What are your reading habits?

[meeera]

Originally Posted by HarryT

A truck suddenly jack-knifes in front of me and I need to make a sudden turn to avoid it.

If you can't stop in time and need to make a sharp turn to avoid it, you were travelling too close.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by meeera

If you can't stop in time and need to make a sharp turn to avoid it, you were travelling too close.

I'm sure that you can come up with plenty of other situations in which having your hands filled with coffee cups rather than concentrating on driving would be undesirable. Why the desire not to want to be safe? I just don't get it.

[murg]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm sure that you can come up with plenty of other situations in which having your hands filled with coffee cups rather than concentrating on driving would be undesirable. Why the desire not to want to be safe? I just don't get it.

It's called Human Nature.

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by Apache

I do not think so. I have friends who drive with disabilities and they have to have a knob. It is needed when make sharp turns.
Apache

How do people indicate with only one arm?

Indicator placement is a black art over here and you can get them on the left or right stalk depending on make/model (you can tell if someone has a new car because they turn on the windscreen wipers to turn ) but I thought they were all on the same side in the US.

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Whatever action you take, you're going to be in a much better position to take it if you're concentrating on your driving. Particularly so compared to just having dumped a cup of boiling coffee in your lap because you've dropped it in an emergency situation.

Don't get me wrong - of course I appreciate that 99.99% of the time there'll be no harm done. It's that 0.01% of emergencies that you really don't (or at least I really don't!) want to find myself with hands full of coffee cups when I need to make an emergency manoeuvre.

It's OK, starbucks has you covered
http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2009/05/2...%80%99-coffee/
Before anyone panics that is not a real news site

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm not sure it's even possible to drive with one foot, is it? One foot for the clutch, the other for the brake/accelerator. How are you going to change gear and accelerate or brake with one foot?

Automatic gearbox - most American cars nowadays, apparently studies show that it's harder to make obscene hand gestures when you have to change gear manually.

I may have made that last bit up

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

How do people indicate with only one arm?

I've driven with my one-armed friend, and he operates the indicator stalk with the inside of his arm while holding the steering wheel with his hand.

[Yutsuki]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

How do people indicate with only one arm?

Not to incriminate myself as a "careless driver", but it's very easy to keep your fingers hooked around the wheel and operate the indicator with your thumb.

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by Yutsuki

Not to incriminate myself as a "careless driver", but it's very easy to keep your fingers hooked around the wheel and operate the indicator with your thumb.

If the stalk is on the same side as your arm, I agree, what happens if the indicators are on the right and you only have a left arm, or vice-versa?

[Yutsuki]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

If the stalk is on the same side as your arm, I agree, what happens if the indicators are on the right and you only have a left arm, or vice-versa?

If I'm indicating whilst changing gears, I slide my hand across the wheel briefly. I maintain acceptable control for the duration of the (very brief) movement. If I was in a dangerous situation in which I needed both hands at the wheel, I'd likely not be able to change gears or indicate, anyway.

[John F]

If you need to have to have two hands on the wheel to be safe, shouldn't standards be phased out, or get rid of the stick and require paddle shifters.

Practice what you preach.

[Witty Username]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

If the stalk is on the same side as your arm, I agree, what happens if the indicators are on the right and you only have a left arm, or vice-versa?

There are lots of different keypad controllers available that fix to the steering wheel or steering ball:



Pic is from this website if you want more information.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by John F

If you need to have to have two hands on the wheel to be safe, shouldn't standards be phased out, or get rid of the stick and require paddle shifters.

Clearly, John, "standards" (by which I'm guessing you mean cars with manual transmissions?) are not the issue here. The US has pretty much the highest road accident death rate in the western world despite 95% of American cars being automatic. The explanation for this high death rate must lie elsewhere.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

How do people indicate with only one arm?

Indicator placement is a black art over here and you can get them on the left or right stalk depending on make/model (you can tell if someone has a new car because they turn on the windscreen wipers to turn ) but I thought they were all on the same side in the US.

my 1959 AH Sprite had the indicator switch in the center of the Dash Panel, right above the Key/headlamp switch (Gotta love Lukas. Positive Earth and all)

[John F]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Clearly, John, "standards" (by which I'm guessing you mean cars with manual transmissions?) are not the issue here. The US has pretty much the highest road accident death rate in the western world despite 95% of American cars being automatic. The explanation for this high death rate must lie elsewhere.

Clearly, if your concern is safety, an automatic would be better than a standard. But clearly, there are other concerns than just safety.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by John F

Clearly, if your concern is safety, an automatic would be better than a standard.

Having owned both, I think personally that a manual car gives the driver a lot more control than an automatic. The human brain is a much better judge of what the appropriate gear is for a particular situation than a machine. Eg, if you need to get out of an emergency situation fast, with a manual car you can select a lower gear a lot more quickly than an automatic gearbox can respond. When I had an automatic car, I never really felt that I was in control of it the way I do with a manual.