Okay, we all know that Europeans cars and American cars have the steering wheel on oposite sides, but I’m just curious about whether or not the gas and brake pedals are reversed as well? In America, gas is on the right, brake is on the left. What’s it like where the steering wheel’s on the wrong side of the car (gotta love that American ignorance :))
Most European cars have the steering wheel on the left, like American cars, because most European countries drive on the right.
Cars made for the UK and Irish markets (and the Japanese market) will have the steering wheel on the right.
In these cars the brake pedal is on the right. The gas (“accelerator”) and clutch pedals are on the left.
Well it’s only in the UK and Ireland that they are on the “wrong” side. The peddles are the same though and the shifter is still in the middle so that takes some time getting used to.
I personally had no problems driving around in England for two weeks, even right off the plane it wansn’t too bad. I think having the wheel on the other side helped too. I did try and get into the wrong side a number of times though.
UDS is so wrong. Gas, brake and clutch pedals are in exactly the same order and diection as in US and European cars.
Also, traffic signal levers used to be on the ‘wrong’ side, but have drifted recently to the US side.
Also, gas tank access usd to be from the left side (as is still the case for Japanese cars) but now is increasingly on the right.
Pjen is right and I am wrong.
[Mutters to self] Preview, dammit, preview!
I guess the control issue has been answered. I’ve never seen a good explanation for reversing the wiper and turn signal controls. Someone said that you want to operate the shifter with one hand and the turn signal with the other, but that’s clearly bogus. The explanation I like best is that when the Japanese started making cars, they just took American car blueprints and reversed everything. As the story goes, this approach led to a major flaw - the car turned left when you turned the steering wheel. (I know, that part must be pure UL or just a joke)
I have driven many right-hand drive cars and the wiper/indicator thing varies wildly. Personally I like to be able to flick the indicator lever with my right hand (ie the one near the window) so my left hand is free to change gears. It’s very irritating the other way round. I’m not sure what the standard is elsewhere.
They let you take your car on the plane?! as hand luggage?!? How did you get it down the steps?!?! Did you have to roll down the window to hear the stewardesses say “thanks, bye, thanks, bye”?!?!?
The side of the wheel on which the traffic indicators are located is determined historically by where the column shift levers were- in UK and Japan on the LH side, in Europe and US on the RH side. This took up all the space, up and down and forward and back. The only place to put the lever was on the opposite side. In many UK cars of the 30s to 60s, the traffic indicator was in the middle of the steering wheel, and the switch for lights and windshield washers was on the dashboard; the brights/dipped switch was often a foot button.
The location of the gas tank filler depended on drive on the right or drive on the left, because gas was pumped from the side of the road, hence left fillers in LHD countries and right fillers in RHD countries.
However, my current (RHD) Volvo fills from the left, has traffic indicator lever on the left! - confusing.
I meant:
The location of the gas tank filler depended on drive on the right or drive on the left, because gas was pumped from the side of the road, hence left fillers in Drive on the Left countries and right fillers in Drive on the Right countries.
Being Irish and not knowing how to drive or ever wanting to know, I don’t know for a fact what the hell you are talking about but I will say this, it is not the Wrong side we drive on we are always right.
One problem we get here in the UK on cars which were originally designed for drivers sitting on the LHS is the position of the wind-screen (shield) wipers . I have just taken delivery of a Peugeot 307 and the wipers leave an unswept area about 4 inches wide on the extreme RHS of the windscreen where I sit . On the other side the wipers clear the screen right to the edge because this is were the continental drivers would be sitting. Regarding the position of the filler cap I think that this is just down to the design of the car and you can find new models around with filler caps on either side. This is a useful feature because both sides of the pump can be used at filling stations.