2010 Vauxhall Meriva

Bill: Driving in England is an accident waiting to happen. There are many more traffic rules than in the U.S. and most are ignored. Roads are narrow and winding and speed is excessive for the conditions. U-turns happen often and are amazing to see. People are always in a hurry and not patient at all.

At home we don’t worry much about killing someone on the road but here it’s a dominant thought. There are more traffic cameras than police. There wouldn’t be room to pull over anyway. They send citations in the mail and there is a discount if you just send them the money quickly. (ask him how he knows!)

The mission issued us a vehicle which is made by a subsidiary of General Motors. It's a polite little diesel that gets about 40 MPG. We pay a monthly amount for it’s use but it spends most of it’s life safely in the parking garage. These photos show why we mostly take the bus and train.

Bill has taken several driving lessons and is noticeably more confident on the road. For my part, it’s not completely white knuckles anymore. Just sometimes. The idea of going for a relaxing drive in the country is merely a dream. It doesn’t happen.

Parking next to a wall on a narrow street is tricky from the right side.

Those cars are legally parked and it doesn't matter which way they're facing. They make narrow roads work by taking turns; we're on a bus being passed by a bus. It's been a real education to watch how it all seems to work out.

We like zebra crossings; it's the only place where pedestrians have the right of way.

Here is a famous zebra crossing that will make you smile. One of these days I'll pose there too.