Mr. Chips commented in another thread that he learned to drive in a Morris 1100. It brought back memories of my Dad.

For many years, he had a Morris Minor. Drivers seat on the left. Turn signals were flags that popped out of the sides. Its paint was weathered to a powder. Everyone in the family manually polished it to a shine. No buffing wheel.

He loved it in part because it was simple to repair. He fixed the transmission with a steel rod from the local small-town hardware store.

 

Those were the days, where cars were simple mechanical contraptions.
The most electronics it had were a 7 transistor AM radio.
I learned to drive in a VW “bug”.

 

I learned to drive in a 1969 Morris Minor.
Mine didn’t even have a radio, but it had flashing indicators (turn signals).
It did have a starting handle!

 

Turn signals were flags that popped out of the sides.

AKA "Trafficators"

 

I used to cycle to work every day past the previous site of the cycle repair shop 'Morris Garage' owned by William Morris, where he got the idea for the Morris cars.
I was also at MG Abingdon when the first MGA came off the line.!
(MG from Morris Garage !).

 

There would seem to be no obvious advantage to driving on the left or the right side of the road in countries designed for one of those options.
And of course it's not so important now with most cars having automatic transmissions but, for right-handed drivers, it would seem easier to shift a manual transmission with your right hand rather than your left.

 

There would seem to be no obvious advantage to driving on the left or the right side of the road in countries designed for one of those options.
And of course it's not so important now with most cars having automatic transmissions but, for right-handed drivers, it would seem easier to shift a manual transmission with your right hand rather than your left.

I don’t think it really matters. You get used to shifting with your left hand.

 

Alec Issigonis designed the Morris Minor (before the Mini) which was a superb piece of engineering for its time. It had torsion bar front suspension, also used on the E type Jaguar and a very reliable engine which was used for many years with minimal changes. If it hadn’t been for incompetent post war management it would have swept aside the world wide acceptance of the VW beetle which may have been quaint but it was dreadfully primitive with a floppy chassis, air cooled engine and basic suspension.

The British REME managed to get the VW factory going again after the war after it had been virtually destroyed. The origin of BMW cars was the Dixie company they acquired which had a license to build the Austin 7 in Germany. For a long time you could see features of BMW engines which originally came from the Austin 7 engine. Sad that the UK lost a great history of automotive development.

Driving on the left in the UK? We can blame Napoleon who insisted that horse riders passed each other on the right making it more difficult to draw your sword. For manual gearbox cars, which are still favoured in UK and much of Europe, when driving quickly I much prefer changing gears with the left hand which requires timing but limited precision, whilst steering with the right hand which demands control and precision - although I did live in Germany for 10 years and I used to drive much faster then.

 

Yes, the historical reason for this; it's all to do with keeping your sword hand free In the Middle Ages you never knew who you were going to meet when travelling on horseback. Most people are right-handed, so if a stranger passed by on the right of you, your right hand would be free to use your sword if menaced by anyone.

 

The question is: Why did they switch to driving on the right?
Was it for American trade protection?

 

Here is what I found on the web:

Wagons in Early America Were More Easily Driven with the Driver on the Left
Before wagons had designated, built-in seats for drivers, most wagon drivers simply sat on the horse furthest to the left. Due to visibility (especially when it came to passing other wagons) and most drivers being right handed, wagon drivers preferred this set up because they could, according to Today I Found Out, "easily drive a whole team of horses with a lash in their right hand."

https://www.ranker.com/list/why-we-drive-on-the-right-side-of-the-road/candice-darden

https://www.todayifoundout.com/inde...e-right-and-some-countries-drive-on-the-left/

 

There is also a story that the British zone administration offered to the Ford Motor Co the opportunity to purchase VW. Which they declined.
The VW reflected a simple, no-nonsense design philosophy.
But it worked for its intended purpose, the People’s Car.

 

But it worked for its intended purpose, the People’s Car.

With its rear engine, swing-arm suspension, and gas tank in your lap, it was also one of the most dangerous cars of its era to drive (along with the first Corvairs).

 

I am quite old and I was driving before UK joined the European Union.

I thought it would be a good idea to try driving on the right for two days just to be ready for joining up with Europe.

Man.... it was bloody dangerous.... I can tell you

Have not tried it again since


Don't know how other countries manage it

 

There would seem to be no obvious advantage to driving on the left or the right side of the road in countries designed for one of those options.
And of course it's not so important now with most cars having automatic transmissions but, for right-handed drivers, it would seem easier to shift a manual transmission with your right hand rather than your left.

That's exactly right. I (an American ) drove in the UK and had very little trouble adapting. Massive, multi-lane London roundabouts were stressful! BUT I never got used to having to shift and work the turn signal indicator with the same (left) hand. It annoyed me every time I slowed to enter a turn. The turn signal should have been under control of the right hand and all would have been fine.

 

That's exactly right. I (an American ) drove in the UK and had very little trouble adapting. Massive, multi-lane London roundabouts were stressful! BUT I never got used to having to shift and work the turn signal indicator with the same (left) hand. It annoyed me every time I slowed to enter a turn. The turn signal should have been under control of the right hand and all would have been fine.

The turn signal always was on the right-hand side of the steering wheel. Some EU directive required it to be on the left!
There was a time (about the 1980s) when some cars had indicators controlled by a stalk on the left of the steering wheel and some on the right. It was said "one sweep of the wipers means you are indicating you are about to turn left and screen wash indicates you are about to turn right". I also like floor-mounted headlight dip switches.

 

My experience was in 1984. No idea what vintage the car was but it was a rental, so probably not old.

 

One of the things I noticed when coming to N.A. is no one appears to use their Hi-beam flash as a signal to other drivers.
One example: I have seen many giving another driver the OK to merge ahead of him by waving , but is unseen due to sun glare etc.
The practice was prevalent in UK when I left.
Bus and truck drivers get it,
They usually reply with brief thanks, emergency/4 way flashers after merge.

 

August 1974, I was living in Ghana when they switched to driving on the right side of the road. Previously as a British colony they just went with that left side thing but it was becoming inconvenient as traffic increased in the surrounding countries. For weeks before the switch the radio was filled with ads and music about “Drive right!” Then overnight the road signs were all switched over. It wasn’t a big deal to me at the time since I was living in a rural area. The one occasion that I remember was being in a taxi and approaching an oncoming car on a narrow road. My driver followed his experience and went to the left, the oncoming driver went to his right and we ended up face to face on the side of the road. A good laugh was had by all. Fun times all around.

 

One of the things I noticed when coming to N.A. is no one appears to use their Hi-beam flash as a signal to other drivers.
One example: I have seen many giving another driver the OK to merge ahead of him by waving , but is unseen due to sun glare etc.

So it's mostly used for signaling the driver ahead that it's okay to merge in front of you?