# Right Hand Drive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 1999, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-hand-drive/2576 "1999-08-14T06:37:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 1999, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-hand-drive/2576/1 "1999-08-14T06:37:00Z")
I don’t know why I thought of this, but anyway… On a car made for right hand drive are the clutch, brake, and gas pedals reversed? I’m NOT thinking of the Jeeps the post office uses, I suspect they’re not all that standard. * * * **R** anger **J** eff \*The Idol of American Youth \* ---
**Author:** ![EnigmaOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EnigmaOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnigmaOne)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 1999, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-hand-drive/2576/2 "1999-08-14T07:28:00Z")
{{{On a car made for right hand drive are the clutch, brake, and gas pedals reversed? }}}—Ranger Jeff My sister used to have a Volkswagen Squareback that was right-hand drive and, IIRC, the pedals _were_ reversed. (It was a manual trans) She said that the car was a pain to get used to driving, but she loved it. ## Interestingly enough, she was the safest driver in that particular car ( **never** an accident in something like 10 years) but, after she got rid of it and went over to the standard left-hand drive autos (both auto and manual trans) she’s averaged one vehicle totaling accident every couple of years or so. – **Kalél** (The Original **EnigmaOne** ) _Common ¢ for all ages._ ---
**Author:** ![Nickrz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nickrz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nickrz)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 1999, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-hand-drive/2576/3 "1999-08-14T15:47:00Z")
RJ - Does your horse know you’re contemplating mechanical-type vehicles? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 1999, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-hand-drive/2576/4 "1999-08-14T16:39:00Z")
Nickrz, Just cause Pat drove Nellie Belle didn’t mean Roy got rid of Trigger. Sheesh, now I have to buy a ton of carrots for Turbo. Thanks fer nothin! * * * **R** anger **J** eff \*The Idol of American Youth \* ---
**Author:** ![theoperaghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4da419/32.png) [@theoperaghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theoperaghost)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 1999, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-hand-drive/2576/5 "1999-08-14T18:09:00Z")
While living in Japan 15 years ago, I rented a small car called a Toyopet. It was right hand drive and the pedals were where I expected them to be, gas on the right, brake in the center and clutch on the left. Getting used to the stickshift on the left was fairly easy, getting used to driving on the left side of the road wasn’t too bad, the hard part was getting used to driving from the right side of the car was a pain. the perspective was very different and I had gotten used to the idea that the right front corner of the car was so far away from me and all of a sudden it was a lot closer, I was always afraid that I was going to clip someone because I thought the car edge was closer or farther than I was used to. ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 1999, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-hand-drive/2576/6 "1999-08-14T18:22:00Z")
I’ve driven in Ireland and the pedal configuration is the same as in the US (L to R = clutch, brake, accelerator). Like theoperaghost, I found the most difficult thing about right-hand steering was judging how much room I had on the left side of the car. This was rather nerve racking since many roads in that country are barely two car-widths wide. ---
**Author:** ![EnigmaOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EnigmaOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnigmaOne)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 1999, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-hand-drive/2576/7 "1999-08-15T07:44:00Z")
{{{It was right hand drive and the pedals were where I expected them to be, gas on the right, brake in the center and clutch on the left.}}}—theoperaghost Sheesh! Now I wish I had actually had the chance to drive the thing! I guess I didn’t recall correctly ☹ * * * – **Kalél** (The Original **EnigmaOne** ) _Common ¢ for all ages._ ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 1999, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-hand-drive/2576/8 "1999-08-15T10:19:00Z")
EnigmaOne you could be right about the opposite setup. The older the car the less standard the setup of the controls. Go to the local car show and take a look at some of the oddball control setups in the older cars. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a698b9/32.png) [@Alan\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Q)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 1999, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-hand-drive/2576/9 "1999-08-16T05:37:00Z")
A British friend of mine got bumped by a car one night, fortunately not badly, by forgetting he wasn’t back home and looking to the right for oncoming traffic before crossing the street–the last time he made happy hour last 'til closing time! –Alan Q ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 1999, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-hand-drive/2576/10 "1999-08-16T18:01:00Z")
It’s the same in England. The only control that’s different is (obviously) the stick shift. * * * John W. Kennedy “Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.” – Charles Williams ---
**Author:** ![mr\_john](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@mr\_john](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_john)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 1999, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-hand-drive/2576/11 "1999-08-16T22:41:00Z")
Funnee, am I right in thinking that in model T fords,there were rollers for shifting gears with your feet? ( kinda expected to see something about the ‘right hand rule’ here)