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Why do European cars (Left hand drive) have the indicator switch on the left of the steering wheel column and Australian Cars have the indicator switch on the right hand side (Right hand drive) of the steering wheel column, yet British right hand drive cars don't follow that pattern (Indicator switch side matching the driving side) and they have the indicator switch on the left of a Right hand drive car? Is it simply because European Left Hand drive cars move the steering wheel column and switches untouched to the right hand side when manufacturing and configuring for Britain .... Or is there some other logical reason?

As someone who has driven European left hand drive cars and Australian right hand side cars, its doesn't feel logical with driving style.

2007-01-18 04:28:07 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation Other - Cars & Transportation

16 answers

Some cars have the indicator stalk on the left, some on the right.

The location is entirely down to the car manufacturer, not where the car is sold (the same applies to vans and trucks, too).

2007-01-18 04:42:05 · answer #1 · answered by Nightworks 7 · 0 0

Most cars have an indicator stalk.
It is never put in a set place whilst being put together in the factory.
If you take your steering column apart you'd find that the stalk is held by either a single bolt or rivet.
If you wish to move it there is no set rule that says you cant.

As for Euro and Brit and Antipodean vehicles - The indicator placing was envisaged by the car designers who were DIFFERENT nationalities to the country in which the vehicles would be sold.
As a result some stalks were placed on the right and some on the left, for ease of fitting, rather than any other reason.
Even the same model but with Left rather than Right Hand Drive has the indicator reversed sometimes, this is because the steering column is swapped over and twisted to make it fit the opposite side.

I have a Left Hand AND and Right Hand Drive Mitsubishi and on bot, the stalks are opposite. My fathers same model Evo in Right Hand Drive has the stalk on the same side.

Don't try to apply logic 'cos you'll drive yourself insane.

:~}

2007-01-18 04:47:40 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

British cars used to have the indicator switch on the left, as do cars in other RHD countries (Japan, Australia). The idea is that the indicator is not on the same side as the gear lever.

European LHD cars also had the indicator on the opposite side from the gear lever, meaning they were on the right.

During the 1970s and 1980s, European car companies started to increase the number of modular parts in cars, and also increase commonality between LHD and RHD versions of the same model. As RHD was the lower-volume derivative for most, it lost out and gained the lever layout from the LHD versions.

The big-selling cars in Australia (Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore) and also in Japan are built mostly in RHD, so they retain the proper RHD layout.

As the LHD lever layout has become more common in RHD drive cars in the UK and Ireland, manufacturers that previously retained the old RHD layout (Rover, the Japanese brands, Hyundai) switched to the more-common layout to reduce confusion in people driving different types of cars.

2007-01-19 02:12:32 · answer #3 · answered by Neil 7 · 1 0

I don't know the exact reason but most Japanese cars had the indicators on the left on RHD cars. Australia tended to import a lot of cars from Japan (their reasonably close to each other) so they adopted that layout. Britain's cars were always built with the indicators on the left, and now Japanese imports to this country are the same. No sinister reason why, it just because.

2007-01-18 06:27:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

It's a european thing,The indicator is an the left on these,japan on the right,it makes no difference if left or right hand drive the stalks are exactly the same as are the foot pedals.

2007-01-18 05:16:27 · answer #5 · answered by mick_j 2 · 0 0

it doesn't make much sense does it? I have an escort, which has the indicator on the 'pommy' side of the steering column.. doesn't bother me, i just have to remind myself when i get into someone else's car... otherwise i end up turning on the wipers alot. :P

Is it something to do with the side of the road you drive on? .. i can't remember what side england drives on.. although i did live there for a while.. eeerrr... it's the same isn't it? hm. okay. i have no idea then, that was going to be my reason.

2007-01-18 17:51:47 · answer #6 · answered by nat g 2 · 0 0

There's no set place for the indicator. I'm in the UK and my car has the indicator on the left, my husband has his on the right. We both drive the same marque of car as well.

2007-01-18 04:36:01 · answer #7 · answered by Away With The Fairies 7 · 0 0

I have a Toyota corolla. The indicator switch on my car is on the right side.....I think most of the Japanese cars got there indicator switch on the right side .

2007-01-18 04:39:54 · answer #8 · answered by man123470 3 · 0 0

i have 2 cars both rhd one a ford one a Mitsubishi and they have indicators on opposite side one on left of steering column one on right

2007-01-18 04:33:01 · answer #9 · answered by thegolfingjunkie 4 · 0 0

What Australian cars?

You don't build them anymore so get used to the left indicator.........we did in the UK!

2016-04-19 01:41:40 · answer #10 · answered by tony 1 · 0 0

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