Random thinking while stuck in traffic today
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,353
Likes: 0
It really has nothing to do with being left-handed or left-brained. I'm a lefty, BTW.
Being left-handed only means 2 things, I write with my left hand and my left hand is more accurate/more powerful (in a sense). For example, I fight South paw, that means I fight with my right hand in front, which reserves the more powerful punches to come from my left.
99.999% of people use a computer mouse on the right, I can't operate it the other way around, I can throw and catch just fine with either hand, I shift gears in my car on the right, the gas is on the right, etc.
It's all accommodation, we do it as we learned it. Had the first car had the gas petal on the left, we would've all learned to drive it like that. Many people in the world can operate both LHD and RHD cars without much thought.
It would be no more convenient for me to have the throttle on the left, it would be no more convenient to have the mouse on the left, it would be no less convenient for you either, that is, assuming we all learned to do it that way from the start. The throttle and brake are both on your right side because that is how it is in a car, additionally, the gas and brake are operated by the same hand/foot because it's *intended* that you will not need both at the same time. The clutch, which may be operated during either brake or throttle is on the opposing side OBVIOUSLY since you can not do all 3 with one hand/foot.
Being left-handed only means 2 things, I write with my left hand and my left hand is more accurate/more powerful (in a sense). For example, I fight South paw, that means I fight with my right hand in front, which reserves the more powerful punches to come from my left.
99.999% of people use a computer mouse on the right, I can't operate it the other way around, I can throw and catch just fine with either hand, I shift gears in my car on the right, the gas is on the right, etc.
It's all accommodation, we do it as we learned it. Had the first car had the gas petal on the left, we would've all learned to drive it like that. Many people in the world can operate both LHD and RHD cars without much thought.
It would be no more convenient for me to have the throttle on the left, it would be no more convenient to have the mouse on the left, it would be no less convenient for you either, that is, assuming we all learned to do it that way from the start. The throttle and brake are both on your right side because that is how it is in a car, additionally, the gas and brake are operated by the same hand/foot because it's *intended* that you will not need both at the same time. The clutch, which may be operated during either brake or throttle is on the opposing side OBVIOUSLY since you can not do all 3 with one hand/foot.
The only thing that lefties are really screwed on in terms of accomidation are firearms. Left handed bolt-action rifles are a bitch to find, and while most semi-auto weapons are ambidextrous nowadays, they are still very right hand-centric in design.
Honestly, I prefer to have my left hand for the clutch anyways.
__________________
Credo quia absurdum est!
"Happily married gay couples with closets full of assault weapons. That's my vision for America, and it's a good one." -Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit
"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child - miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill disciplined, despotic, and useless. Liberalism is the philosophy of sniveling brats." - P.J. O'Rourke
Credo quia absurdum est!
"Happily married gay couples with closets full of assault weapons. That's my vision for America, and it's a good one." -Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit
"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child - miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill disciplined, despotic, and useless. Liberalism is the philosophy of sniveling brats." - P.J. O'Rourke
yO!
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 6,733
Likes: 0
Also wonder why were cars here built on the left hand side rather than the right? Ur thread made it through my nitely hangout at a buddy house last nite. Everone got to think about it, 
. One of the guys I ride w/ is left handed and is used to having the throttle on the right. Same goes w/ opening the door, shaking a handshake, used a fork on his right hand and wiping his butt on the right. He must have the mouse on his left, left foot first, jerk off left, etc.
Weird just thinking about it.
. One of the guys I ride w/ is left handed and is used to having the throttle on the right. Same goes w/ opening the door, shaking a handshake, used a fork on his right hand and wiping his butt on the right. He must have the mouse on his left, left foot first, jerk off left, etc.Weird just thinking about it.
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 727
Likes: 0
I totally agree... It feels natural to have the throttle and brake on the right now because we all learned to ride with the throttle and the brake on the right and the clutch and gears on the left. It felt just as uncomfortable on the right when we first learned as it would have on the left, but over time it becomes second nature and now if you tried to work the throttle and brake on the left it would feel extemely uncomfortable, even worse than if you had never ridden before.
Now why motorcycles were designed with the throttle and the brake on the right is a good question, but there may not be a real answer. Maybe whoever built the first motorcycle just flipped a coin, or was right handed and decided throttle and brake were more important than clutch and gears, who knows.
It is like asking, why do we drive on the right side of the road when most of the world drives on the left? Why do we not use the Metric system when the rest of the world does, etc.
Now why motorcycles were designed with the throttle and the brake on the right is a good question, but there may not be a real answer. Maybe whoever built the first motorcycle just flipped a coin, or was right handed and decided throttle and brake were more important than clutch and gears, who knows.
It is like asking, why do we drive on the right side of the road when most of the world drives on the left? Why do we not use the Metric system when the rest of the world does, etc.
