Here in Australia the Skodas are offered with the indicator stalk on the left side. We drive on the left side, therefore the gear nob is on our left. In a manual car the same hand is used to change gears and indicators. For me, this is plain wrong. I have driven in Germany for years and years in Australia. IMO the gear shifter and indicator controls need to be on opposites sides. Does not matter which side, just opposite. Is there a conversion method available so one can swap the controls from left to right ?

I've never heard of such a conversion. I take it when your driving you like to drive one handed with the other hand on the gear knob?

I'm afraid you're just going to have to adapt!

I know where you're coming from though!

My last car was a Mazda 323f and the Indicator stalk was on the right, SWMBO has a Suzuki Ignis with the stalk on the right. Both cars would have been designed as RHD.

Whereas virtually all European vehicles are designed as LHD and the controls are simply moved across for the relatively small RHD market!

Merely a cost saving measure, Most Japanese manufacturers are doing the same now!

I've never owned a car in the UK in 30 years with the indicators on the right and on the one occasion I've hired a Japanese car like that on holiday it drove me mad!

Fair point however that RH stalk for RHD makes a lot of sense.

The LH Indicator stalk, is not a problem in our 6 DSG. But when I drove the new 6 speed manual Scout, it did interfere with my quick driving habits. For the money they want, they could spend a bit on the indicator stalk. Just not good enough.

The LH Indicator stalk, is not a problem in our 6 DSG. But when I drove the new 6 speed manual Scout, it did interfere with my quick driving habits. For the money they want, they could spend a bit on the indicator stalk. Just not good enough.

Do any of your European imports have indicators on the RH stalk? BMW, Merc, VW, Volvo etc? surely this is not unique to Skoda?

I've owned 2 Renaults, 4 Citroens, 5 Fiats, a Volvo and a Skoda in the UK since the early 80's all with indicators on the LH stalk. Never found it a problem.

Its become such a convention in Europe that even Rover went to it before the end if I recall correctly.

Edited 1 November, 201114 yr by juan27

The LH Indicator stalk, is not a problem in our 6 DSG. But when I drove the new 6 speed manual Scout, it did interfere with my quick driving habits. For the money they want, they could spend a bit on the indicator stalk. Just not good enough.

What do you mean by quick driving habits?

I've owned two hyundai's both of which had indicators on the right, only benefit I could find was when driving on the motorway I could rest my left hand on my lap and still indicate/change lanes one handed.

Almost all the cars I've driven have had indicators on the left and never really had a problem. My only problem but it's OK is that if I'm using paddles and want to indicate while changing down and sometimes adjusting wipers, it does give my hands a lot to do.

It will give your brain some exercise. SWMBO Hyundai has the stalk on the RHS and its amazing how quickly I adapt. Don't bother to go any further.

If you were ever a motorcyclist, the left hand/right hand gear shift and up for down a gear or down for up a gear in various combinations could be very interesting.

Well my old Mercedes Cosworth and 2.0 manual both had staks on the Right, so before the 1996 Merc costing cutting measures they went to the effort.

I have my 2.0 190E manual at the same time as my Hyundai Coupe 2.7 V6, both with right stalks and both very natural.

Skoda right back to the Estelle have had them on the left, Fords have had them on the left since the Cortina 3, BL put them on the left from the Metro in 1980....I honestly do not see what the problem actually is, apart from laziness and wanting everything their own way.

Thanks for the replies. Just to recap "IMO the gear shifter and indicator controls need to be on opposites sides." In Australia the drivers seat is on the right side, whereas in the UK it is on the left side. I was looking at buying a VW Amarok with the 6 speed. Same problem. The D-MAX has it on the correct side. If one accepts the Germans lead the world with engineering standards and driving ergonomics, then they correctly decided the two need to be on opposites sides. My old VW bug 1203 had it on the left, the Australian version on the right.

Seems really strange when one considers in Australia they have what is called ADR compliance, which forces manufacturers to make all sorts of changes to their vehicles.

This was not a left versus right question. It was about opposites sides.

I've never owned a car in the UK in 30 years with the indicators on the right and on the one occasion I've hired a Japanese car like that on holiday it drove me mad!

Fair point however that RH stalk for RHD makes a lot of sense./quote]

+1 cost saving against safety, probably why people pull out to overtake with out indication.

Thanks for the replies. Just to recap "IMO the gear shifter and indicator controls need to be on opposites sides." In Australia the drivers seat is on the right side, whereas in the UK it is on the left side. I was looking at buying a VW Amarok with the 6 speed. Same problem. The D-MAX has it on the correct side. If one accepts the Germans lead the world with engineering standards and driving ergonomics, then they correctly decided the two need to be on opposites sides. My old VW bug 1203 had it on the left, the Australian version on the right.

Seems really strange when one considers in Australia they have what is called ADR compliance, which forces manufacturers to make all sorts of changes to their vehicles.

This was not a left versus right question. It was about opposites sides.

Well, my drivers seat in the UK is on the right hand side of the car (the same side of the car as the taxi I was in when I was in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago).

As to what side the indicators are on, I guess manufacturing costs are lower if all vehicles a manufacturer makes have the indicator stalk on the same side (as only one part needs to be produced)?

J

No mate our drivers seats are on the right. Every single car i've owned has the indicators on the left, I dont see how its a problem tbh.

'No mate our drivers seats are on the right'.

Ah- but is that looking from the front or the rear? Australian nobs indeed.

I don't really see what odds it makes what side the indicator is on, you shouldn't be changing gear and working the indicators at the same time anyway.

I am old enough to remember when British cars that had indicator stalks, had it on the right. I had a 1965 Moggie 1100, 1971 Hillman Avenger and a 1972 Cortina MkIII and I am pretty sure all had the indicator on the right. It was only when they started building cars with common components across Europe that they moved it to the left as per the European norm.

As I remember Toyota stuck with the right mounted indicator longer than most - I remember driving a Carina around the mid-late 90's that drove me mad because I kept wiping the windscreen every time I wanted to turn left!

+1 cost saving against safety, probably why people pull out to overtake with out indication.

Granted its a cost saving, but is there any real evidence that its a significant safety hazard?

As we have £100s added to the price of each new car on airbags which predominantly do not ever get deployed you'd think this would be low hanging fruit on a cost/safety basis if there was evidence of it being a hazard...

Personally I think the general confusion for most UK drivers now accustomed to LH stalk would outweigh any marginal safety improvements.

In Australia the drivers seat is on the right side, whereas in the UK it is on the left side.

That is simply unbelievable that you think that mate. Why do you think Australians have RHD? To make it handy for Toyota?

We have the drivers seat on the same side as you, but buy a higher proportion of our cars from mainland Europe.

European manufacturers more or less standardised on LH stalk indicators about 30 years ago regardless of LHD or RHD.

I am old enough to remember when British cars that had indicator stalks, had it on the right. I had a 1965 Moggie 1100, 1971 Hillman Avenger and a 1972 Cortina MkIII and I am pretty sure all had the indicator on the right. It was only when they started building cars with common components across Europe that they moved it to the left as per the European norm.

As I remember Toyota stuck with the right mounted indicator longer than most - I remember driving a Carina around the mid-late 90's that drove me mad because I kept wiping the windscreen every time I wanted to turn left!

Likewise I remember the old BL stuff from when I started driving...

I hired a fairly new Nissan March in Mauritius (another outpost of our ex empire where the drivers seat is on the right like the UK) in 2009 and the indicators were on the right. As I posted previously I was still scraping the dry windscreen with the wipers and not indicating two weeks later!

In Australia the drivers seat is on the right side, whereas in the UK it is on the left side.

Incorrect - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffic#Jurisdictions_with_left-hand_traffic

thanks for the corrections. Must have confused the UK lot with the Yanks

Edited 3 November, 201114 yr by TomAU

thanks for the corrections. Must have confused the UK lot with the Yanks

An easy mistake to make especially when you consider recent "foreign policy".

Well I wouldnt want the ind stalk on the right hans side.

Im right handed so when driving I want my right hand on the wheel when im turning or going around bends.