Hi,
I come from India and hence habitual of driving cars on the left. I recently started driving car in Zurich and yesterday mistakenly while making a right turn I drove to the left hand side of the ride and crossed a traffic light in reverse. This was after 9 PM, there were no cars on the other side, I quickly corrected my mistake.
But now I am panicking how serious of an offence this would be and what would be the implications in this case.
Will I never be allowed to drive again in Switzerland or gonna be asked to leave Switzerland or something even worse?
No need to panic. Coming from England I've done it once or twice. (And also while driving my Swiss car in the UK!).
Worst case, if you were caught, would be loss of license for a month or so and a fine. Do you think you were caught?
I think the only way I would have been caught would be if the traffic light camera took a photo and they notice that the car is going in reverse
Worst case, you got flashed by a red light camera. In any case, take some driving lessons if you make such mistakes, especially considering you need to pass the "Kontrollfahrt" within a year.
Driving lessons won't prevent that kind of mistake!
But it's a good idea to take driving lessons to get through the driving test.
The only way I would have been caught is if the red light camera flashed and they notice that is car is going in the reverse direction
I am taking driving lessons, but yesterday I took a car from Mobility to self practice and made this crazy mistake.
A camera takes two pictures so they would know. IF there was one. But even if, with nobody around there's simply no way you'd get a permanent ban, one or three months at most.
Where did it happen?
Also happened to me a couple of years ago, shortly after returning from a few days in the UK. I was turning left at traffic lights, into a street where there are two lanes in each direction, either side of a central island. There was a car waiting in the leftmost lane, I passed it "correctly" on the right, then realised a second later that the two lanes for cars going in my direction were even further to the right, the other side of the island. I didn't get any follow-up from the police, just a "What is this idiot doing?" look from the other driver.
I know the junction well and use it frequently, so it was just the UK driving instinct momentarily taking over... even though I have driven regularly for almost 40 years in mainland Europe compared to 2 years in the UK.
Happened to me years ago in the UK on a trip there from Switzerland. I had a hire car and ended up kissing (frontal collision) a Golf GTI coming round a corner on a country lane. Luckily nobody was injured.
I asked the woman driving if I could use her cell phone to call the car hire company. She said "after I've called the police, yes!"
Plod turned up and was most sympathetic. Asked me why I was driving on the wrong side of the road. I just said it was habit as I was over from Switzerland. He nodded knowingly and said that had happened to him several times on holiday in France. He told the woman that the insurance would sort it out and off he went...
Happened to me once in the UK. Leaving a pub (NO alcohol drunk) with French friends- chatting away. I left the car-park on wrong side, which I had never ever done. Realised later that it was in response to language spoken!
Somehow my brain had acquired the 'speak in English drive on left' - 'speak French drive on right' automatic response.
A good way to train one's brain in this is to go cycling... and keep turning corners.