Left-side traffic is not better than right-side traffic

I must say I did not anticipate this line of argument. Road rage is indeed a problem when it comes to road safety. It is somewhat unfortunate, however, that my opponent has provided no support whatsoever for his theory. Let us look at some statistics. According to an Internet survey (. http://www.roadragers.com...) conducted in the USA, Canada ("Right Hand Side" Countries) , UK and Australia ("Left Hand Side" Countries), in 2004, the following percentages of surveyed drivers have experienced Rage: Left-Hand System: Australia: 49.82% UK: 49.76% Right-Hand System: Canada: 51.21% USA: 57.54% In fact in road-deaths per capita, the USA is one of the world leaders (that is, those who have the most deaths) at 14.53 per 100,000 population. It is beaten by countries like Qatar, Russia, Latvia and Iran. The UK and Australia appear to be doing fairly well (moderate death rates) while New Zealand (also a Left-Hand System) is somewhat higher but still nowhere near the USA. None of this disproves my opponent's theory. However, taken together, it shows that as far as Road Rage and road deaths are concerned, there is certainly no advantage on part of the Right-Hand System. LEFT-HAND SIDE IS BETTER Here are a number of aspects in which left-hand side system is better than the right-hand side system: 1. Right-Hand rule. This rule operates in both systems. It says that, all things being equal, we give way to the vehicle on our right. In the right-side system, where the driver is seated on the left side of the vehicle, this often means having to lean over to see past the fat mother-in-law sitting in our passenger seat. In the left-side system, our view to the right is clear. It's just the driver window between us and the road. 2. We are taught from a very young age that when crossing the road we must first look to the left (right-hand system) and right (left-hand system). Thus, looking to the right first is a well learned practice by the time we grow up. In the left-hand system this makes great foundation to deal with the right-hand rule. We already appreciate the significance of the right-hand side. 3. Roundabouts. In both systems, when coming to a roundabout we give way to vehicles already on it. In the left-hand system, they are approaching from our right. This is consistent with what we are very much used to, namely: a) Looking to the right to obey the right-hand rule b) Looking to the right when crossing the road as pedestrians (since a very young age) c) Looking to the right first when crossing any road as that is the direction from which traffic will be coming In the right-hand system, on the other hand, roundabouts are inconsistent with all other aspects of driving. 4. Manual (stick-shift) cars. In the right-hand system we sit on the left side and use our right hand (dominant hand, as my opponent would surely agree, given his own argument) to change gears. This leaves us controlling the direction of the car (steering wheel) with our left (weaker and less coordinated, for most of us) hand. In the left-hand system, we sit on the right and have our right hand on the steering wheel. It is obvious that in case of emergency, when sudden steering is required, the left-hand system driver is better equipped to deal with the situation. This does not only apply to stick-shift cars. In the right-hand system, drivers use their right hand to operate the radio, use the ashtray, do their makeup or express affection to their partner sitting in the passenger seat. 5. Drive-through. In the Left-hand system when going through drive-through and buynig a bulky meal (or a lot of beer), we are forced to either use our left hand to bring the purchased goods into the car or we have to twist our entire body to reach the window with our right hand. In the left-hand system, where the driver is on the right side of the car, our stronger (right) arm is the one with direct access to the driver window. 6. Emergency evacuation. Since (as per my opponent's own contention), our right side is dominant, this obviously includes our leg and foot. In the left-hand system, when faced with an emergency and a need to suddenly decamp from the vehicle, it is our right (stronger and better coordinated) foot that lands on the ground first. It has a lesser chance of losing its ground or twisting. You might think this is an extreme example. However, just consider how easy it might be to lose your footing under the stress of having to escape a burning vehicle. In the right-hand system it is our left and weaker foot that hits the ground first. It is more prone to accident and failure. Taking into account all of the above factors, I conclude that the left-hand system has more advantages and less weaknesses thatn the right-hand system. At the end I will point out that most left-hand system countries do not have AK-47's readily available to members of the public.