Nearside and Offside

[FarmerPug]

Which is which, i refer to the passenger side and the drivers side so this other system makes as much sense to me as someone telling how many Kw of power their car has it simply ie it doesnt make sense. So whats what side. And although they say the side nearest to the kerb, there is no bleeding kerb out here.

[highlander]

If you drive on the left side of the road, nearside is the left side of the car, offside is the right side of the car.

If you drive on the right side of the road, nearside is the right side of the car, offside is the left side of the car.

Basically, nearside is the side where your front passenger gets into the car. Offside is where you get into the car.

[FarmerPug]

Basically, nearside is the side where your front passenger gets into the car. Offside is where you get into the car.

If i was to refine that further could i correctly say this:

- nearside = passenger side
- offside = drivers side

why does this system exhist its another unnecessarially confusing thing like the 24hr clock and starboard and portside in nautical terms.

[steve_earwig]

Wiki:

The terms nearside and offside are of equestrian origin meaning specifically left and right, used both in LHT countries (e.g. the United Kingdom) and RHT countries (e.g. Denmark), but have developed in many English-speaking LHT countries to refer specifically to the left and right sides of a vehicle, whereby the nearside is that closest to the kerb and the offside is that closest to the centre of the road

So basically it's bollocks.

[Welly]

Think of 'nearside' as the side 'nearest' the curb, that's how I look at it.

[steve_earwig]

It's still bollocks. In the Wiki above is says it just means left and right whatever side of the road you drive on, only in countries that drive on the left it's been used so much to mean the side nearest the kerb people think that's what it actually means. Thinking about it, people always seem to do anything with a horse while they're standing on the left (I found something bout Napoleon and being able to draw a sword?) so perhaps it means the side you get near a horse and the side you fall off a horse

[Gary406]

Think of 'nearside' as the side 'nearest' the curb, that's how I look at it.

thats how i remember it also.

Curb = Nearside
Road = Offside


i only learned that last year

[steve_earwig]

I learnt it about 30 years ago and have always just accepted it but now I'm outside the UK I realise it's just meaningless unhelpful bollocks.

[Gary406]

a lot of people selling stuff on websites use it a lot. stupid.

would be better if they just stick to drivers, passangers side

[steve_earwig]

That's just as confusing

[Gary406]

lol

[FarmerPug]

im buying an item off ebay and a refrence to nearside has been used. But passenger side is what i want to know, there is no kerbs out here, and if i do park ouside the chippy whats to stop me parking facing the traffic.

[sirwiggum]

Nearside, nearest kerb in RHD countries.

Which is why there is a controversy over that BMWMINI estate thing, that it has a rear passenger door on the offside!
But then, it is a German car.

I had to make sure myself which was which, bought a door off ebay too!

[FarmerPug]

imagine the mfd being so useful as to say your nearside door is open.

[sirwiggum]

imagine the mfd being so useful as to say your nearside door is open.

No more layers of complexity please. Just let me know "a" door is open and from the 4 I can manually deduce the suspect aperture