Advantages of being RHD in an LHD country

[OTEP]

***Just a little background. In Canada, it is LEGAL to import, own, and operate a right hand drive vehicle so long as the vehicle is 15 years or older and so long as it is made to comply safety/equipment regulations enforced by their transportation office.

However, some groups are lobbying that importation be stopped or the rules revised to make it next to impossible to import. Here are some tidbits.

From: http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showfl...5&o=14&fpart=1

1. Cyclists coming up on the right is a major concern when making right turns in urban areas. In a LHD vehicle the only safe way to check for this is for the driver to look back over his right shoulder, thus loosing sight of what is happening in front of his vehicle. This method is actually specified in the commercial driver training manual. In a RHD vehicle the driver only has to drop his vision to the right hand mirror for an instant and he can see everything to his right rear without losing sight of what is happening in front of his vehicle.

2. When turning left in a LHD vehicle the left side windshield pillar is much closer to the driver’s eyes and therefore blocks more of his field of view (FOV). In a RHD the windshield pillar is farther away and therefore blocks much less of the FOV. That windshield pillar can easily obscure a pedestrian when turning left through an intersection for example. Futhermore, when turning left in a LHD the area of worst visibility is the LH rear. The LH driver's door frame and pillar* being very close to the driver’s eyes in a LHD vehicle, block the view to a great extent, even when the driver looks back over his left shoulder (and not many do). In a RHD however (some ricers excluded obviously) the LH door frame and pillar are much farther away and block much less of the view. The driver in a RHD also does not have to turn his head as far to look to his left rear, allowing his peripheral vision to cover more of the usual blindspot to the LH rear. I don’t have the software to produce drawings illustrating this, but it should be obvious from a ‘bird’s eye view visualization

*ie: the rear side frame of the driver's door and the pillar between the front and rear doors (if any)

3. At night it is much easier to see and follow the white line on the RH (curb) side of the road than trying to see the yellow line in the center against the headlights of oncoming traffic. By avoiding looking directly at the oncoming headlights the driver’s night vision is better and he is more likely to see pedestrians, cyclists, animals or other hazards on the RH (curb) side which are less easily noticed by drivers in LHD vehicles. Furthermore, most accidents at night probably occur between vehicles and hazards on RH (curb) side of the road.

4. In a head-on collision the impact is most likely to occur on the left front side; being seated on the right the driver is less likely to be injured and injuries if sustained are likely to be less serious.

5. When parallel parking in a RHD the driver has a much better view of the curb and the LH rear of the car in front of him. This means faster and better parking with less obstruction of the curb lane and the dangerous and illegal swerving into adjoining lanes around vehicles trying to parallel park that we see so much of today.

6. In a RHD vehicle the driver gets out of the vehicle on the curb side rather than the road side. Obviously much safer for the driver as well as cyclists and other drivers. No more doors suddenly opening into traffic or following vehicles illegally swerving into adjoining lanes, or cyclists running into doors suddenly opened in front of them.

[redorange]

But isn't passing another vehicle more dangerous since you have to stick out most of the vehicle in order to see if another vehicle is coming .

1. You can also check the same mirrors if you are driving LHD vehicle so there really isn't any advantage.

2. I understand about the A pillars blocking the view but unless a RHD vehicle has no A pillars on the right side I don't see an advantage either. Because you have the same A pillars blocking your view on the right and left side regardless of which side you are driving.

3. Since most accidents happen at night with RH on the curb side you are also closer to the part of the car that will hit the RH. Since most utility poles are on the curb side you will be more likely to hit that pole with the right side of the vehicle which is also the side you are sitting in.

4. It just means you are more likely to kill you passenger rather than yourself in a head on accident.

5. People who can't park LHD vehicles wouldn't do any better with a RHD vehicle.

6. Advantage RHD unless your car is low then you would just be scratching the curb with your door everytime you open it. Your passengers still need to open the door and they will be less carefull about opening doors into traffic.

Just my .02 cents.

[OTEP]

Being RHD in an LHD world will always have its advantages and disadvantages.

However, I disagree with the prosal to ban their importation (like how it is happening here now) into Canada (where most of my relatives are). Granting that they are not optimized for the road network, doesn't mean they won't work. Even in Europe, it is perfectly legal to drive into a territory with a different road network orientation. And it doesn't seem to be a problem. Japan also doesn't ban LHD vehicle as long as they meet other set standards.

Sa Pilipinas lang siguro hindi pwede kasi kahit saan mo ilagay ang driver, hindi pa din niya alam ang gagawin.

[gearspeed]

Being RHD in an LHD world will always have its advantages and disadvantages.

I agree pero para sa akin kaya yan practice lang yan pero dito sa pinas wala ng practice parang counter strike go go go.hehe..

Nakakapanibago cguro yun na mag drive ka ng RHD na sasakyan.

[oldblue]

ako naman I am for the conversion of all PUJ's and PUB's sa RHD. para mag-think twice sila swerve at madali sila magtawag ng pasahero

[low_profile2]

tama mga bro sa pilipinas ewan ko baka mahirapan kasi ma dami pub or puj drivers..ewan ko ba kung ano style sa pag drive..pero hindi naman lahat..

[onedayoldchick]

ano ba kasi history bakit may LHD at RHD pa? bakit hindi nalang LHD buong mundo.

[niky]

ano ba kasi history bakit may LHD at RHD pa? bakit hindi nalang LHD buong mundo.

Actually, the RHD guys ask the same question... bakit hindi nalang RHD?

LHD was standardized in Europe and America a long while back, because nations that shared highways were running into trouble because people had a hard time adjusting from LHD to RHD when they crossed borders... but nations like Japan, the UK and Australia didn't change because they had no need to... they didn't share roads with anyone else, so why bother? And since Japan, the UK and Australia also produce cars, they influenced the decision in other countries, too, like Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

LHD was chosen only because more countries had it, not because it was better. Which one is better is entirely a matter of taste.

[StraightSix]

ano ba kasi history bakit may LHD at RHD pa? bakit hindi nalang LHD buong mundo.

Panahon pa daw ng kabayo ...
http://users.pandora.be/worldstandar...ft.htm#history

[wildthing]

Whoever wrote this details is definitely not PINOY in driving skills:

1. Cyclists coming up on the right is a major concern when making right turns in urban areas. ... ETO ang pinaka-stupid thoughts...he only gets concern on the vehicles around him kung liliko na siya. Eto yung mga typical drivers na liko-muna-bago-lingon.

2. When turning left in a LHD vehicle the left side windshield pillar is much closer to the driver’s eyes and therefore blocks more of his field of view....siguro ang pilars ng oto niya ay 12" wide...meron din naman left and right side mirrors...it is just a matter of properly adjusting these mirrors to diminish the blind spot. Baka merun din siyang problema sa leeg at hindi siya makalingon.

3. At night it is much easier to see and follow the white line ... in the Philippines you would ask...Ha!? there is such thing as yellow and white line!? really!? At night you should open your head lights (correct the adjustments) so you can see the road properly.

4. In a head-on collision the impact is most likely to occur on the left front side...because most of the time the driver will try to swerve right para umiwas.

5. When parallel parking in a RHD the driver has a much better view ...agree with the above comment...kung palpak ka mag parallel park sa LHD, pareho lang yan sa RHD. In parallel parking, using the side mirrors is the best way to "estimate" your distance. Dapat kasi ina-adjust ang mirror when doing parallel parking (kaya nga most vech are equipt with power windows para pedeng i-adjust anytime). Kung hindi pa rin kaya...try nila palitan the large-SUV-style na side mirrors...tanga lang ang hindi makakakita ng gilid ng oto nya.

6. In a RHD vehicle the driver gets out of the vehicle on the curb side .... it would be much safer if before ka bumaba at magbukas ng oto mo ay lumingon ka muna sa traffic na padaan....hindi ba?!?

[miLes]

the only thing that i got is a near accident on a RHD country, we're used to looking at the left when crossing the street, when a vehicle zoomed in front of me coming from the right whew

[the_wildthing]

I read somewhere, or was it a TV show, that in the US, everything became LHD when Ford just built the Model T as LHD.

Interestingly, USPS vans are RHD, I suppose because they always have to get down, or reach into a mailbox.

Passing is always a problem with RHD in an LHD country, but I suppose if you don't mind the additional mirrors, it can be worked out.

[mbt]

Personally I would rather have all vehicles LHD in a LHD country, even if it can be argued that RHD can work in an LHD country. Just because it works doesn't mean that it will work well. Toll booths and parking booths, passing, etc. will all be made needlessly risky and difficult, making our unsafe roads even more unsafe.

I suppose in other countries, RHD is allowed in an LHD land because it's going to be a tiny niche market in those countries. Pero dito sa atin, kung payagan ang RHD, there will be too many RHD vehicles on the road (dahil sa dami ng mga imported used, and often junk, vehicles) and I think that will significantly compromise overall road safety. In other countries, those who bring in non-standard vehicles are bound to know what theyre doing because of the hassles involved. E pero dito, hindi ganun. Just think, 97,000 vehicles were sold by the formal industry for 2005. In the same period, an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 imported used vehicles (mostly RHD) were brought in. To me, that's too big a proportion to allow for non-standard vehicles.

Besides, what's the point of allowing RHD? To make it easier and more convenient to import used/junk cars? In the long term, that's a very unhealthy and unsustainable strategy to bring cars to the people. Legalizing RHD is similar to addressing prostitution by legalizing it. I think the circumstances here are quite different from that of Japan, Europe and Canada.

[OTEP]

what's the point of allowing RHD

Because this is the easiest way to get a Land Cruiser diesel with a winch, 3 lockers, and 2 fuel tanks.

It's also the only way to get a Pajero diesel into Canada. And the diesel population at 4x4wire has been growing steadily since last year.

SUV's seem to be the most popular ex-JDM vehicles in Canada. Land Cruisers and Hilux Surfs are being snapped up almost as quickly as they arrive.

[mbt]

Yes, but again, the Canadian RHD-import market is made up mostly of (I suspect), enthusiasts who are looking for a specific vehicle and know what they are doing and are willing to put up with the hassle of importation.

Here, the RHD-import market is like a giant sari-sari store that steals sales away from the formal industry as well as the secondary local used-car market. I can understand that there are enthusiasts here as well who may be looking for a specific vehicle, know what they are doing and are willing to put up with the hassle of importation, but there are far more non-enthusiasts who are not looking for a specific vehicle, may not know what they are doing and may not understand the hassle of importation... which makes the prospect of legalizing RHD here much more dangerous than in other countries like Canada.

[OTEP]

Yep. They are looking for vehicles that were never available or were not available in the configuration they wanted. They are using them as daily drivers and since it is Canada, they do not have to go through the trouble of federalizing the vehicles. Purchasing the units is just a tad more difficult than purchasing any used car. From there, they only have to make the vehicle comply with local regulations and pass through an inspection before getting their license tags.

In the U.S. (e.g. those Skylines), the import company (Motorex?) that brings in those monsters had to federalize the units which meant crash testing and reengineering among others. No wonder those Skylines cost a pretty penny.

The issue is pretty much a closed book here (you either pay a Php500k flat fee or you don't get your import). However, it's an ongoing battle in Canada as there are groups (comprised mainly of non-enthusiasts) who are lobbying to ban the import of ex-JDM vehicles.

[Jun aka Pekto]

I would join in protesting RHD being allowed here in the US. We have enough idiots on the road getting in trouble with LHD. No need to confuse them further with RHD. Postal RHD's have rigid rules they have to adhere to. In Nevada where many towns have 15 mph and 25 mph speed limits, RHD postal vans are a regular sight on the roads. It's no coincidence many mail are delivered close to the times schoolkids are dismissed.

Here in our neighborhood, postal mail and packages are delivered by the mailman in his privately owned van.

[ptk675]

ako naman I am for the conversion of all PUJ's and PUB's sa RHD. para mag-think twice sila swerve at madali sila magtawag ng pasahero

parang yung gamit ng mga mailman sa US, nasa right side sila para pag pickup ng mails madali lang

[paulbaguio]

There is only one solution to eliminate RHD and LHD advantages/comparison.

Check out this car (attachment):
(Mr. Bean's Nemesis's car)

It will answer partiality among RHD and LHD drivers.

[StraightSix]

There is only one solution to eliminate RHD and LHD advantages/comparison.

Check out this car (attachment):
(Mr. Bean's Nemesis's car)

It will answer partiality among RHD and LHD drivers.

Err ... how? The steering wheel and the driver's seat is still on the right hand side of that Reliant.