I always wondered if this ever mattered at all to left-handed people. Like would it matter? Would you feel more confident about driving?
I know they also drive on different sides/lanes in some countries compared to the US where they drive on the right and wheel is on the left seat.
Would it impact you? Would you feel better with wheel on right side, driving right side while being left-handed or does it change when you have to drive on the left side as well?
This is assuming you are primarily left-handed but would also be curious if right-handed folk feel like driving on one side is easier/better than the other. I feel like I’d be very dyslexic if having to switch and drive on the other side I’m not normally driving in.
I am right-handed and grew up driving on the right side of the road (so wheel on left). I now live in a right-drive country. It makes no difference. I haven’t driven manual here so it might be weird learning to shift with my left hand (I drove manual in the US for 15+ years), but I could get used to it. If I ever needed to joust or shoot someone from my car, having my dominant hand be closer to the window is generally helpful (and why some say that driving on the left with the driver at the right became a thing).
In my childhood I learned having the driver sit on the left was so that the person riding “shotgun” would be better able to fend off attacks without elbowing the driver. (Probably starting before shotguns, because it would be even more important with a sword.) Although they could use the whole road/trail back then, it would make sense to pass an oncoming wagon on the side where the drivers could see how much room they had between them.
Fun theory
I am left handed. That would be irrelevant.
I regularly move between countries with different road side norms. Handedness is not an issue. Makes no difference.
Only problem is if you set off with no other cars on the road, to use as a cue, and so accidentally go on the wrong side until you see someone coming towards you.
God… You reminded me of when I went down a one-way road and had NO idea until I noticed it narrowing down to one lane…
At least I hope nobody saw my dumbass, it was night
Yup. Had no issue following the direction driving in the city in Japan, but going out to the mountains there were a couple times where I turned onto an unmarked road and went the wrong way for a bit. Hopefully I didn’t spook anyone too badly.
Does it make any difference to a right handed person?
The challenge is merely from what you’re used to, not your handed-ness.
For me, driving on the other side of the road is OK on large roads with limited access. But my ego has no issue handing the keys to my Brit friends once we’re across the channel. I can drive to the city, but dammit engrained habits/perspectives are hard to overcome, and driving in a city isn’t a place to do it.
I could see it being a little easier from a shifting point of view, except anyone who learned to shift right handed - even a left handed person - would find shifting on the other side challenging at first.
Watch Top Gear when they have Americans on - its always something they laugh about.
I live in the USA and have driven LHD and RHD manual cars. It didn’t take more than a few minutes of driving RHD before my brain adapted and it wasn’t really that strange or awkward.
It’s a wheel so it would feel the same to your hands, but different to your sense of space since now you’re in a totally different position than you’re familiar with.
The same could be said for right-handed people in the US driving a car in the UK, on the opposite side of the vehicle and the opposite side of the road than what they are used to.
You’re not in a different position, because you’re driving on the other side of the road. You’d be in different position if you had to drive on the same side.
I’ve done 30 years right handed and 15 left handed. Doesn’t make a difference. You just grab the wrong side for the clutch/gear stick) for the first 10 minutes after swapping.
The same could be said for right-handed people in the US driving a car in the UK, on the opposite side of the vehicle and the opposite side of the road than what they are used to.
And then there is the USVI’s “left hand side (euro style) driving in right hand drive(US style) cars”.
I’m an American who lived in England for a couple years. It doesn’t take long to wrap your head around sticking to the left side of the road.
I drove both left- and right-hand drive vehicles there, mostly manual shift. That all came pretty easy.
The biggest challenge I faced was the narrow roads. The American mind struggles with driving so close to other cars, particularly on undivided roads. It always feels like a sideswipe is coming (particularly when you’re a passenger) until you get used to it.
So now, years later and back in the US, I’m still comfortable driving in close quarters with other vehicles. I get criticized by passengers sometimes. I don’t ride close intentionally, but I have to be mindful of it for others’ sake.
For anyone anywhere that wants to know how to drive on the “right” side of the road, here’s a tip. You don’t even need to know your left from your right. Just keep the steering wheel of the car closest to the middle of the road but not over the centre line, that’s it. You can now drive in any country without worrying what is the right way or wrong way.
I have driven left hand drive cars in countries that drive on the left side of the road and right hand drive cars where they drive on the right side of the road. It can be kinda confusing compared to cars that have the steering wheel on the correct side but you get used to it. The hardest part is passing other vehicles on 2 lane roads.
I drove on the left for about fifteen years then changed countries and have about fifteen years experience on the right.
My only problem is confusing my left and right, my brain just swapped everything over.
As a U.S. right-hander, shifting with my left hand would be super weird, and I’m sure driving on the left side would take some serious getting used to.
As a UK right hander, shifting with my right hand would be super weird! Completely used to doing it with my left 😁
I’m american, and grew up driving stick. Left hand steering, right hand (dominant) shifting. I was lucky enough to visit Ireland a couple years back and rented a car. Was awkward at first but got the hang of it fairly quickly. Obviously it’s right hand on wheel while shifting, I think I left handed it during consistent speeds though. Not sure if this helps at all 🤷
The world is so designed for right-handed people that us left-handed folk are used to being forced to adapt.
I cant dispute that, but I domt think its really true of driving. I think most of the world drives on the left? Much of the world certainly does. That means you change gears etc with your left.
Wrong. A third of the world’s population drives on the left, 1/6th of the world’s land area.
LOL. Have a great day mate.
I’m left handed, and I grew up in Canada, currently living in Australia. I don’t drive differently at all.
I guess if I were to nitpick, I prefer driving on the left side of the vehicle solely because of where my cup holder is (centre console), but that’s a non-issue if I had a car with a cup holder by the vent at the side window here in Australia.
You get used to driving in your “non normal” side pretty quick. I like to sit as passenger in a car or bus a few times before I start driving in my “new” side again so my brain can readjust.
I’ve driven both sides and there’s no difference, it just takes a little to adjust. I prefer a gearstick on the left, though, since my dominant hand is better at micro movements with the wheel and gear shifting is such a basic action. But really, the difference is barely noticeable.
I’m left handed. I’m used to driving on the right side of the road. I have driven on the left one week in Namibia.Fairly easy to adapt to finding the stick shift with your other hand. Bit harder getting used to the driving on the other side of the road but still not that difficult as long as you’re not tired.
No, it does not matter where you put the wheel or which side your drive on. It’s a matter of what you’re used to. I use the computer mouse in the right hand, and I shoot right handed.
