Australia driving on the Right post '17 (LHD)

[AUwindsor]

Originally Posted by zilo

Perhaps we should have MID DRIVE vehicles?

Then we could flood all the world markets aussie innovation....

Probably be safer sitting in the middle ...

this is the best idea yet. no need to change the road setup in ANY country.. rather just build all vehicles globally MID DRIVE. a little wider than average with a passenger seat on each side of the driver

this is a perfect Mr Burns from the Simpsons idea, aka the real elite that own all the corporations can now sell a car built in China (with peasant labor) to anywhere in the world without all of the lhd / rhd woes

Then the aussie nanna politicians who hate more than breathe oxygen, will have NO EXCUSE remaining

[chevypower]

Actually with modern technology, mid drive like the McLaren F1 isn't necessary. They could do drive-by-wire with a modular dash design that can be changed easily.

[Bonn]

I would not buy or drive a vehicle with steering 'drive-by-wire'!!!!!!!
You do mean just the throttle???

[AUwindsor]

Originally Posted by chevypower

Actually with modern technology, mid drive like the McLaren F1 isn't necessary. They could do drive-by-wire with a modular dash design that can be changed easily.

Yeah no way im driving on the roads with cars that dont have a mechanically connected steering wheel...

Toyota "fly by wire" steering

[The FOMOCO]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

THANK YOU...

My favourite niggle...why the hell is Australia practically the only country in the world that cares what side of the car the wheel is on? If you can safely drive 25 year old LHD cars, then why not 25 day old LHD cars as well if you so wish?

There are only a tiny number of developed modern countries that have RHD roads...and this hamstrings and effectively protects our makers (and increases imported new car costs) by making us a special market that special models have to be built for.

Go look up any of the big US manufacturers and "build and price" whatever takes your fancy from mild to wild to trucks...

Then go have a quiet cry in the corner, realising the only reason you can't have one at those ludicrously low prices is that our government treats drivers like children who can't be trusted with new LHD cars...

Exactly We are treated like we are idiots and we sit back and take it

[zilo]

Originally Posted by Bonn

I would not buy or drive a vehicle with steering 'drive-by-wire'!!!!!!!
You do mean just the throttle???

Chances are you wouldn't know if you were driving one or not.

People used to say the same about power steering.

[chevypower]

Originally Posted by Bonn

I would not buy or drive a vehicle with steering 'drive-by-wire'!!!!!!!
You do mean just the throttle???

No I meant steering by wire (well all mechanical functions really).

Originally Posted by AUwindsor

Yeah no way im driving on the roads with cars that dont have a mechanically connected steering wheel...

Toyota "fly by wire" steering

It would be like driving an Airbus, what could possibly go wrong?

[davenl5l]

I had a lhd buick electra convertible and I gotta say overtaking in the country was a eye opener . on another note the yanks are lhd because they used to let the missus drive the wagon so they could hold their rifle ready for the indian attack . (true story I looked it up when I had the buick)

[Bonn]

Originally Posted by zilo

Chances are you wouldn't know if you were driving one or not.

People used to say the same about power steering.

With power steering, you've still got the option of 'Armstrong' steering, to get you home - big difference.......

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by davenl5l

on another note the yanks are lhd because they used to let the missus drive the wagon so they could hold their rifle ready for the indian attack . (true story I looked it up when I had the buick)

This is assuming that those pesky Injuns obeyed the road rules.

[Olbucko]

The best time to have changed to driving on the RHS would have been about 1912, would have cost virtually nothing to convert back then.

[XR5]

We just simply need to leave everything as it is and allow both left and right hand drive new vehicle sales. In NSW I can register a lhd vehicle over 15 years old anyway so as of now that means anything from 2000 or earlier I can register and drive on the road daily in LHD.

Getting used to it is easy and takes 5 minutes for anyone reasonably competent. I have a 67 camaro in lhd on full rego and the only major disadvantage is you need a passenger for a drive through or parking garage. To allow a level of competency in people driving LHD simply add a LHD licence condition to a drivers licence so that in order to buy, drive or hire one you must have the LHD licence condition.

Everything else driving wise is no harder than RHD at the end of day.

[LoudPipes]

I’ve never experienced driving LHD cars on the left side of the road or RHD on the right side but the brain does adjust and your driving style should make allowances for the sight distance problems and blind spots that come with driving off hand side vehicles.

In saying that I’ve been very accustom to changing from RHD to LHD vehicles as I’ve travelled for years from country to country as part of my work and holidays and it takes only a few minutes for my head to adjust from one to the other.

I don’t know how that works for others as I’m been dismayed for years by people in Australia saying how difficult the Euros make it for drivers because they have their indicator stalks on the left.

I’ve never had a problem with adjusting to cars with left or right side indicators which only goes to prove to me that these laws and decisions are not made with me and normal people in mind, they are made to overcome the stupidity of the lowest common denominator.

That's possibly why old cars are exempt, not many of them on the road where if the general public on mass started driving LHD cars all hell could break loose.

[AUwindsor]

Originally Posted by The FOMOCO

Exactly We are treated like we are idiots and we sit back and take it

the handful that print the money, they rule earth, and decide how we're treated, via their puppet governments. the rest of us, we just accept what we're given.. or get put behind their bars

[zilo]

Originally Posted by Bonn

With power steering, you've still got the option of 'Armstrong' steering, to get you home - big difference.......

y

Me thinks you haven't tried that on a new car recently?

[Falcon Coupe]

We have enough carnage with "normal" people overtaking when they can see what's coming. Allowing a mix of left and right hand drive would release carmageddon on our roads!

[red_hotxr6]

Originally Posted by superpursuit83

Can you imagine what's involved in switching sides!
It will never happen

When i was doing my cert 3 earlier this year, my instructor told me/us, that a country in the 70,s either sweden, norway or one of them up that way changed driving sides overnight, maybe some one here has heard about it...i thought it a bit doubtful, but reading these posts brought back what he had told us....

[minheim]

Sweden was the one that changed nearly 50 years ago. Here is a link to a an article about the day of change - http://www.wired.com/2014/02/throwback-thursday-sweden/.

Personally I think we should stick with what we have as the level of driving skill in Australia by some drivers is poor enough already and the money required to reconfigure roads would be better spent improving and maintaining current roads.

[Franco Cozzo]

The hardest part would be tricking your mind to go around the other side of roundabouts.

[Bonn]

Originally Posted by zilo

y

Me thinks you haven't tried that on a new car recently?

..and your point is?

[red_hotxr6]

Originally Posted by minheim

Sweden was the one that changed nearly 50 years ago. Here is a link to a an article about the day of change - http://www.wired.com/2014/02/throwback-thursday-sweden/.

Personally I think we should stick with what we have as the level of driving skill in Australia by some drivers is poor enough already and the money required to reconfigure roads would be better spent improving and maintaining current roads.

Kool, didnt think he was lying, and we should stick to what we have here and just make sure that all drivers, especially the new ones increase there driving skills through education....

[zilo]

Originally Posted by Bonn

..and your point is?

That you are wrong. You cannot drive some new cars without power steering operational no matter how big your muscles are. hope that clears it up for you.

[commodorenutt]

Originally Posted by zilo

That you are wrong. You cannot drive some new cars without power steering operational no matter how big your muscles are. hope that clears it up for you.

I agree. The tensioner failed on my FG last year, and it spat the serpentine belt. It was a struggle to turn it into my street, even when rolling at 15km/h. It was impossible to get into the driveway without taking 3 goes at it - only turning when rolling.


Think of the physics with a car too. Every P-plate hero in a RWD car likes to single peg them out of RH corners. The RH wheel lets go quicker than the left, particularly in a live axle car (eg VN commodore) it's just pure physics - action vs reaction of driveline rotation & torque loading.

At present, driving on the left, they have enough road to get themselves out of trouble when they overdo it. But imagine if they came to a RH corner on a busy city street, driving on the RH side of the road, and hooked it around? Straight up the footpath & into a dozen pedestrians.....

[red_hotxr6]

BAM, and thats all she wrote folks....lol

[Bonn]

Originally Posted by zilo

That you are wrong. You cannot drive some new cars without power steering operational no matter how big your muscles are. hope that clears it up for you.

never mentioned 'new' cars, and it's not a competition.

Original statement - not keen on 'steer by wire' as a concept.
Simple as that.

Understand ALL about control systems, bus-systems and SIL ratings (heard of those? Safety Integrity Level- all about mean operations to failure, etc)
Even so, a preference for power steering over steer-by-wire is just that - a preference, so why get the s#its about it?
Just my preference.......

[zilo]

Originally Posted by Bonn

Understand ALL about control systems, bus-systems and SIL ratings (heard of those? Safety Integrity Level- all about mean operations to failure, etc)
Even so, a preference for power steering over steer-by-wire is just that - a preference, so why get the s#its about it?
Just my preference.......

Sure...BMIO? (*1)

The steer by wire system has so many potential safety benefits that clearly outweigh the drawbacks and any fears of massive failure are statistically unfounded.

Driver assist sub-systems are evolving and steering is a NP (*2) of the vehicle industry's automation. strategy.

As some have mentioned one clear advantage, being "on topic" to this thread is the capability to readily reconfigure the vehicle for either LHD (*3) or RHD (*4) operation.



*1 but my informed opinion
*2 natural progression
*3 left hand drive
*4 right hand drive

[satria]

I like the concept of steer-by-wire, I see it as an opportunity to save weight and either saving weight for the general good of the car or spending those kg's on improving other safety features. Win win!

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by satria

I like the concept of steer-by-wire, I see it as an opportunity to save weight and either saving weight for the general good of the car or spending those kg's on improving other safety features. Win win!

Backseat driving FTW

[cs123]

Originally Posted by Shambles

I believe the poms drove/rode on the left to have the sword hand ready for a forward challenge.

Etiquette when riding is to pass with the opposing rider on your left.

[Bonn]

Originally Posted by zilo

Sure...BMIO? (*1)

The steer by wire system has so many potential safety benefits that clearly outweigh the drawbacks and any fears of massive failure are statistically unfounded.

What safety benefits? just curious