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NEWS > EVERYONE ELSE > FRENCH NAVY CLAIMS BRITISH SUBMARINE DRIVING ON WRONG SIDE OF THE OCEAN
FRENCH NAVY CLAIMS BRITISH SUBMARINE DRIVING ON WRONG SIDE OF THE OCEAN
February 17 2009
Toulon, France – The collision of two nuclear submarines has sparked a renewal of the long running feud between the United Kingdom and France. The accident, a low speed affair which did not damage the either vessels nuclear reactors or missile payloads, occurred earlier this month but was only officially announced on Monday. Both sides have already begun publicly blaming one another for the incident, with the U.K. claiming lack of communication and the French claiming poor driving.
The collision of Le Triomphant and HMS Vanguard marked the first major submarine accident for either country in almost a decade. With more than thirty nuclear missiles between the two vessels the undersea collision could have been a disaster, but a disaster that could have easily been avoided were the two countries better at getting along.
“This incident was regrettable but could have easily been avoided. The British unwillingness to adhere to the rules of the road that the majority of the world has already accepted directly led to this incident which could 
have been cataclysmic,” said French Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie. “This incident once again outlines the need for consolidation throughout the EU. In terms of money, policy, and in driving we must act as a unified force. The United Kingdom is the only member of the EU that continues to drive on the wrong side of the road and obviously that behaviour has bled down to their submarine captains. For the safety of the entire world the United Kingdom must obey.”
Japan, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Australia are among those countries that still drive on the left side of the road. There have been no reports of their submarines colliding with others in recent years. 
“The real reason for the accident was the French not communicating their position to the rest of the NATO fleet. They traveled into NATO operating waters and did not communicate that to us,” said Marshall Cartwright, spokesperson for the Royal Navy. “France is a NATO ally but is not a part of the military structure and is under no obligation to communicate their positions to us but the reality is we operate in neighbouring waters and incidents like this are bound to happen if we cannot keep open lines of communication. We do not believe that our sailors were driving improperly; we believe that the French vessel was not communicating properly, which oft happens with the French. They just need to slow down.”
The history of left and right side driving is traced back to the days of horse drawn buggies. Napoleon enforced right side driving in France and took it to all of the countries he had control over. Sweden was the last holdout to switching but did so in 1967. Pakistan and India are the most significant non-island nations to drive on the left side of the road. They have had no major waterborne nuclear conflicts.
“There are a few African nations that retain left side driving but most of those were ruled over by the United Kingdom. The same thing applies of course to India and Pakistan, as well as Hong Kong. The UK has maintained this rigid insistence on driving on the left hand side despite the rest of the world moving past that. It could almost
be a euphemism for the UK itself, left in the past,” said Scrape TV Driving analyst Kenneth King. “It’s unlikely that it had anything to do with this incident but we won’t know until they release full details and we are able to see the damage on the subs. I will say in their defence thought that the French are really lousy drivers. Whether or not that translates down to sailing or driving a submarine is a different issue. Either way it isn’t like they were driving home with a load of groceries. They were carrying enough weaponry to destroy all of Europe. My advice is practice defensive driving, it’s the best way to avoid collisions.’
Neither country has discussed the fates of the captains of the respective boats but it is expected that they are both able to tell their right hand from their left.
Emil Uliya, International Correspondent
NEWS > EVERYONE ELSE > FRENCH NAVY CLAIMS BRITISH SUBMARINE DRIVING ON WRONG SIDE OF THE OCEAN
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