Ian White, Advanced Driving Consultant to the Occupational Training Institute, offers his thoughts on driving in Oman from a left-handed perspective
Let’s face it, it’s a right-handed world. Scissors, can openers, spiral notebooks, kettles that only have a water-level window on one side are just a few examples of products designed for ease of use by the right-handed majority. But when it comes to driving, does being left-handed make things harder? Or perhaps it can even make things easier, such as in tennis and boxing, where left-handed people have been shown to have an advantage.
In Oman we drive on the right with the steering wheel on the left – so when changing gear we hold the wheel with the left hand and change gears with the right hand. So the question is: Do you need more control when steering or when changing gears?
Most people would say that steering needs more control (as it’s easier to change gears than accurately operate a steering wheel), which means that it’s better to keep your dominant hand on the wheel. In Oman, this puts left-handers at a slight advantage, but the advantage is marginal and here most people drive automatic transmission cars, so it is less of an issue.
Dominant leg disadvantage
Just like with your hands, one of your legs is more dominant than the other. Your dominant leg usually matches your dominant hand, which means that left-handers tend to have dominant left legs. This can be a disadvantage for left-handers in driving when it comes to acceleration and braking, as using your right leg to use the brake and accelerator pedals, rather than the dominant left leg, is more challenging. Especially since the left leg is supposed to remain at rest while driving unless operating the clutch which, as we’ve said, is becoming less relevant to the driving task as automatic gearbox cars become more popular. So in manual cars anywhere, left-handers are at a slight disadvantage. But again, this is marginal.
Quick learners
Studies have shown that left-handers appear to acquire driving skills, such as clutch control, more quickly than right-handers, although the evidence tends to be anecdotal. It may be that left handers are naturally faster learners for some reason and/or it could it be that they’re so used to training their non-dominant hands on a daily basis to fit into a right-hand dominant world that they become more competent at learning new skills, such as driving.
Specifically, more left-handed people pass their driving test the first time than right-handed candidates. Indeed, a 2008 AA Driving School survey based on UK YouGov statistics revealed that ten per cent more left-handed students pass the driving test first time than right-handed students. However, these figures must be treated with some caution, although they are nonetheless interesting.
Natural responses
So the advantages/disadvantages of being a left-handed driver would appear to be marginal. But which type of driver is safer?
Again, it is difficult to be precise. On one hand, some studies reveal that overall left-hand drivers are safer due to having to exist in a ‘right-handed world’ which makes them more alert to their surroundings/movements because of the extra effort it takes to use their non-dominant hand. In short, it tends to make them more cautious and precise when driving.
But, when it comes to urgent accident avoidance in countries that drive on the right, studies indicate that left-handed drivers are more likely to instinctively veer left into oncoming traffic than they are to swerve to the right (off the road) to relative safety. Put simply: To the left-handed person, left is good. Right is bad. So if a left-handed driver sees something ahead that requires immediate avoiding action, such as an animal suddenly in the road, the tendency is for him/her to instinctively jerk the steering left (anti-clockwise) i.e. potentially towards oncoming traffic.
In summary, no one is born with a steering wheel in their hand. Learning to drive is something we must learn (unlike activities such as running) and whether you are left or right-handed, we all learn to drive using the same specific hands/feet for specific functions. In other words, once you form a habit using a certain hand or foot to complete a task (like changing gear), you get used to doing it that way and so it becomes second nature.
Interestingly, from an expat perspective in Oman, anyone now living here originally from the UK, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries where they drive on the left, has had to re-programme their driv-ing anyway.
So left and right-hand drive advantages/disadvantages can often change as you move from the country in which you learned to drive to a new one which drives on the opposite side of the road. In the end I believe safety on the road comes down to good and bad driving, more than hand/foot dominance, although it is a very interesting discussion.
Traditional dilemmas
I have no issues using my left hand; it feels like I’m using my right. The only challenge I face is with directions – when I say left, I usually mean right and vice versa. I need to work on this.
In my early youth, I faced two challenges – eating with my right hand and making traditional Omani bread because, for these two tasks, using the right hand is considered appropriate. I learnt to eat with my right hand, but failed in the other task.
There is something I must mention – the problem of using chairs with attached desks that are meant for right-handed people. I could never find one suited to my requirement in my school/college days and it has caused me back and neck pain.
Salma Khalfan al Yahyaee
Manager, Scientific Research Centre, Ministry of Higher Education
