New car
Well, actually, no on this one. I want to buy a car, but to do that, you need to get car insurance, and to get car insurance, you need to have an Ontario drivers license. You can exchange one - hand in your New Zealand license and proof of over 2 years of experience, and go straight to doing the G2 (full license) test. However, once you've done the written test, you're a G1 (learner) driver - so that means I could drive to the writing test, and not be able to drive home without my Mum in the passenger seat. And it's possibly a two month wait on getting a G2 booking. The system sucks, and I'm going to put it off as long as possible. Which means lots of driving a rental car, unfortunately with nowhere to park it as the underground garage in our building is being resurfaced. The jackhammers start at 8.10am without fail.
I've received two parking tickets (two more than my entire driving history in New Zealand) and backed into one parked car.
Driving on the wrong side of the road is something you adjust to in stages - if you're a passenger first, you get used to sitting in the "drivers spot" and not having a steering wheel, and you get used to what side of the car to walk to. Then you adjust to what side road signs are on.
When you start driving yourself, what side of the road you use is actually easy, assuming there's other traffic around. It's the other little things - the gearstick and handbrake being on the wrong side, the seatbelt being pulled down from the other side, and having to look over the other shoulder while reversing. It's that final thing that lead to the parked car incident in the dark parking lot last Monday.
Eventually it all comes together, and you don't stress any more. Except, of course, when you are changing sides again in six weeks, for three weeks...
Tags: canada
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Actually a G2 is not the full licence, there is the G1, G2, and G. The G2 allows you to drive alone, but if you don't progress to a G within (I think) 2 years, your G2 expires and you go back to a G1.
Yeah, the G2 test is the name for the "exit G2, go to G" test. We have a similar test in NZ.
The main problem we have with Canadian and US drivers is they actually stay too far to the left and end up hitting parked cars. One poor lady had the car for 20 minutes and smashed into 2 cars by the Auckland Uni.
one really good method is we tell customers to wind their left sleeve right up, it helps the brain to adjust