Cape Town Series: Driving on the Left-Hand Side of the Road

Countries Where People Drive on the Left-Hand Side of the Road (in yellow)
http://www.drivingdirectionsandmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/map-of-left-right-driving-countries.jpg

Thirty-five percent of the world drives on the left-hand side of the road, according to National Geographic. South Africa is one of those places.

Michelle and Joe at Cape Point

Michelle and I decided to rent a car for a couple of days while we were in Cape Town so that we could see some of the sites outside the city. Some of the sites included: Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Chapman’s Peak Drive, Cape of Good Hope, and Boulder’s Beach. (I’d recommend going to all of them!)

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

It’s a bird bath – get it?! :P

Between the two of us, we decided I should be the driver and Michelle would handle navigation. Back in the US, Michelle and I learned that we fit best into these roles because driving stresses Michelle and I get distracted when I’m in the passenger seat, which means I don’t do well giving directions.

One of Many Gorgeous Views along Chapman Peak Drive

It had been nine months since I drove a car, which meant I was very excited to get behind the wheel. It reminded me of the time I first got my license. I started with my learner’s permit when I was 15 years old, and I went for my license when I turned 16. I also recalled my parents’ nervousness and trepidation about me getting into an accident. Before leaving the house, my mom would always tell me to be careful; especially when others were in the car because everyone, myself included, were “precious cargo”.

A Bench Overlooking the Beach

In addition to the excitement, I felt nervous. Not only had it been so long since I had driven, but I was in a different country with a different set of laws governing the roads; namely, driving on the left. I was mostly worried about turning into the wrong lane. It was very disorienting making a right turn and going into the opposite lane. Thankfully, I had Michelle with me, so we worked as a team to make sure I didn’t have any mishaps. We actually worked out a system so that she could tell me if I was hugging the left-hand side of the road too closely. (I found that I had a hard time judging the distance on the left-hand side of the car.) Anytime that I got too close, Michelle would say, “lane” and I would move closer to the center line.

Sea Mist Floating onto the Beach

I did have one incident while I was driving. Michelle and I went to pick up a couple of friends, and while I was parking the car I accidentally swiped the side of a planter. The planter, being made of brick, was unscathed, but the car didn’t fair so well. I put a nice set of scratches in the bumper. Later, when we returned the car, the attendant at the rental place was calm and told me not to worry about it. She said it happens quite a lot; especially with people from other countries. This eased my mind because I was upset with myself for having scratched the car.

All in all, I was happy that Michelle and I had the car because it enabled us to see some amazingly beautiful places. It was also very freeing to be able to hop into the car and drive wherever we wanted. Please note: I have gratefully appreciated the public transportation that’s available throughout South Africa. Further, Michelle and I have talked off and on about living somewhere with decent public transportation so we don’t have to rely on a car to get around. It was nice, though, to have a car to get around on our own terms; even if it was just for a little bit.

Matt, a fellow PCV, Joe, and Michelle at the Cape of Good Hope

When we returned the car, I was sad not to have it any longer. I was also relieved to be without the car because I didn’t have to worry about parking, watching out for other drivers, and, of course, turning into the wrong lane.

Gazing into False Bay