Since moving to Japan and getting my Japanese driver's license, people ask me all the time what it's like to drive on the wrong side of the road. They always want to know if it's scary and how long it takes to get used to.
Contrary to many people's expectations, the truth is that it's not scary, and it doesn't take much time to adjust to at all. In fact, it's surprisingly normal. When other cars are on the road, you either follow them or you base your lane position on them and, quite naturally, you know what to do.
You are just driving a car after all, which is something you already know how to do.
Occasionally, yes, when there aren't any cars on the road to guide you through your turns, you will encounter moments of confusion or hesitation. Understanding new traffic laws, signs, and etiquette will take some time to adjust to as well. But driving on the wrong side of the road, that part is easy.
There is one thing, however, that is very difficult to adjust to and can take months to overcome. It is something that can be quite alarming and could easily get you into an accident.
Can you guess what it is? Before reading any further, stop and think about it. What's your guess?
The hardest thing about driving on the wrong side of the road is using your turn signals.
That's right, your turn signals. And your windshield wipers too.
You see, the turn signals are always located on the outside of the steering wheel, near the driver's side door, and the handle that operates the windshield wipers is always located on the inside of the steering wheel. If you are accustomed to driving a car that has a steering wheel on its left side, without thinking, you will automatically reach out with your left hand when you want to activate your turn signal. Doing so, however, will cause you to turn on the car's windshield wipers instead of the turn signal when driving a car with a steering wheel on its right side.
That might not sound dangerous, but believe me, it can be. When you are focused on other things like oncoming traffic, watching out for pedestrians, navigating a turn, etc and your windshield wipers suddenly pop up and screech across a dry windshield,
It can startle you, and
It can send you into a panic because figuring out how to quickly turn off your windshield wipers and hurriedly turn your blinker on isn't as easy as it sounds. Overcoming muscle memory and the training of your brain takes time.
Like most things in life, the biggest and most obvious changes are the easiest to get used to. It's the little changes, the changes to things we don't realize are there and don't notice ourselves doing that take the most time to adjust to.
It's not the changes to what we perceive as normal that are difficult to overcome, it's the changes to what we don't even realize our normal IS that pose the biggest obstacles for us.