Benefits of driving on the left

Always been curious as to the benefits of driving on the left/right, reading a couple of messages today I realise that in terms of having a pacemaker the lefties have it ok if you are driving.

Best wishes to everyone in the club

Glyn

5 Comments

Left is right

by Glyn - 2014-05-08 02:05:00

Spot on Ian and with humour.

I have developed the bad habit when traveling as a passenger, of hooking the shoulder strap under my left arm. Is that a driving offence? Do PM wearers in the US do that when they are driving?

Glyn

Hi Glyn

by IAN MC - 2014-05-08 02:05:56

I drive on the left, because all of the other people here in the UK do and I find it much safer to copy them !

But you raise a good point :-

- the majority of people are right-handed so have PMs implanted on the left.

- immediately post-implant we don't have to worry about the seat belt rubbing on the PM site ( unless we are passengers of course )

As a nation we showed great foresight in driving on the left as we anticipated the introduction of pacemakers.

I cannot understand why anyone chose to drive on the right !

Ian




I certainly don't!

by SaraTB - 2014-05-08 04:05:40

After going to all the trouble of having a pacemaker, to keep me alive, I'm certainly not going to risk wearing a seatbelt incorrectly, and dying in a car accident.

Seriously, wearing the strap incorrectly can make it fail to restrain you in a collision. Wearing it lower down than designed can result in very severe internal injuries. Any minor discomfort from the belt seems a tiny price to pay, to me. I think it is an offence in the UK - don't know about the US.

Plus, I never actually had any discomfort from the seatbelt. I was driving within 2 weeks of the initial surgery.

As I Brit, albeit resident in the US, I'm accustomed to driving on either side. And while we on the right of the road may have the inconvenience of the seat belt, in the UK, they have the potential jarring of changing gear with the right arm. It's all relative. And all only a problem in the very early days.

Please, please wear the seatbelt the way it's designed to function. Otherwise, you're potentially wasting all that money spent installing the pacemaker. They do say we humans are very bad at assessing relative risks . . . .

Seatbelt Violation

by city_wok - 2014-05-10 05:05:13

Lol. I drive on the right. Implanted on the left.
4 months in. Seat beat itching my scar. Drive 1/4 mile to corner store. Seat belt ticket. $10. Oh well! Officer didn't really understand, can't say that I blame him.

Good point, rather be alive than a little uncomfortable, reminding myself to always wear seatbelt.

Good assessment Sara

by Glyn - 2014-05-10 06:05:54

I have spent my career doing risk assessments in the nuclear industry and failed to apply the same sort of logic to myself.
You have put me right on my bad passenger seat habit.
Well put and thanks.
Glyn

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