EU countries that drive on the left (UK, Ireland, Cyprus, and Malta). Lithuania has prohibited new RHD vehicle registration since 1993.
Posted by drunked driving at 7:14 AM 0 comments
Labels: Vehicles

Left-hand traffic
Oncoming traffic is seen coming on the right side.
Right-turning traffic must cross oncoming traffic.
Most traffic signs facing motorists are on the left side of the road.
Traffic on roundabouts (traffic circles or rotaries) goes clockwise.
Pedestrians crossing a two-way road should first look for traffic from their right.
Most vehicles have a right-hand driver's position, instruments and controls.
Posted by drunked driving at 7:14 AM 0 comments
Labels: Left-hand traffic

Right-hand traffic
Oncoming traffic is seen coming from the left.
Left-turning traffic must cross oncoming traffic.
Most traffic signs facing motorists are on the right-hand side of the road.
Traffic on roundabouts (traffic circles or rotaries) goes anticlockwise (counter-clockwise).
Pedestrians crossing a two-way road should first look for traffic from their left.
Most vehicles have a left-hand driver's position, instruments and controls.
Posted by drunked driving at 7:13 AM 0 comments
Labels: Right-hand traffic

Traffic directionality
Traffic directionality refers to regulations requiring all vehicular traffic to keep either to the left or the right side of the road. Whether the right or the left is specified depends on the laws of each country. This is so fundamental to vehicular transport that it is commonly referred to as the rule of the road[1]. The purpose of the rule of the road is to facilitate traffic flow and reduce the likelihood of head-on collisions. About 34% of the world by population drive on the left, and 66% on the right. By roadway distances, about 28% drive on the left, and 72% on the right,[2] even though originally most traffic drove on the left worldwide.[3]
Posted by drunked driving at 7:12 AM 0 comments
Labels: Traffic directionality

In a more technological sense
The term has also been used for devices installed in a car, which observe the driving through electronic means, and inform the driver or a third party. Back Seat Drivers are moving Up Front by Anne Eisenberg in the New York Times, Feb 4, 2007.
Posted by drunked driving at 7:12 AM 0 comments
Labels: In a more technological sense

Back seat driver
A back seat driver is a passenger in a vehicle who is not in control of the vehicle and does not appear to be comfortable with the skills of the current driver and/or feels the need to tutor said driver.
Some backseat drivers exhibit this type of behaviour simply because they feel unsafe or out of control since they are not driving the vehicle and therefore are nervous and jumpy and overly anxious to give suggestions and criticisms regarding the current drivers actions. The Maine Department of Transportation has a web poster "Are you a Good Back Seat Driver?" asking "True or False: Being a Backseat Driver means it is okay to be noisy or distracting to the driver as long as you are giving them safety tips." The Inland Register produced by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane makes use of it in a sermon: "Even our phrase “back-seat driver” reflects this new-found freedom. Which of us who has graduated to the status of driver enjoys a passenger, especially one out of reach in the back seat, who seems to know how to drive better than we do? "
The Art of being a Backseat Driver in the San Bernadino sbsun summarizes various comments of the sort otherwise found in multiple blogs. Some are specialized, such as the Back Seat Driving blog, formerly the "LA Car Blog."
A famous example of a back seat driver is Hyacinth Bucket on the British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. The term is also used in Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars, an episode of Invader Zim A poem "The Backseat Driver" by Parick G Hughes appears in the Northern Ireland BBC Writer's Showcase.
It is even used as a deliberate game. In All things Considered on NPR for July 19, 2006, there is an account of a "Back Seat Driver competition in Forest City, Iowa. ... The event -- in which a driver races backward while blindfolded and instructed by the voice of a companion over an intercom -- is in its eighth year." It has even been noticed by People's Daily .
Posted by drunked driving at 7:11 AM 0 comments
Labels: Back seat driver
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Headlamps and other lighting equipment
Vehicles
Left-hand traffic
Right-hand traffic
Traffic directionality
In a more technological sense
Back seat driver
Minimum motorist ages
Driving laws
Driving as a mental skill
Driving as a physical skill
Driving skills
Driving

DRIVE SMOOTH N SAFE

Turn your headlights on anytime you need to turn your windshield wipers on--in rain, fog, sleet, freezing rain, or snow. It will help your visibility--and also help other drivers see you. (It's now the law in Maryland that you have to turn your lights on whenever you need to keep your windshield wipers on.)
If driving a white car during snow fall or after the snow has fallen, your car may be camouflaged by the snow. So turn on your headlights and make it easier for other drivers to see you.
In winter, keep an ice scraper with a brush in your car in case it snows or sleets. Also check that you have wiper fluid/de-icer in your car. If it gets messy while you are out, these will come in handy.
Double or triple the space you normally leave between you and the next car in wet whether. You'll need even more space to stop (up to ten times as much space) on slick roads.
Brake gently
Make sure your exhaust tail pipe is clear if you've had to dig your car out of snow or ice or if you've backed into a snow bank. If your tail pipe is blocked you could get sick or die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
When driving on slippery surfaces like ice or snow use gentle pressure on the accelerator pedal when starting. If your wheels start to spin, let up on the accelerator until traction returns.
Check that windshield washer works-you may need it in snow and sleet.
Watch out for severe weather warnings before you drive. If a strong storm come on while you're on the road and it's raining too hard to see, try to find a safe place to pull over until the worst of the rain is over. If you see a tornado coming your way, safey experts suggest you find shelter or if that's not possible, then get out of car and find a ditch to take cover in, protecting your head and neck. It's hard to outrun a tornado.
Listen to radio traffic reports and adjust your travel plans accordingly. (from *Drive Right book)
Keep windows and windshield clear. Make sure wipers are working. (*DR)
Leave a window open a little bit to keep windshield from fogging up and to give you fresh air. (*DR)
Watch for danger spots ahead. You've probably heard that bridges and overpasses may freeze before the roads do. (*DR)
When starting out in bad weather, test your brakes to see how far it takes you to stop. This tip was sent in by someone who didn't do this and ended up wrecking her car. She also called her dad on his car phone to tell him about the accident--and he was so upset, he wrecked his car, too. So her second tip is not to tell your parents that you've wrecked the car while they are driving.
If you are stuck in ice or snow, try putting your floor mats under the edge of the tires to give them traction.
Don't use cruise control in wet or slippery conditions. The cruise control may apply more throttle if the drive wheels start to slip.