Indicators - which side of wheel?

spurious

I've been doing lessons in a Nissan Micra and it is the only car I have ever driven - it has the indicator controls on the left of the wheel. Today I went to practice in my mother's car (a Mazda Demio), went to indicate and put on the wipers. It was off-putting to say the least.

I'm astonished there is not a standard position for things like indicators. Which side would be most common? I don't want to learn and be comfortable with the left and find that all other cars have them on the right.

TwoShedsJackson

Think the indicator stalk is usually on the left, at least it is in the four or five right hand drive cars that I've driven. As for having to get used to it being on the other side in a different car, you'll get used to that a lot quicker then you think once you're out driving it.

The Big Red Button

I drive a Colt and I'm pretty sure the indicators are on the right and the wiper controls are on the left. I think it makes more sense that way because you'll be using the indicators more than the wipers, so your left hand is free-er for gear changes. If that makes sense!

My dad drives a golf though and its the other way round, I'm always getting the wipers and indicators mixed up when I'm driving it, and I can't get back used to my own one again for about a week after driving his!!!

brian076

It depends on the make. A lot of Japanese imports and particularly Hyundais have the indicators on the right, but most if not all European cars have them on the left. I remember reading somewhere before that it has something to do with changing from LHD to RHD.
So when Europeans are driving their LHD cars, they use their right hand to change gears, so it's therefore deemed safer to have the indicator on the left.W hereas in Japan/Korea I think they drive on the same side as us, so the indicator is on the right.

cml387

Interesting.Since British cars would also be biased towards left driving countries, does that mean that Rovers, say, have right stalk indicators?

Novella

chatterpillar wrote: »

I drive a Colt and I'm pretty sure the indicators are on the right and the wiper controls are on the left. I think it makes more sense that way because you'll be using the indicators more than the wipers, so your left hand is free-er for gear changes. If that makes sense!

My dad drives a golf though and its the other way round, I'm always getting the wipers and indicators mixed up when I'm driving it, and I can't get back used to my own one again for about a week after driving his!!!

I drive a Colt too and my indicators are definitely on the left, with the wipers on the right!!

NukaCola

spurious wrote: »

I don't want to learn and be comfortable with the left and find that all other cars have them on the right.

Its not that big of a deal.....

spurious

I'm only still in single digit lessons from a complete beginner, so I think I'll wait a while yet. Any car I'd be interested in buying has them on the left, so I'll keep working with that.

CiniO

All LHD cars (3/4 of world's traffic) has indicators on the left side and wipers on the right.
It makes sense, because you can operate indicators and change gears at the same time.

With RHD cars situation is not so clear.
Some makes did oposite, and put indicators on the right and wipers on the left - which also makes sense. But some makes left it the way it is in LHD cars.

So now, with RHD cars you never know where your indicators are.
Mostly in Japan cars they are on the right, on European cars on the left.

Anyway I remember driving about 6 different vehicles, changin them sometimes few times a day (I work as a driver). Some of them had indicators on the left, some had on the right.
It's bit confising and you very often will make mistakes if you swap cars so often.
But if you stick to drive one of them, I say after few hours of driving you should be used to using indicators on the side which they really are.

colm_mcm

The only new cars I know with indicators on the right are Hyundai and Kia, and they're phasing it out with the new models

HydeRoad

If you switch on the ignition, press and hold the rear foglight switch, and then press ctrl + left arrow, you can swap the indicators with the wipers. Only works on cars with stalks each side of the wheel.

NukaCola

chatterpillar wrote: »

I drive a Colt and I'm pretty sure the indicators are on the right and the wiper controls are on the left. I think it makes more sense that way because you'll be using the indicators more than the wipers, so your left hand is free-er for gear changes. If that makes sense!

Nope, its an advantage if your changing gears and indicating at the same time but that would leave no hands on the wheel, i'm guessing that would cause you problems. Better to leave one hand do all the work IMO leaving one hand always on the wheel.

brian076

BumbleBee123 wrote: »

Nope, its an advantage if your changing gears and indicating at the same time but that would leave no hands on the wheel, i'm guessing that would cause you problems. Better to leave one hand do all the work IMO leaving one hand always on the wheel.

Why would you have to remove your hand from the wheel to use the indicator? All you do is stretch your fingers to the top or bottom of the indicator stalk while still holding the wheel.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

CiniO

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Better question would be - why not?

For example just before the turn, you turn on indicator and reduce gear.

Or when overtaking, you turn on indicator and reduce gear to speed up.

swe_fi

This thread is amazing.
Spurious trust me it will not be an issue once you get used to driving, you will hopefully realise after a few minutes if the vipers are not on :-). Seriously, if you cannot cope with this "problem" you should not be driving on the road. The comment about the issue with indicating while changing gear is hilarious / scary.

The Big Red Button

Novella wrote: »

I drive a Colt too and my indicators are definitely on the left, with the wipers on the right!!

Weird, I checked mine and it's definitely the other way round! Maybe they're different styles - mine's the 1995-2002 (i.e. girl-racer!) version.

swe_fi wrote: »

This thread is amazing.
The comment about the issue with indicating while changing gear is hilarious / scary.

Oops - I brought that up - good point! :D It's kind of unlikely and dangerous that you'd be doing both at once.

I still prefer driving cars with the indicators on the right, but I suppose that's just what I'm used to, as both my own and my boyfriend's cars are like that. You can totally get used to the other way round after just a couple of hours driving though, so I wouldn't worry too much about learning in a car where they're the other way round.

spurious

swe_fi wrote: »

This thread is amazing.
Spurious trust me it will not be an issue once you get used to driving, you will hopefully realise after a few minutes if the vipers are not on :-). Seriously, if you cannot cope with this "problem" you should not be driving on the road. The comment about the issue with indicating while changing gear is hilarious / scary.

Already I'm into double digits in lessons and it's less of an issue.
It was very off-putting when it happened though and temporarily was a 'problem' for me.

Perhaps most learner drivers are not 'actual' beginners but I was and I was amazed there wasn't a standard agreed position for these things.

Hindsight is a lovely luxury.It's a pity some experienced drivers don't remember this.

swe_fi

Spurious>>> I'm confident you will become a good driver with this attention to detail
:-). The clutch/gear will be second nature after a couple of months.

I have to say that the amount (& badness) of bad drivers here is astonishing. I'm actually glad you are concerned about this. There are as you say so many people that don't indicate at all (note to self: have to check their vipers as I pass). The reason a lot of people are bad drivers here (fact) is because of the L plate (you can drive after THEORY test!). I'm from a RHD contry and we have rigourous training on every aspect of driving and also a very useful slippery road track-day (mandatory) where you push cars to the limit and actually "crash" / aquaplane. It is very useful for when it happens in practice. You have FEAR of rain & snow simply because you don't know what will happen (fear of the unknown). Last winter i was passing cars on motorway (on a motorbike) doing TEN miles an hour with like 2 mm snow.

Can i also add here in the name of educating drivers & safety:
My pet hate and the most dangerous thing is going to close to the car in front of you. You should have 3 seconds to the car in front of you. I.e car if front passes an object, start counting, if you pass before 3 you are too close, this works at any speed obviously. It's called the 3-second-rule and it saves lives / damage

Hammer Archer

swe_fi wrote: »

Can i also add here in the name of educating drivers & safety:
My pet hate and the most dangerous thing is going to close to the car in front of you. You should have 3 seconds to the car in front of you. I.e car if front passes an object, start counting, if you pass before 3 you are too close, this works at any speed obviously. It's called the 3-second-rule and it saves lives / damage

It's the two second rule here
It's doubled in the wet.