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#11
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Apparently the US are aiming to join the UK, Australasia and Japan in
driving on the left. To ease things in, they plan to have cars and bike doing it on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, whilst truck and buses do it on Tuesday and Thursday. The weekends are a free-for-all. After 3 months, anyone still alive will then be allowed to vote, except residents of Florida, to decide which way they prefer. Gaz "Jim" > wrote in message ... >I drove a "right-sided" steering wheel Bug, on the left-hand side of > the road, around Kingston Jamaica. Oh Gawd! That was truly scary. > Left-sided steering wheels and driving on the right side of the road > feels MUCH safer. <g> Driving in Jamaica is just like driving in > Paris. Almost no (if any) stop lights and everybody just pounds on > their horns! > > On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 17:21:02 -0000, "Dave Hall" > > wrote: > >>Thinks, I wonder which side the stagecoach driver sits - can't help >>feeling the >>USA simply lost its way between then and now, as to which side the driver >>sits. > |
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#12
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You should try driving a LHD car in London Traffic!
> From: Jim > > Organization: Cox Communications > Newsgroups: > rec.autos.makers.vw.aircooled,rec.autos.makers.vw. watercooled,uk.rec.cars.vw.a > ircooled,alt.autos.makers.vw > Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2005 10:29:47 -0800 > Subject: 1967 VW Bug: Special and 1-year only features... oops! > > I drove a "right-sided" steering wheel Bug, on the left-hand side of > the road, around Kingston Jamaica. Oh Gawd! That was truly scary. > Left-sided steering wheels and driving on the right side of the road > feels MUCH safer. <g> Driving in Jamaica is just like driving in > Paris. Almost no (if any) stop lights and everybody just pounds on > their horns! > > On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 17:21:02 -0000, "Dave Hall" > > wrote: > >> Thinks, I wonder which side the stagecoach driver sits - can't help feeling >> the >> USA simply lost its way between then and now, as to which side the driver >> sits. > |
#13
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luv it! luv it!
On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 19:44:45 -0000, "Gaz Pike" > wrote: >Apparently the US are aiming to join the UK, Australasia and Japan in >driving on the left. To ease things in, they plan to have cars and bike >doing it on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, whilst truck and buses do it on >Tuesday and Thursday. The weekends are a free-for-all. > >After 3 months, anyone still alive will then be allowed to vote, except >residents of Florida, to decide which way they prefer. > >Gaz > > >"Jim" > wrote in message .. . >>I drove a "right-sided" steering wheel Bug, on the left-hand side of >> the road, around Kingston Jamaica. Oh Gawd! That was truly scary. >> Left-sided steering wheels and driving on the right side of the road >> feels MUCH safer. <g> Driving in Jamaica is just like driving in >> Paris. Almost no (if any) stop lights and everybody just pounds on >> their horns! >> >> On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 17:21:02 -0000, "Dave Hall" >> > wrote: >> >>>Thinks, I wonder which side the stagecoach driver sits - can't help >>>feeling the >>>USA simply lost its way between then and now, as to which side the driver >>>sits. >> > |
#14
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Funny, E-bay photos of USA stage coaches (eg items 6140045560, 6153293224 and
6139075269) all show right-hand drive, as do some other pics I found - I'm sure from the old cowboy films the driver sits on the right and the guy riding shotgun is on the left. I think that bit about weak bowels was just BS. ;-) -- Dave. UK VW Type 3 & 4 Club http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk/ ------ "Jim" > wrote in message ... > Monday, February 14 2005, @ 10:18 AM (-0800 GMT) > > Hey Dave, > > The stagecoach driver sat on the left, and that is because the horses > on the right side were always the ones with "weak bowels" and you > really did NOT want to sit just behind three horses running at full > tilt that had weak bowels. Kinda like sittin' on the ground behind an > elephant who just ate several large pizza's! <rofl> > > This is most likely WHY we, way out here in the "colonies," drive on > the left. I think thats why the Germans do too, but in their case I > think it has something to do with sauerkraut induced bowel movement. > > Jim > |
#15
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On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 23:42:58 -0000 "Dave Hall"
> wrote: >Funny, E-bay photos of USA stage coaches (eg items 6140045560, 6153293224 and >6139075269) >all show right-hand drive, as do some other pics I found - I'm sure from the old >cowboy films the driver sits on >the right and the guy riding shotgun is on the left. I gotta back up Dave on this. My memory is of the stagecoach driver being on the right. Wasn't that where the brake was, too? I never thought about this before, but that means that when we claimed "Shotgun!" we had it somewhat backwards. - ----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney Madison, WI 53711 USA ----------------------------------------------- |
#16
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Thanks Jim. Yes, outside brake lever like some early UK cars. It's curious
that the continental custom took over later - I blame the French, who after the revolution attacked people driving on the left of the road as they were obviously aristocracy. They also wanted the 0 degrees meridien through Paris, but unfortunately the British charts were much better and everyone used them for navigation, so it was a 'fait accomplis'. That was when as a sop they made an international agreement to use the metric system, widely ignored later by most civilised countries! ;-) -- Dave. UK VW Type 3 & 4 Club http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk/ ------ "Jim Adney" > wrote in message news > On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 23:42:58 -0000 "Dave Hall" > > wrote: > > >Funny, E-bay photos of USA stage coaches (eg items 6140045560, 6153293224 and > >6139075269) > >all show right-hand drive, as do some other pics I found - I'm sure from the old > >cowboy films the driver sits on > >the right and the guy riding shotgun is on the left. > > I gotta back up Dave on this. My memory is of the stagecoach driver > being on the right. Wasn't that where the brake was, too? I never > thought about this before, but that means that when we claimed > "Shotgun!" we had it somewhat backwards. > > - > ----------------------------------------------- > Jim Adney > Madison, WI 53711 USA > ----------------------------------------------- |
#17
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Jim > wrote in
: > Monday, February 14 2005, @ 10:18 AM (-0800 GMT) > > Hey Dave, > > The stagecoach driver sat on the left, and that is because the horses > on the right side were always the ones with "weak bowels" and you > really did NOT want to sit just behind three horses running at full > tilt that had weak bowels. Pity the poor guy riding shotgun :-\ Here is another explanation for driving right. The rest of the article is pretty interesting. No sources however. http://users.pandora.be/worldstandar...ng%20on%20the% 20left.htm#history In the past, almost everybody travelled on the left side of the road because that was the most sensible option for feudal, violent societies. Since most people are right-handed, swordsmen preferred to keep to the left in order to have their right arm nearer to an opponent and their scabbard further from him. Moreover, it reduced the chance of the scabbard (worn on the left) hitting other people. Furthermore, a right-handed person finds it easier to mount a horse from the left side of the horse, and it would be very difficult to do otherwise if wearing a sword (which would be worn on the left). It is safer to mount and dismount towards the side of the road, rather than in the middle of traffic, so if one mounts on the left, then the horse should be ridden on the left side of the road. In the late 1700s, however, teamsters in France and the United States began hauling farm products in big wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. These wagons had no driver's seat; instead the driver sat on the left rear horse, so he could keep his right arm free to lash the team. Since he was sitting on the left, he naturally wanted everybody to pass on the left so he could look down and make sure he kept clear of the oncoming wagon’s wheels. Therefore he kept to the right side of the road. -- Bill Merrill Arlington, Mass. '70 Convertible |
#18
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On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 14:13:39 -0600, cloud8 > wrote:
>Pity the poor guy riding shotgun :-\ > >Here is another explanation for driving right. The >rest of the article is pretty interesting. No sources >however. > >http://users.pandora.be/worldstandar...ng%20on%20the% >20left.htm#history All interesting stuff! Out of interest, a third of the world's population drive on the left, and two-thirds drive on the right. More than I thought! -- Howard Rose 1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini Deluxe 1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe http://www.howard81.co.uk/ (cars and email on website) |
#19
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I can't imagine driving a manual trans car with RHD. No way I could
speedshift! (I always thought that's why we drive on the right) ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver" Giggle Cream - it makes dessert *funny*! |
#20
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On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 05:26:43 -0500, "ThaDriver"
<imangeloneAThotmailDOTcom@> wrote: >I can't imagine driving a manual trans car with RHD. No way I could >speedshift! (I always thought that's why we drive on the right) It's easy! It just takes you about 10 minutes to stop "shifting" with the door handle, that's all :-) For me, in a LHD car, it seems odd to have the left (weaker) hand on the wheel while you change gear. The only LHD car I've driven was a Toyota Corolla in Spain a few years back :-) -- Howard Rose 1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini Deluxe 1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe http://www.howard81.co.uk/ (cars and email on website) |
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