Why Your Next 4WD Should be a Right Hand Drive

[Arktikos]

Well constructed article, with good comments both here and at the link. Ferrari's recommendation for the stronger hand being on the wheel while shifting was a bit surprising. As someone else said, maybe for a race car without power steering, but ? Anyway, I'm left handed and my next 4x4 will most likely remain one of the old Toyotas I already have. Less cars and less driving is good too.

 

[96Delica]

I've driven left hand drive vehicles in right hand drive countries, and it sucked. Passing is unsafe unless you have a passenger as a spotter, and as noted intersections can be a pain. I wouldn't do it again except by necessity, and I say that as someone who is equally comfortable driving on the left or right -- it's a pain to be driving from the wrong side of the vehicle relative to local traffic and there are a bunch of safety issues.

A bunch? Please elaborate?

The only problem I have is intersections as I said, and if I can't see, I wait 20 seconds for the light to change. Passing, as I mentioned before, is not usually an option with the diesels anyways. They're not happy going much faster than the limit in most cases, and in either way, doing the limit and getting better milage isn't really a bad thing.

 

[dwh]

the only issue is turning left in an intersection. Sometimes you just can't see around the vehicles facing you and you just have to wait

Oh yea...that. Forgot about that. As I recall (been a while - I had mine back in the late 70's early 80's) I usually ended up having to wait for the light to change because I could almost never see the oncoming traffic. And even then, you tend to creep out slowly till you can see if it's clear. (Basically the same thing you do when pulling away from the curb - just nose it out there and wait and see if anyone either honks or runs into you.)

Maybe I forgot about it because it didn't really bother me. I was having too much fun to care.

 

[Scott Brady]

I've driven left hand drive vehicles in right hand drive countries, and it sucked. Passing is unsafe unless you have a passenger as a spotter, and as noted intersections can be a pain. I wouldn't do it again except by necessity, and I say that as someone who is equally comfortable driving on the left or right -- it's a pain to be driving from the wrong side of the vehicle relative to local traffic and there are a bunch of safety issues.

Hey, everyone has different capacities for adapting to driving challenges and environments. Sounds like RHD isn't for you.

After two circumnavigations with RHD, I have not encountered a single safety incident attributable to the RHD. Never had an accident, never even had a flat. . .

 

[darksidecustoms]

Ha guess we have it good over in Australia then ;-)

 

[T.Low]

Ha guess we have it good over in Australia then ;-)

You have the Pirelli Scorpian Mud Terrain, and the Gas Gas 450! You DO have it good!

 

[kpredator]

wish I had a dollar for every time I walked to the wrong side of a land rover ,after about 2 weeks it finally sinks in!!!!!

lol
kp

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

wish I had a dollar for every time I walked to the wrong side of a land rover ,after about 2 weeks it finally sinks in!!!!!

lol
kp

I hear there's a rhd 80" in Des Moines if it would make you feel any better

 

[kpredator]

sorry I am more of a cruiser guy these days,thanks for the tip though.

 

[kpredator]

oops thought you said a 90

 

[Tinfish]

A bunch? Please elaborate?

There are a lot of times you want to be able to see oncoming traffic. For example: Narrow road, parked box truck is blocking your lane, teenaged kid waves you around, do you go or wait?

 

[96Delica]

There are a lot of times you want to be able to see oncoming traffic. For example: Narrow road, parked box truck is blocking your lane, teenaged kid waves you around, do you go or wait?

Sorry, but no. I drive in Toronto, a busy city with small tight roads. The only way you wouldn't be able to see around is if you were 2' behind it. You learn to keep your distance and use different vantage points. With a rhd car I'm sure there are more disadvantages than in an SUV or truck. I sit as high as a half ton, with great visibility all around and fantastic mirrors that have very limited blind spots.

There are plenty of times you have visibility problems in a LHD vehicle as well, most people just don't notice because they've been used to driving them most of their lives.

 

[Scott Brady]

I agree Mat, the height of the SUVs and 4wd vans really helps.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

Driving a LHD in a RHD place is not that bad. It actually makes you a good driver because you pay attention to what your doing.

 

[4Rescue]

Lived in Australia for years (an amazing country) and spent a lot of time driving a friends RHD BJ40 here in the PNW. Don't really care for RHD in the US, but it's not like it's hard to manage or even "unsafe". It's bad drivers that make nearly all driving "unsafe" and nearly all of them are driving on the left side of the car so... Being in an RHD car just makes it slightly tougher to see the morons coming in some situations.

As for getting used to RHD... took me all of 5 minutes. Worst part for me was all our LC's had CB's in them mounted so that when you shifted to 3rd gear you smashed your knuckles on the Mic. plug. Otherwise it's the exact same as driving LHD except you shift with your left hand. Everything else (control wise) is the same, and actually the hardest part muscle memory wise is wanting to pull down and towards myself to hit 2nd at a quick pace. Sure it's a bit strange for a min, but... not that big a deal IMO.

Considering the sheer number of truly amazing vehicles that were only ever produced in RHD, if you're a real piston head and lover of special automotive things, RHD just comes with the territory.