I think this may be an artifact of "country" vs "city" rather than something peculiar to Ireland. Though I have my issues with right-hand-drive cars, I didn't think the Irish backroads were too bad. But I grew up in the country, and spent a good part of my boyhood on backcountry logging roads (best way to get to good camping/hunting/fishing spots). At least Irish lanes are unlikely to produce a speeding logging truck.Redwolf wrote:Sounds like my neighborhood! People from down in Santa Cruz are terrified to drive up here in the mountains, because most of the roads off the main highway are barely wide enough for one car (and often have a steep drop on one side, and great big mirror grabbing trees on the other). You get used to it if you live here, but every time my dad comes to visit, he arrives bug-eyed and shaking.
Redwolf
(My grandfathers on both sides were involved in logging in our area - my dad's father often hauled logs into the mill my mom's father ran. One of the stories they'd laugh over at family gatherings was the time my maternal grandmother met my paternal grandfather on the road - she unhesitatingly ran her car off the road to avoid his truck. A couple of days later he met her at the store. "Why'd you do that? I wouldn't have run you down, Kate." "It certainly wasn't obvious, Howard!")
Mind you, Irish backroads *are* narrow - but with a reasonable amount of caution they're easy enough to deal with. I have a lot more trouble in Irish (or English) towns - things happen faster and my reflexes take a while to adjust. But I'd far rather drive in Ireland than, say, Korea (Which drives on the right and has US-like traffic laws. And has more people than the entire population of Ireland in Seoul alone.)
