Why do imported cars need to be converted to RHD

[69ISH]

Ok,
I own 2 classic American cars which are both LHD and have owned 2 others that were also LHD so why is it the bureaucrats won't allow newer imports to remain LHD, I know they do in WA so why can it not be left LHD in the other states.
I have no problems driving LHD and nor does my wife and most people I know may be a little hesitant at first but once actually driving see no reasonable difference,the only downfall we can come up with is on dual carriageways when needing to overtake slow trucks/caravans as seeing around them is difficult and requiring you to drop back a long way to get clear vision of oncoming traffic (Which makes it all that more much fun when you do get the opportunity to pass).

So my question is what is the point of having to convert cars from LHD to RHD ??????????

Now if you feel they only allow us to leave classic cars (30 years old or more) untouched for preservation/concourse/collector reasons. Could you really argue that the 05 and up mustangs, the new camaros and new challengers are not going to be collectible because I would bet my left nut that they will be in years to come and really already are.
Your opinion is welcome.

[mik]

as you mentioned the overtakeing thing, i would imagine if they let heaps go unconverted , then there was a huge head on because some one failed to see oncomeing traffic during overtakeing in a lhd car, it would hit the fan.

[69ISH]

Originally Posted by mik

as you mentioned the overtakeing thing, i would imagine if they let heaps go unconverted , then there was a huge head on because some one failed to see oncomeing traffic during overtakeing in a lhd car, it would hit the fan.

I see your point but there would presume there would be more dual carriageways in Wa than anywhere else in Australia.
Also I have a friend from the UK who has brought over his 69 Shelby GT350 LHD,Crayford convertible Cortina RHD,2 door Cortina RHD and a Supercharged Cortina wagon RHD (all three Cortinas were not available in Australia)
He was telling me that in the UK they have both LHD and RHD over there so I still can not get behind the reasoning of us being forced to convert our cars to LHD except that it is just another money making scheme for the government and is keeping these cars beyond the reach of most Australians

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by 69ISH

He was telling me that in the UK they have both LHD and RHD over there

Probably because of their close proximity to the rest of Europe which is LHD?

except that it is just another money making scheme for the government and is keeping these cars beyond the reach of most Australians

You don't pay the government to do the conversion, so they wouldn't make any money out of it, except for perhaps the engineers certification at the end of it.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by mik

as you mentioned the overtakeing thing, i would imagine if they let heaps go unconverted , then there was a huge head on because some one failed to see oncomeing traffic during overtakeing in a lhd car, it would hit the fan.

Not such a huge problem if you do not sit right up the bum of the car in front of you which is, unfortunately, the Australian way.

There are a few minor technical probleme like the low beam facing the wrong way and an inability for the driver to use RHD centric facilities such as car parks, drive in food/ATM/whatever etc.

There is also the "Most drivers are too unskilled to be able to do it" brigade, most of whom are themselves too unskilled to be able do it and as almost all drivers believe they are above average therefore most drivers must be worse than they.
This could be resolved with a LHD class on your license that requires a separate test similar to motorcycle, truck, tractor etc.

But despite all this the biggest problem is the brain dead Australian bureaucracy looking for as many obstacles as they can coupled with the "storm in a teacup beat up" media driven by the "car and driver haters" council.

I think it is a great idea to allow LHD but unfortunately I am in the minority....

[Kryton]

The answer is pretty simple actually.
Its solely to protect our own manufacturers and authorised Importers (like Mitsubishi, toyota etc).
If you could buy an American car made, directly off the show room floor in LHD, how much cheaper do you think that would be - a lot.
This would threaten our own market, it would flood the market as well and would force local manufacturers to compete at a level which wouldnt be viable for them.

Its just the same as you cant import and register any car from another country, like Japan, that was sold here new buy the manufacturer.
For example, you can import a late model RX7 from Japan and have it sitting at for front door for just over $9000 - you cant buy one that was sold locally for that price.
That $9000 RX7 can still be imported into the country, however, it can NEVER be road registered.
This is to protect the local market and dealers/manufacturers.

[aussie muscle]

You have to own a car for 12 months in another country before you can import it as a 'personal import'. having to convert cars to RHD is a $15,000 hit that isn't really necessary. i bought an 80s Firebird, but only two shops in NSW/VIC would even look at it for converting. (i sold it LHD). it's easy to get someone to convert a mustang tho.

can we change to LHD like Tonga(?) did a few months back?

[9triton]

another thing is the volume of old left hand drive cars actually on the road would be minuscule - so not a real big problem

but if they were modern cars potentially you would see a larger %age on the roads with all those attendandt problems - ie vision , overtaking etc

[69ISH]

Originally Posted by davway

The answer is pretty simple actually.
Its solely to protect our own manufacturers and authorised Importers (like Mitsubishi, toyota etc).
If you could buy an American car made, directly off the show room floor in LHD, how much cheaper do you think that would be - a lot.
This would threaten our own market, it would flood the market as well and would force local manufacturers to compete at a level which wouldnt be viable for them.

Its just the same as you cant import and register any car from another country, like Japan, that was sold here new buy the manufacturer.
For example, you can import a late model RX7 from Japan and have it sitting at for front door for just over $9000 - you cant buy one that was sold locally for that price.
That $9000 RX7 can still be imported into the country, however, it can NEVER be road registered.
This is to protect the local market and dealers/manufacturers.

It is my beleif and don't quote me on this, but don't the newer imported cars already have to be previously owned before they are allowed to be registered and I understand them protecting cars that were sold here hence 01-03 imported mustangs not being able to be registered here Yet all the locally sold ones were actually all01s anyway) but what would the newer mustangs/camaros/challengers be competing against in Australia that would suffer from them being able to be registered RHD versus LHD.

[69ISH]

Everyone has valid points of why we don't have LHD but why then do they allow it in WA??? It just doesn't make sense.

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by 69ISH

It is my beleif and don't quote me on this, but don't the newer imported cars already have to be previously owned before they are allowed to be registered and I understand them protecting cars that were sold here hence 01-03 imported mustangs not being able to be registered here Yet all the locally sold ones were actually all01s anyway) but what would the newer mustangs/camaros/challengers be competing against in Australia that would suffer from them being able to be registered RHD versus LHD.

The upcoming new Falcon Coupe of course....

[XR_Strider_GuY]

Originally Posted by 69ISH

Everyone has valid points of why we don't have LHD but why then do they allow it in WA??? It just doesn't make sense.

I think you will find in W.A. there is an age limit to having LHD cars. Its just that the age limit is not 25 years or older like here.

Good and bad on both sides. Keeping a car left hand drive keeps the car original. However having a car thats converted makes it unique in its own right and makes it rare. My 1990 Corvette has been converted to right hook.

[satria]

i'm pretty sure we are not allowed newer cars to be LHD here. It's only the older classics that can stay LHD but even they need those big ugly "CAUTION: LEFT HAND DRIVE" stickers on their windows/bumpers.

[69ISH]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

The upcoming new Falcon Coupe of course....

Yeah I wish and if they did I doubt I could afford one anyways but the house is not really a necessity is it????

i'm pretty sure we are not allowed newer cars to be LHD here. It's only the older classics that can stay LHD but even they need those big ugly "CAUTION: LEFT HAND DRIVE" stickers on their windows/bumpers.

30 years and over allowed to remain LHD No stickers or warnings required.

[GreenMachine]

You can drive new LHD cars in the NT - one of the government ministers (Sid Sterling) had a LHD late 90's Corvette for years (probably still does), and I see all sorts of LHD cars up there - most recently a mid 2000's Dodge Somethingorother minivan in Alice Springs.

I've often thought about importing something and just registering it care of our Darwin office...

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by 69ISH

Everyone has valid points of why we don't have LHD but why then do they allow it in WA??? It just doesn't make sense.

WA was 15 years old before registered LHD, when i asked them about 6 months ago.

the newer imported cars already have to be previously owned before they are allowed to be registered

for a private import, you have to own it for 12 months if it's less than 10-15 yo.
you can import a brand new car if you are a RAWS registered workshop, but you have to convert it to RHD.

[aussie muscle]

here's the offical website for importing cars
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roa...les/index.aspx

[bobthebilda]

One of the most important things would be knowing where the centre line in the road is. If you driving a LHD, your would be more inclined to keep aligned with the edge (shoulder) of the road, instead of the centre of the road. Making a bad judgement and sticking over the centre of the road, will tend to have worse consequences than sticking over the edge of a road. Some people can concentrate and do it without trying (just like going to another country and driving on their side no problems), but a large number would tend to lapse.

[Nikked]

There is an year cut off for LHD cars...30 years old for most states?

[Franco Cozzo]

I'd imagine it'd be a bastard to overtake, but thats solved by simply not overtaking, or doing it when you know there is a clear spot, for example, going around a right hand bend which leads onto a straight flat section of road, you would be able to see the oncoming traffic while going around the bend for the straight bit.

Preferably, have a passenger or don't overtake at all.

I wouldn't mind owning a LHD car, just to be different.

[last fairlane]

Hi all
Ive got a 66 Thundrbird LHD
it was fitted with inertia reel seat belts in the front (lap belts only) and static belts in the rear from the factory
but to register it LHD in QLD I had to fit lap/sash inertia reel belts
(what a pig of a job)
how do you fit lap sash belts in a hardtop without them getting in the way of the rear passengers or just looking plain ugly?
that dosent make sense to me
also I had to change the headlights like was mentioned before
but I was allowed to keep the sequential tail light (blinkers) and they are red
while My mate has an EJ Holden with no belts
and it went straight through rego
have the shiny bums in the public service got nothing better to do
than to stop people like me having a mid life crisis and getting something I liked as a teenager
as a side note
Is a Harley left hand drive or right hand drive
and if it had a side car which side of the bike would it have to be fitted
as there is a guy running around Brisbane with a motorbike and sidecar
that is fitted on the wrong side (he is in a wheelchair)
and he steers it from the left side
John

[ThePistonHead]

I regularly see a LHD mustang without any warning stickers in Tasmania.

[Tealglow]

1/2 my street in Alice Springs have LHD.

Everything from classic corvette and (relatively)new mustang to CRV's , Explorers and dodge vans.

Never see any for sale locally though, they must ship them back at the end of their Ozzie tour.

[morak001]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

can we change to LHD like Tonga(?) did a few months back?

I'm thinking that they changed to RHD so they could import Au and NZ stuff cheaply?

I remember an article about the bus drivers complaining because their passenger doors opened to the middle of the road.

[Luke Plaizier]

The law to force all cars under 25 years to be RHD before registration is archaic and outdated. It is OK to drive LHD cars if they are registered outside Australia - it's just not easy to get them here. You can drive and register LHD drives cars in the UK and Japan. You can reghister and drive RHD cars in Canada and the US.

It must be a throwback to Australia's protectionist ways that hasn't yet been cleansed by 'Free Trade', WTO and the elimination of import tariffs.

Start a website. Mail in frequently to car magazines and newspapers. Try the MTAA (or the AIAA I guess is now.) Or even the FCAI. I want this dumb rule removed too.


Lukeyson

[Veefore]

It is totally about safety. You simply cannot see as clearly and perform a lot of day to day manoeuvres properly in a LHD car. If there were a lot more of them you would be hearing about a lot more "I didn't see him" accidents.

The only reason that they do allow older cars to be LHD is because these cars are expected to be used sparingly by real enthusiasts who take a lot of pride and therefore care in their vehicle, not as day to day transport. And because these cars have a value that would be ruined with the modification to RHD. It is not a restriction placed on new cars but basically an allowance on older cars to let a small minority maintain a hobby and a piece of history. Nothing to do with bureaucracy.

[mik]

Originally Posted by flappist

Not such a huge problem if you do not sit right up the bum of the car in front of you which is, unfortunately, the Australian way.

There are a few minor technical probleme like the low beam facing the wrong way and an inability for the driver to use RHD centric facilities such as car parks, drive in food/ATM/whatever etc.

There is also the "Most drivers are too unskilled to be able to do it" brigade, most of whom are themselves too unskilled to be able do it and as almost all drivers believe they are above average therefore most drivers must be worse than they.
This could be resolved with a LHD class on your license that requires a separate test similar to motorcycle, truck, tractor etc.

But despite all this the biggest problem is the brain dead Australian bureaucracy looking for as many obstacles as they can coupled with the "storm in a teacup beat up" media driven by the "car and driver haters" council.

I think it is a great idea to allow LHD but unfortunately I am in the minority....

to doit safely and be back far enough i think you`d need to give it heaps to get past, might not be an entirely lawfull overtakeing manouvre, could possibly be fun though.

[v gate]

Why is it then we can buy a brand spankin new crane lhd and drive away no worries. same goes for concrete pumps. Seems to me like aussie car makers have an advantage.
The first time i ever drove lhd on the road i was in a BB camaro 4sp and my first thought was why are we idiots sittin on the other side of the car. Yes some of my judgement sucked but within 30 mins it was all good (mostly)
In saying that ive got a mate with a lhd and he couldnt drive a greasy stick up his behind and its auto so go figure?

[gtxb67]

while this will sound nanny statist, i would think without a doubt, there is a problem with vision. some people will be able to drive safely, but many would not. the laws are made for the lowest common demonimator and then made even lower. i personally think many people should not have a licence, i would hate to think what would happen if those people were allowed in left hand drive cars

sitting back from the car ahead may be an option, but if on a dual lane road, that gap will be swallowed up by the next boy racer trying to save 1 second in his overall trip time. more often than not, it is not really possible to leave such a gap

Originally Posted by v gate

Why is it then we can buy a brand spankin new crane lhd and drive away no worries. same goes for concrete pumps. Seems to me like aussie car makers have an advantage.

cranes are normally much higher than cars and probably rarely have to move to the right to overtake. either way if they are sitting higher, then the vision problems are no longer there

the law may very well be there to help aussie car makers - and why not
we need manufacturing in this country - enough jobs have already gone overseas, so for a simple thing like which side of the car you sit on, i do not see a problem if that is a major or even minor reason

[Copie]

Originally Posted by gtxb67

cranes are normally much higher than cars and probably rarely have to move to the right to overtake. either way if they are sitting higher, then the vision problems are no longer there

Also they are classed as a professional driver, hence more training (most cranes require a HR i believe) then the average 'driver'

After seeing every day how some people drive, i think the rules are correct, id hate to see some of them behind a LHD car, it would be downright more dangerous then what they are now.

Quite a few people already struggle to overtake semi's and getting a clear LOS to get around them, so could you imagine that in LHD?