Driving Orientation Map

by Willy Volk on

Heading to another country? Going to be doing some driving? Then you might want to check out Strange Maps’ strange map of driving orientation. Plotted by whether a country engages in left-handed or right-handed driving, the map looks vaguely like a map of the former British Empire.

In addition to the excellent map is an equally excellent history of driving orientation, explaining why humans started driving on the left side of the road (think: right-handedness and swordplay), and why France helped promulgate right-handed driving (think: they didn’t just become ornery).

In short, both the map and the words are worth checking out. So check them out.

French Drivers Crazier Than Usual

by Jonathon Morgan on

In France, it’s tradition for incoming presidents to offer pardons for traffic violations — everything from parking tickets to more serious infractions. The practice has been curtailed somewhat by current president Jacques Chirac, and it’s likely to cease altogether after the next election, but that hasn’t stopped the nation’s motorists from driving like crazy people.

The transport ministry released statistics earlier this week that show a 13.9 percent increase in vehicle-related deaths in January, suggesting that drivers are counting on presidential pardons when the new leader takes office in May.

According to Transport Minister Dominique Perben: “I hope that’s not what it is but it is probable that the vagueness which remains as far as the prospects of an amnesty are concerned may be involved.”

Obvious Travel Tip: when visiting France, stay off the roads.

Bad Drivers with Bad Directions

by Dave Luna on

The machines are carefully plotting their attack, and they’re using us as pawns in a very dangerous game of GPS chess. If you don’t believe me, have a look at these stories:

Last year, drivers in Luckington, Wiltshire blindly followed their GPS navigation systems like lemmings. A bridge in the area was out, but that blockage wasn’t reflected in the navigation system’s map. Although there were road signs stating the area was closed, motorists drove around the warnings and plopped into the River Anon.

Earlier this month, a German driver’s satellite navigation computer instructed him to “turn left.” So, what did he do? He cut the wheel to port, forced his Audi up a sidewalk curb, and got himself stuck on a streetcar track. He held up light rail service until a tow truck rescued him.

Finally, this post from Geekologie put some doubt into my mind whether I could trust directions from Google Maps anymore. It seemed the service became a little disoriented while plotting a course. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but I think I could charge Google with DUI… Directions Under the Influence. (See what I did there? I think I missed my true calling of writing for America’s Funniest Home Videos.)

I guess it’s easy to blame the computers for these types of mistakes especially if you were affected. However, the machines really did no wrong. If anything, they just wanted to help. The first two stories were caused by a dangerous combination of outdated maps and human stubbornness. I think the last one was just caused by some faulty logic.

Obviously, I’m kidding about any kind of artificial intelligence conspiracy. Why would they want to harm us? If anything, it’s the insurance companies that are behind all of this.

Driving a Piece of East German History

by Dave Luna on

Ever wonder what life was like on the east side of the Berlin Wall? Well, you can still experience a remnant of that bygone era behind the wheel of an East German icon: the Trabant. The Trabant’s determined 25HP engine and non-existent electrical system make the car resemble a riding mower more than a modern automobile, but that’s what makes driving one so exciting.

Tour company Trabi Safari maintains fleets of Trabants in Berlin and Dresden. Their tours marry sightseeing with a unique “do it yourself” experience as tourists drive themselves in authentic Trabants on the streets of Germany. Drivers receive a very short operations tutorial before the trip. (Instructions include: “This is the gas. Very important!” and “Don’t touch this button.”) After everyone is briefed, the Trabant convoy follows the tour guide whose voice is piped in over the car’s (aftermarket) radio. The hour and a half journey is really about piloting East Germany’s Ultimate Driving Machine, so the audio tour is fairly light on historical narration.

Tour prices range from 25 to 35 Euros per person and reservations are required. If German isn’t your thing, you will need to request an English language tour guide.

More Car Trip Manners

by Adrienne Wilson on

For most folks Labor Day marks the very last chance for a fun-filled family summer getaway before fall. If you hadn’t the chance to escape for a little relaxation on the sandy shores prior to this coming holiday weekend or its been a while since your last road trip, you may wish to freshen up a tad on your car manners. Most of us think we know how to act during a long countryside drive, but the truth is some of you don’t. I’m not going to point any fingers here and say it’s the kids, the poodle or the parents, but if you’ve got about 10 minutes, read over some of these tips by Angela Carr Patterson to help make your car trip pleasant. One of her suggestions is to enter the car by greeting everyone with a big smile. Sounds pretty basic and simple, but how many of you to fail to practice this one? Uh huh … just as I suspected.

via EURweb.com