Driving on The Right in Ireland?

By Liz | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Ireland is so accomodating to tourists that they’re actually considering switching from driving on the left to driving on the right.

Ireland should consider giving up driving on the left to reduce accidents by foreigners accustomed to right side motoring, a senior politician said Friday.

Donie Cassidy, the leader of Ireland’s upper chamber Senate, cited Sweden — which moved to the right in 1967 — as an example of a country that switched decades after most of Europe did.

Ireland’s economic growth over the past decade has attracted tens of thousands of workers especially from central and eastern European countries. It is also a popular tourist destination for visitors from the United States.

I spoke with a friend from Ireland not long ago. He made quite a few cracks about American tourists coming over there with their Hawaiian shirts and sandals. Apparently only older people wear sandals in Ireland. He told me about the arrogance of many tourists who think that because they have a great-great-great-grandmother from there then they’re somehow more entitled to Irish heritage than Irish nationals. I’m looking forward to speaking with him about this latest debate, because he is a car fanatic, complete with different car covers for different events that he attends. He’s a member of some kind of sports car club in Ireland. I wonder if they’re part of the AA, saying this is an idiotic idea. I’m sure my friend thinks so.

Of course, it’s not just Americans who drive on the right side. Most European countries do too. And Ireland does, right now, have one of the best economies in Europe. It’s no wonder so many people are flocking there to get jobs. This then becomes a question of these people integrating into Irish society or Irish society bending to meet the needs of immigrants/tourists.

I know that if this was suggested in the U.S. what kind of reception it would get.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Sphere: Related Content

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically each day to your feed reader.