RRS Loc: Not sure

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

One thing you said makes no sense at all. If you have to choose which hand is on the steering wheel and which alters the gears, you need more dexterity to alter the gears than you do to steer. Therefore, if you are right-handed it's better to use your right hand to change the gears. Steering is easy with the left hand. In which case, driving on the right is easier.

Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.

It's no fun when you drive a RHD car in a LHD country. You're so close to the side of the road it's scary, let alone dangerous.
I experienced it from England to Europe. Takes some concentration. Give me Aus anyday.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

IIRC, the US switched to RHD *BECAUSE* the British were LHD, back @ 1800 or so.
Just to be independent.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I'm with you, TRIX!! From 1953 - 2000 I drove in cars with manual transmissions. My left hand was on the steering wheel. For steering cars, even now with auto transmissions, it is my dominant hand. I seldom drive with my right hand on the steering wheel - left hand almost exclusively. To each his own.
Mark

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I would say any car purpose built for racing, and not being able to drive on the street, are "Racing Cars".

EdJ0307 Loc: out west someplace

You have me convinced. If you need any assistance converting the rest of the world to right-hand-drive let me know how I can help. BTW, when we have the rest of the world converted and all those LHD cars are replaced with RHD what do we do with those millions of trashed cars?

clickety

The only serious consideration is that the DRIVER be positioned NEXT TO THE CENTER LINE of the highway all else is superfluous chatter.

Earnest Botello Loc: Hockley, Texas

Le Mans prototypes are real purpose built race cars, they have windows, doors and two seats and go well over 200 mph. If they are not race cars, nothing is.

bgrn Loc: Pleasant Grove UT

Personally.....I prefer my left knee, leaves both hands free so I can eat my hamburger and fries 😋

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

Didya know there's a bracket for the steering wheel so you can use your laptop too?
That way you can keep your phone hand ready.

Orson Burleigh Loc: Annapolis, Maryland, USA

A PCS (permanent change of station) assignment in the late '80s and early '90s included transport of one personally owned vehicle to Thailand: I took a stick shift 1985 VW GTI setup with steering-wheel on the left side for U.S. standard driving on the right side.

The left hand driving position seemed to have some advantages when driving in Bangkok: most of the challenges (radically mixed-speed urban vehicular traffic, push-carts, road-side vendors, badly parked vehicles, etcetera) were on or near the side of the road and could be more easily monitored from the left hand driving position; The right (road center) side of the car had to be given over to the care and keeping of the oncoming drivers. Driving with the left-side steering position was more challenging on rural highways and roads: having a truly reliable right seat passenger/advisor was needed when passing slow traffic.

Rented right hand drive Toyotas with standard transmissions were used for work-related trips to locations on or near Thailand's borders. Pedal position is the same (clutch left, brake center, gas-pedal right), so the switch of shifting from right hand to left hand was only a slight adjustment. Occasional embarrassment was suffered when the windshield wipers were activated on sunny days in lieu of turn signals.

Driving in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, in the mid '90s was rather more challenging. A newly mobile population which had enjoyed almost no access to private vehicles for nearly two decades produced slow-speed chaos on the city's roads. Though the rule was nominally 'keep right,' it didn't really seem to be effective. Roughly one in three cars had steering wheels on the right-side and lane discipline was, at best, a sometime thing. Looking both ways was the minimum for survival on the roads and on the sidewalks.

Anhanga Brasil Loc: Cabo Frio - Brazil

Fine. Here is the deal: I can not shoot snooker with
my left hand, except for a few simple shots. The
same goes for table tennis, throwing a ball (any ball), etc.
As for the driving, since I was young I used to hold the
steering wheel with my left hand while my elbow was
resting at the window. Even in long arch curves. But whenever
it was needed (like a abrupt arch or a 90º curve) both
hands were on the wheel. I still do this under normal
easy-driving conditions. Whenever speeding (> 70 km/h)
both hands are on the wheel and gear changing is fast,
less than one second.
As for the left side ways, I pretty much believe it is the same,
i.e., a matter of habit. I tried to change gears with my wife driving
the car and I seated at the right. Could not do it, despite the
rehearsed synchrony (clutch, gear).
My two cents...

repleo Loc: Boston

Interesting article on the history of LHD /RHD here. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/right.cfm
Driving on the right developed from habits dating back to the days of heavy ox Conestogo wagons. Drivers led the oxon from the left side. If two wagons met, the drivers passed each other to the right so as to keep the wagons separated. As roads or trails improved and lighter wagons, stage coaches etc developed, drivers sat on the RHS to be able to use a whip but continued to pass on the RHS. As early motor cars with steering wheels developed, drivers preferred the RHS position to help stay out of ditches and so it remained until Henry Ford brought out the Model T with the wheel on the left. The Model T was so popular that other manufacturers followed suite.
The tradition of passing on the LHS in England dates back to the time of the Knights of yore. Knights passed on the left so they could draw their swords if they perceived a threat from the on-commer.

I am ambidextrous when it come to driving. I am equally comfortable driving on the left or right and have driven LHD cars on RHD roads and visa versa although that gets a bit scary for the passenger.

pendennis

Ships at sea, unless there are channel considerations, always pass "port-to-port", and running lights are always green/starboard, red/port. Same for aircraft. The pilot's position is always on the left side of the aircraft.

The left side steering wheel was standardized when the Model T was built, moved from center- and right-sides. It was felt that exiting the car from the curb was safer for passengers, than muddy streets.

I seem to remember that some purpose-built race cars were built with RHD, but had the gearshift to the driver's right. Rare, but I've seen it.