Lane Definitions

fletch

Right need some feedback on this?

See the attached pic....would I be correct in calling A the inside lane & B the outside lane?
However when on the roundabout I would call D the inside lane and C the outside lane.
Think about it! If you pass someone on the inside, then you pass them on the left but if you go around the outside of a roundabout then logically you would use the outer most lane.
My sis is learning to drive & there was some confusion/screamin/shoutin/cryin the other day when I told her which lane to get into.
I know the simple solution would be to use the words, left lane and right lane but it was just the terminology I used the other day & wondered afterwards was it a bit ambiguous?
Thanks Guys

BrianD3

I've never had this argument before but then again I don't attempt to teach (female) relatives how to drive

BrianD3

seamus

OK, for the purposes of roundabouts, I think everyone refers to them as "left-hand lane" and "right-hand lane". I get confused when we start talking inside and outside (long story).

Obviously you're the one in the wrong, since you change your language . For women what I find works best is "Get into the right-hand lane, then on the roundabout go into the rightmost lane, maintain that lane, then when you leave, don't cross lanes."

fletch

any other opinions?

a_ominous

"sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, SIR!"

In advanced driving parlance, the left lane/position is referred to as the nearside position and rightmost lane/position is the offside position.
Not entirely convinced of the benefit or origin of this terminology though.

Left / right works for me.

One thing that did just occur to me now though is that for selling books on advanced driving nearside/offside works for countries that drive on the left and right. Don't have to write a specific book for drivers of RHD cars.

BrianD3

Not entirely convinced of the benefit or origin of this terminology though

Nearside (or kerbside) and offside is to do with which side of the car is nearer the kerb (not clear from your post whether you knew that, you probably did however ) Passenger side and driver side would also work unless you were driving say a LHD car in a country where they drive on the left or vice versa.

Another advantage of saying "nearside" or "passenger side" instead of "left" is when you leave your car into a garage to get some work on one side of the car. If you say left, do you mean left looking forward from the drivers seat or left looking backwards from the front of the car. This confusion is eliminated if you use the nearside/passenger side terminology

BrianD3

ubu

I dont think the name you place on the lanes is that important, as long as she can actually understand the concept and the rules of the roundabout,now that i think about it I would be the same fletch and call the inside and outside approaching left and right and then swapped the names over on the roundabout but its hard to know what the actual (or if there is any) clarification on it would be.

As long as your sister doesnt do what i see on an all too regular basis which is in my attached pic, you'll have to excuse the crappyness of the illustration in the pic i have to blame my parents for not nourishing my artistic side as a child, but i think you get the message,
lane discpline is the most important thing on a roundabout not whether you call it the outside/inside, nearside/ offside etc

fletch

bump

Victor

I wouldn't use the phrases inside and outside as they are confusing. Likewise "offside" sounds like hte side away from the driver.

BrianD3 wrote:

Another advantage of saying "nearside" or "passenger side" instead of "left" is when you leave your car into a garage to get some work on one side of the car. If you say left, do you mean left looking forward from the drivers seat or left looking backwards from the front of the car. This confusion is eliminated if you use the nearside/passenger side terminology

Surely this can't be confused? The left hand head light is the left hand headlight, no matter what way you look at it!*

seamus wrote:

Obviously you're the one in the wrong, since you change your language . For women what I find works best is "Get into the right-hand lane, then on the roundabout go into the rightmost lane, maintain that lane, then when you leave, don't cross lanes."

??????

*unless you're a woman