Why cant LHD and RHD live together?

**Polyal** · 09-12-2009, 04:31 PM

Other than the usual money grab by the authorities I was wondering what was the reason why we cant have LHD and RHD vehicles on our roads?

I understand there is a pre-60's rule of some sorts (or a 25 y.o rule??), so if its ok for those cars why is it an issue with new ones?

Say for instance you imported a Ford GT from the US, why go to all the trouble and time to convert it when in reality it doesn't make the car any safer or better.

Im yet to drive through Europe (will do next July), but Im guessing people from the UK go to France a fair bit and they seem to manage. I wonder if someone from the UK can register their car in Euro-land.

Just seems like such a waste of resources and potentially collectible cars to go converting them.

Local manufacturers also get away with test vehicles by wacking a great big sticker on the rear bar aswell.

**Professor Farnsworth** · 09-12-2009, 04:34 PM

cost to convert old cars would be ridiculous i imagine.

i'd say it's due to safety reasons, eg overtaking a rhd in a lhd, misjudging, getting in the gravel....weeeeeeeeeee. crunch.

Piotr · 09-12-2009, 04:35 PM

Prof Farnsworth, the car is just a wide in RHD and it is LHD

**SSD-85** · 09-12-2009, 04:44 PM

This is one thing i'm curious about with post 1988 LHD imports (QLD). Not entirely sure why a conversion has to be done on these.

**Professor Farnsworth** · 09-12-2009, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piotr

Prof Farnsworth, the car is just a wide in RHD and it is LHD

err really? is it? amazing! what's your point?

as i already said, misjudging. Rules are made to accommodate the lowest common denominator. A lot of people would no doubt have difficulty judging where their right side wheels are when overtaking someone, and indecision produces accidents.

not everyone would have this issue, but rules aren't made for the better drivers.

The G6ET Spot · 09-12-2009, 05:08 PM

All I will say is, go and have a drive of a LHD car. Then all will be revealed.

If you are behind a truck,van or 4x4 for that matter and want to overtake, forget it.

75% of your car is on the wrong side of the road just to see if anything is coming in the opposite direction.

Horrible outcome if a car is there when you decide to try and see if it is OK to overtake.

**TUF_302** · 09-12-2009, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAPID XR8

All I will say is, go and have a drive of a LHD car. Then all will be revealed.

If you are behind a truck,van or 4x4 for that matter and want to overtake, forget it.

75% of your car is on the wrong side of the road just to see if anything is coming in the opposite direction.

Horrible outcome if a car is there when you decide to try and see if it is OK to overtake.

Exactly!, there is just to much risk in overtaking ect when you have to put so much of the car onto the wrong side to see whats going on, to much of a blind spot, i have lots of respect for people who drive around in there tough old LHD muscle cars, must be nerv racking at times!

chevypower · 09-12-2009, 06:28 PM

I think pretty much everywhere except Australia, you can drive the opposite of what the norm is. I see RHD Jeeps driving around here that are driven by postal workers, but I am pretty sure they use them for more than just delivering the mail. All over Europe/UK you can drive both, Japan you can drive both.

Marquis 351 · 09-12-2009, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polyal

Other than the usual money grab by the authorities I was wondering what was the reason why we cant have LHD and RHD vehicles on our roads?

I understand there is a pre-60's rule of some sorts (or a 25 y.o rule??), so if its ok for those cars why is it an issue with new ones?

Say for instance you imported a Ford GT from the US, why go to all the trouble and time to convert it when in reality it doesn't make the car any safer or better.

Im yet to drive through Europe (will do next July), but Im guessing people from the UK go to France a fair bit and they seem to manage. I wonder if someone from the UK can register their car in Euro-land.

Just seems like such a waste of resources and potentially collectible cars to go converting them.

Local manufacturers also get away with test vehicles by wacking a great big sticker on the rear bar aswell.

In the Uk they hardly ever change the LHD to RHD. That goes for american and candadain imports. In fact when THE NEW BETTLE came out they wer only avalable in LHD, and Heaps of people imported them to the uk to have them b4they came out in the uk [RHD]
There are also lots of europain Regestard cars in the uk because all the boarders are open in europe, and all europain citizens are free to travel and work anywhere within the EU without restrictions. And claim the richer EU countrys befits might I add. So there tols of europain LHD regastared cars in the Uk and Ireland.

Uncle Grumpy · 09-12-2009, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian Doherty

In the Uk they hardly ever change the LHD to RHD. That goes for american and candadain imports. In fact when THE NEW BETTLE came out they wer only avalable in LHD, and Heaps of people imported them to the uk to have them b4they came out in the uk [RHD]
There are also lots of europain Regestard cars in the uk because all the boarders are open in europe, and all europain citizens are free to travel and work anywhere within the EU without restrictions. And claim the richer EU countrys befits might I add. So there tols of europain LHD regastared cars in the Uk and Ireland.

On a Fifth Gear episode they said that the first 20 miles of road coming out of the chunnel is the most dangerous road in Europe. It was due to left hook semi's running over the top of passing cars in the fast lane when they pull out to overtake.

Marquis 351 · 09-12-2009, 07:56 PM

Maybe true, but its all very wel organised. those epasodes of fith gear are quite a few years old now.

Copie · 09-12-2009, 07:57 PM

Most people on the roads these days struggle to drive cars in a straight line let alone adapt to both LHD and RHD cars. It would be madness.

**Polyal** · 09-12-2009, 08:22 PM

Well I have had some experience in driving LHD in Oz, it was a caddy CTS. While I did need a kilometer or so to adjust after that its just the same.

You have to watch how close you are to the lines etc exactly the same as a RHD car.

Safety? Well I dont know. The over taking example is a fair one but you must be talking about single lane highways, even then you can edge out and see whats coming, or god forbid fall back to get a view.

What about the passenger then being on the "close" side to on coming traffic? Well that to doesn't seem right, why is it ok for the driver to be in the firing line with a RHD car and it suddenly not ok for the passenger in a LHD car?

flappist · 09-12-2009, 08:24 PM

Simply put, the nanny state cotton wool enthused hitleresque social engineers elected by the average idiot in this country would never allow something that may require more intelligence than "moron simple" to achieve as it would disadvantage and endanger too many stupid people.

After all, if all the stupid people were killed how would they ever remain in power......

Not that I am cynical about this

Oh and for those who are sure that Australians are too stupid to be able to do what the rest of the world seems to do quite easily.......remember, you are Australian.....

last fairlane · 09-12-2009, 08:31 PM

Back in the nineties the Mrs and I went to England for a holiday
we borrowed a Fiat Strada (RHD) and took it over to France
well the same argument LHD Vs RHD happens there
as you drive off the ferry you have to go into the right lane which feels awkward but you do get used to it
on the freeways its not a problem but on single lane roads its different and as a passenger its scary and round a bouts I nearly killed us all on the first day I aproached the roundabout and looked to the right and nothing was coming so I took off then came the tooting of horns and the sound of brakes
because I was in a LHD country you have to look to the left not the right
but as I said you do get used to it as Im still here
Id love to go back and do it again
thanks John

Withnail · 09-12-2009, 08:37 PM

I was in Samoa recently, you may recall that earlier this year they switched from driving on the left side of the road - like us - to driving on the right side of the road.

So obviously all the cars on the road (except for brand new ones, of which there aren't very many) are the same as ours except they are now driving on the other side of the road to what the car was designed for.

We had a local driver and it was still very dangerous, even for him, to have to edge out to the wrong side of the road to see if the road ahead was clear for overtaking.

Sure you might say that's not the end of the world - just be careful, but anything that increases risk is generally undesirable, so obviously the government doesn't think the return on that risk is worth it. After all, you'll only please a (relatively) small number of car enthusiasts, and at the same time hurt business for car companies who import left hand drive vehicles. The problems as regards parallel importing would not sit well with these guys. That's probably another reason for it.

**Polyal** · 09-12-2009, 08:55 PM

Yeah I am not saying that LHD should become mainstream, but perhaps have some scheme where enthusiast vehicles can be left LHD. Most of these vehicles would have limit use anyway, the weekend/track type situation.

**Falcon Coupe** · 09-12-2009, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAPID XR8

All I will say is, go and have a drive of a LHD car. Then all will be revealed.

If you are behind a truck,van or 4x4 for that matter and want to overtake, forget it.

75% of your car is on the wrong side of the road just to see if anything is coming in the opposite direction.

Horrible outcome if a car is there when you decide to try and see if it is OK to overtake.

This example is reason enough alone. There are enough drivers on the road already who struggle to safley overtake in an RHD car.

JACK250 · 09-12-2009, 10:25 PM

Yep, as a learner driver who has driven 3 different LHD cars I can confirm that is is barely any different if you are just cruising along. It is a PITA however to overtake, and turn right at traffic lights. I think the 30 year old rule is sensible really

**kypez** · 09-12-2009, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Withnail

I was in Samoa recently, you may recall that earlier this year they switched from driving on the left side of the road - like us - to driving on the right side of the road.

Didnt they move it to be the same as us as of 7th September. They were like right side of the road now on the left (like us)...

I've driven my neighbours 67 GT500. Its scary for all the reasons mentioned but you get used to it. And that you are now at the window of everyone who wants to race you!! That cant be a good thing!!

Withnail · 09-12-2009, 10:59 PM

hehe yeah you're right actually, woops.

They changed from driving on the right side to now driving on the left, like us.

BFZ Wagon · 09-12-2009, 11:51 PM

We are one of the only RHD countries that doesn't allow LHD cars to be registered on our roads unless they're over a certain age. In WA, you can drive a LHD car if it's over 15 yrs old. (I wish that was the case in QLD!) You can drive a LHD car of any age in the NT. The rest of the states & and ACT have a 30 yr rule. I'm just amazed that you have to go to all the expense to change an old car over to RHD. I can understand if they were relatively new vehicles under 10 yrs old say but not 20-30yrs old. That's just stupid. I think because the laws were put in place so long ago they figured that no one who owns a LHD car from the 60's & 70's are going to use it on a daily basis but as we're coming up to 30 year old cars being built in 1980, I don't think these are only just 'old classics' anymore.

NZ has a 20yo LHD rule. You can import/drive any LHD car over 20yrs old. They even have a recent LHD ownership rule where if you have been overseas and owned a LHD for more than 90 days, you can bring it into the country. BUT, you can't sell it for 5 years. It would be nice to be able to do that here. F150 or Mustang. MMMM. Would certainly be a lot cheaper than the HUGE overblown prices the converters & importers charge for newer LHD stuff.

I don't think we'll see a change in the 30yo law in the Eastern states any time soon. (Especially with the nanny state situation that flappist so accurately described) actually gaining momentum.

mustang70 · 10-12-2009, 12:49 AM

My mustang is LHD. Driving is fine normally but certain situations,especially in country runs without a passenger. You just cant overtake safely without a passenger checking for you. Sit back behind the truck doing 80 and wait for an overtaking lane.

benXaGt · 10-12-2009, 12:58 AM

My mate has a lhd caddy and said the only problem he has is he cant order properly in the macdonalds drive through window lol

Antwon · 10-12-2009, 03:10 AM

Maybe have a second driving test that allows you to drove HD cars? like a different license class or something?

gtxb67 · 10-12-2009, 06:31 AM

so other countries allow both rhd and lhd - big deal
most other countries do not allow 5.4+ litre v8's without placing a huge tax on them either. in australia you can - i would rather that option than driving a lhd car
and maybe the other countries have it because you can travel from a rhd country to a lhd country so easily. ever tried to drive a mustang to australia - no real point in allowing them here is there
the average australian driver is dangerous in a rhd vehicle, especially when trying to overtake. putting them on the wrong side of the car would surely not help, would it. but then again, this is australia - we can just blame someone else if something went wrong

mcnews · 10-12-2009, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAPID XR8

All I will say is, go and have a drive of a LHD car. Then all will be revealed.

If you are behind a truck,van or 4x4 for that matter and want to overtake, forget it.

75% of your car is on the wrong side of the road just to see if anything is coming in the opposite direction.

Horrible outcome if a car is there when you decide to try and see if it is OK to overtake.

What he said.

kiwimark · 10-12-2009, 07:37 AM

From NZ and having driven my father in laws Z06 corvette (LHD) a few times (have a RHD car normally) have found that you just have to be a bit more aware.
You dont need to change your instincts at intersections (when driving in the US found that the hardest) but you need to remember to use your front left wheel as the guide otherwise you go wide to the right. Having insane power also helps

bigdude1011 · 10-12-2009, 11:43 AM

On Canberra roads, the garbage trucks have dual controls and are often used in LHD mode, plus, I've seen various recent Japanese cars imported from the US (Mazda Millenia, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Honda Pilot, Toyota Sienna), they must have been personally imported by American expats, as no enthusiasts would want to import these cars.

imugli · 10-12-2009, 11:48 AM

Interesting sidenote about the Samoa's recent change... All of the bus doors now open into the traffic as opposed to the gutter.