Driving on the Left 1

[friartuck]

I often wonder why we in the UK and our friends in Australia and New Zealand drive on the left and the rest of the World drive on the right.

Does anyone know why this came to be?

Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[TheTick]

just a thought...

Ever notice how the U.S. also adopted different habits regarding which hand holds a knife at the table? In Europe, it is customary to have fork in the left, knife in the right, and keep them there. In the U.S., one was supposed to switch the fork from left for cutting to right for eating and set the knife down. Maybe it's related???

 

[Prepakt1]

I remember reading that Napoleon changed everyone from right to left when he came to power. To make a point that from then on things were going to change in the government.
We could do with some of that these days someone to cut the knot. History has aways three phases all civilizations
go through it.
Dictatorship ,democracy and chaos.Then dictatorship again Napoleone came to power after the chaos in France. Hitler after the chaos in Germany.I wonder at what stage we are at.

 

[friartuck]

very funny Prepact



Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[RogerH]

Gearguru
Sweden changed 3 sept 1967 from left to right. Can still remember biking on the left side!

Most of the cars had the steeringwheel on the left side so the changeover was quite easy. The reason for driving on the left side It was one of the kings (early 1700) simply decided that. He only had two options and picked one. I guess this is the background in most countries worldwide and that laws were a lot easier to issue in those days than now.

 

[epoisses]

Have we ever tried to objectively identify the real pros and cons of left hand vs right hand driving? (and I don't mean fundamentalist theories about where we used to carry our sword 500 years ago). After having driven 600 miles on the left side, I can think of two cons:

- In many cars where the steer is on the right side, there's no room to put your left foot beside the clutch. I had to put it more or less under the clutch which is pretty uncomfortable.

- Shifting gears from/to 2-3 and 4-5 vice-versa goes less easily, not only because I'm not a lefty like most people, but also because when sitting on the right side the axis of the movement is ~90 degrees vs the axis of your arm.

Who else?

 

[friartuck]

Its what you are used to.

I drive on the left in a right hand steer car. The car has a foot rest for my clutch foot and I don't therefore need to put it under the pedal.

I am right handed (like most of us I think) and I have no problem in using my left hand to operate the gear stick.

I do think though its about time the Europeans (me included) started demanding more automatics. The Americans don't seem to have these (well at least not in the films I see)

Are there any Americans out there who can tell me if they use manual shift???




Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[gearguru]

I do. And I help to design them, too.

 

[friartuck]

Hi Gearguru

As a %, how many cars are manual in the USA. In the UK I would guess 90-95% are manual and the rest are automatic

Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[epoisses]

Friar tuck,
I can't help it, I like switching gears! I just don't agree with the automatic on when to switch gears, just like I don't agree with the automatic lights and wipers on when to switch on and off. I guess I must be a control freak when I'm driving.

 

[PSE]

Friartuck,

It is likely the opposite distribution here in the states. 90% are likely to be automatics especially with models from the "big 3". Manuals or semi-automatics do seem to be re-appearing on some of the sportier models but for many years, manual transmissions were deemed to have a negative affect on "resale" value. Personally, I am not sure the quality of the average US driver could be up to using a manual box. After all we can't be bothered with shifting as we are drinking and talking on our cell phones. Some days I wonder how I arrive at work still intact .

Regards,

 

[friartuck]

Its funny you should say that. There are lots of stories (i'm not sure how true they are), but we hear of holiday makers visiting the UK and hiring a car....and guess what....they forget to ask for automatic and get manual. It is said that a lady tourist once blew up an engine after trying to drive it for many miles using only first gear.(Ouch)...actually that sounds like my wife (tee hee). Its a good job she doesn't read this stuff.

Incidently, we have come full circle now. Before, we mounted horses on the left and our scabbords dangled by our sides. We kept to the left in order to enable us to use our right hand for stabbing and thrusting with our swords.

Now in the UK, we sit in the car on the right hand side making the stabbing action more difficult. Yet in the USA, you sit on the left, leaving your right hand free (Yep, you've guessed it).. now you can use YOUR right hand more easily to stab your passengers. (perhaps it was carefully planned all along)



Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[IRstuff]

random thoughts:

> Most people are right-handed, so riding on horse-back, you'd want your shield against the closer side of the woods, which means you ride on the left

> When you meet a fellow traveler, showing that your weapon hand is empty is easier if you are on the left.

> Likewise, if you get the urge to shake someone's hand on the road, it'll be easier if you're on the left.

TTFN

 

[25362]

Mechanically-minded people shouldn't forget pedestrians. A risky situation may occur to an American pedestrian in Australia stepping off the curb when attempting to cross a two-way street or road: where should she/he look first and again, to her/his right- or left-hand side ?

 

[GregLocock]

As someone who spends a reasonable amount of time in either handed countries, the answer is you always look both ways.



Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[friartuck]

Does that mean you look like Ben Turpin (you have to watch a lot of Laurel and Hardy to understand that one)


Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[GregLocock]

<. > < .>
\
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_)

------


Is that right?



Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[crossframe]

Hey, don't abandon this thread without telling me why helicopter pilots sit on the right!

My only thought on this is that the collective was a difficult component to design, so it was run straight out from the rotor, placing it along the centerline. Since 90% of the world is right handed, the more deft flight controls were handled by the stick, forcing the pilot to sit on the right.

And, as the posts above point out, he can more easily slash his sword around outside the cockpit!

 

[IRstuff]

That's only applicable to side-by-side seating.

Both AH-1 and AH-64 are tandem seating and they had no trouble getting the collective to the left side of the cockpit.

TTFN

 

[gearguru]

Friartuck,
I only today saw your question. I do not know exact percentage, but 90% automatic is probably close. There are some sport versions of "regular cars" (good example would be the "SRT" Chrysler vehicles) usually with turbocharged engines, the drivers are mostly young men. (I am the exception :-D )

 

[epoisses]

One other major disadvantage of driving on the left: each time you put the trashcan outside, you have to put it on the opposite side of the street!!