Our indicator stalks are on the wrong side

squerble

squerble

squerble

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Just noticed that on left-hand drive cars, the indicator stalk remains on the left side of the steering wheel. Then it got me thinking; we have ours on the wrong side.

In our right-hand drive cars, we have indicator stalks on the left, and wipers on the right. This doesn't actually make sense, because our left hand is busy utilising the gear stick. This is especially prevalent when turning as it's more likely you'll be changing gear and your left hand is occupied with that. The idea would be that the least-used stalk goes on the left as you won't need to touch it (either at all, or once or twice a journey).

Am I wrong, or should I buy an automatic which renders my point completely useless? :confused: :p
 
Buy a jap car, they have them the other way around.

However having a german and jap car makes it interesting, its not uncommon to flash someone while attempting to wash the screen :o :D or washing the screen instead of flashing some one out....
 
Depends on the car - some have the indicator on the right, some on the left.

I have indicators and wipers both on the left.

Basically, there's no right or wrong answer...I've never had an issue with that either - takes literally 2 goes at turning your indicator on and spraying the windscreen instead to learn not to do it again. :p
 
Our indicator stalks actually used to be on the right side. I'm not sure when it really changed (probably just as we hit the '80s), but I believe it was due to just adopting the same configuration as mainland Europe to cut costs and simplify parts and assembly requirements.

Other markets, like Australia, still have the stalk on the right - in a RHD car. My GTS was the same and that was one of the many things I liked about it :)

tl;dr buy an old Triumph or something and enjoy the correct layout :p
 
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Yeah my first experience driving a Japanese car was when I had a hire car in Cyprus - a rather horrendous Nissan Note. It was a Japanese import since Cyprus are also RHD and it still even had Japanese maps on the nav.

Every car I've driven has the indicator stalks on the left so when I first got in the Note I kept turning the damn wipers on when getting to roundabouts and junctions. Must've looked like a right tool.
 
Most Japanese cars have the indicator stalk on the left these days. Both my S2000 and my CR-V are like this.
I agree though, I wish the stalks were on the right for us.
 
As said JDM cars still have them on the right, when i got my DC5 it took me a while to get used to but it did make more sense. It was a right nightmare swapping between cars with it on different sides though so it is kind of nice all modern cars are standardised in the UK.
 
Always have an auto so really doesn't make much difference to me.

Would be nice to be able to indicate with my elbow on the door and not having to lift my left arm.
 
squerble said:
This doesn't actually make sense, because our left hand is busy utilising the gear stick. This is especially prevalent when turning as it's more likely you'll be changing gear and your left hand is occupied with that.
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The standard procedure for turning follows the 'OSM-PSL' principle

A) Observation
B) Signal
C) Manoeuvre

The Manoeuvre part of that then breaks down to:
Position
Speed
Look

So you should first be Signalling, then getting into the correct Position for the turn and only after this be slowing down your Speed, with the gear change coming right at the end just before your last-moment Look for danger.

So your hands should not really be so occupied with one that you cannot make correct use of the other.
 
LizardKing said:
Buy a jap car, they have them the other way around.

However having a german and jap car makes it interesting, its not uncommon to flash someone while attempting to wash the screen :o :D or washing the screen instead of flashing some one out....
Click to expand...

I've owned three Japanese cars, and the indicator has always been on the left :confused:

Or are you specifically referring to imports?
 
This is one of the good things about driving in Australia :) First day driving with it it drove me mad, and everyone in the car had a good laugh when we came up to a turn and I accidentally set the windscreen wipers going! After a few days though it becomes much more natural. It's not about an ability or inability to operate two things simultaneously, it's about being more likely to change gear and indicate at the same time than to change gear and use your wipers, least that's how I've always seen it.

Perhaps it's done this way in the UK because the rest of the world thinks the weather is so bad here we'll be using wipers more than indicating :p?
 
Imports have them on the right, an ex gf had an MR2 and a WRX and both were on the right, they also didn't auto cancel lol
 
I wish they were on the right too. As an auto driver I'm usually constantly leaning on the centre arm rest and having to actually move my arm to turn on the indicators is annoying :D
 
TripleT said:
I wish they were on the right too. As an auto driver I'm usually constantly leaning on the centre arm rest and having to actually move my arm to turn on the indicators is annoying :D
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I never even realised this was one of the benefits, but come to think of it now you've said it I do remember my left arm near enough falling asleep on a long journey along the West coast of Australia after a few hours in an automatic with cruise control and an arm wrest :p
 
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