Which is the nearside of a vehicle

Gassing Station » General Gassing. Search My Stuff What's New 3 12 24 Nearside and offside: Why? Captain Muppet Original Poster 8, posts months. Hello, We've all heard of nearside and offside of a car, and some of us even know which is which. But does anyone know why these terms got invented when we already had the universal and much more simple "left" and "right"? I've had a quick google, but the results all seem to defining the terms using varying degrees of confusion, rather than explaining why anyone would invent such a system in the first place.

And I could understand it if those same people got confused about which side the steering wheel is on in a LHD car, which they don't. It's the left side, obviously. Now nearside is obviously the side nearest the driver kerb, but which is the nearside of a GDM but UK registered E30 M3 parked facing on-coming traffic in Paris?

Whatever the answer I'm pretty sure it'll be defined in terms of left and right, so why introduce such a ridiculous pair of terms? I've heard people blaming the people who make cars for this deliberate confusion, but the fact is that the car industry has been using the international standard of left and right for decades.

It's simpler, because you don't have to label half the parts in your factory wrong depending on which country the car they get fitted to will finally end up in.

So what does nearside and offside mean? The nearside offside definition for cars is as follows:. Easily remembered by using the kerb. The passenger side of your vehicle is closest to the kerb whilst driving in the UK. So think of the side nearest the kerb — nearside and the drivers side — offside. Other than the various nearside and offside vehicle components however, there are other situations when the nearside and offside phrase is used.

When turning right at a crossroads along with the vehicle on the opposite side of the crossroads turning to their right, a decision has to be made whether to turn nearside or offside.

When two vehicles directly opposite are both turning right at a crossroads , there are two options on how to do this. The two options available are:. By far the most common technique for turning right with another vehicle at a crossroads is nearside to nearside. Although this is technically the most unsafe technique due to the other vehicle turning blocking your view of the road ahead of oncoming vehicles, it is widely used. Drivers tend to prefer to assess passing distances based on the front of their vehicle, making this technique the most frequently used.

Ensure you stay on your side of the road until you can safely observe it is clear of oncoming vehicles before proceeding.

Certain staggered junctions or crossroads make this technique inappropriate and the offside to offside technique the easier option. In the UK this is also known as the driver side. If you are hunting for a part that requires telling the difference between nearside and offside visit our online store to find it for less. Our extensive range of parts inlude wing mirrors, doors, headlights and tail lights to name just a few. Nearside vs Offside — How to Tell the Difference. Read more.