[Milsurplus] Toggle switch conventions

Wed, 10 Sep 2003 13:57:09 -0400

Mac and the group,

A minor correction ... Up here in Massachusetts, where we may have invented
the cursed traffic circle, the vehicle in the circle has right of way.
By the way, the Swedes made the change from left side to right one afternoon
at rush hour, when traffic was heavy - that was deliberate, to involve as
many people as possible.  At a specified time all traffic stopped, and
everyone changed sides, according to the version I was told.  Simple and
practical.
Any Swedes on the list who were there?
David, W1TDD

----- Original Message -----
From: "D C Macdonald" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2003 9:21 AM
Subject: RE: [Milsurplus] Toggle switch conventions

> There is also a good reason for driving on the left side which is based
> upon "right of way" rules.  The vehicle or vessel to the right of yours
> has the "right of way" over your vehicle/vessel.  Therefore, for best
> visibility of the "privileged" driver, your driving position is the right
> side.
>
> In most of Europe, "right of way" rules  ARE  the rules unless there
> is specific signage indicating otherwise.
>
> In countries where they drive on the right side of the road, persons
> entering a traffic circle have right of way over those already in the
> circle.  In England, with left-side driving, persons already in the circle
> (round-a-bout) have the right of way.
>
> BTW, Sweden changed over somewhere around 1969 or 1970.  I
> was stationed in Germany when the change occurred.
>
>
> D C "Mac" Macdonald
>
>
>
> ----Original Message Follows----
>
> From: "WF2U" <[email protected]>
> Reply-To: <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>
> Subject: RE: [Milsurplus] Toggle switch conventions
> Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2003 22:39:58 -0400
>
> There is a reason why they drive on the "wrong"  side (in fact, everyone
> drove on the left side,  even in the US in the beginning): it comes from
> carriage driving.
> The whip is in the right hand. You want the whip on the "far" side from
the
> curb so you don't hit pedestrians. The same goes with horseback riding,
> where the crop is usually in the right hand. All carriage traffic was to
the
> left for this reason. The horseless carriage just continued the tradition.
> When carriage traffic diminished on the roads and there were more cars
than
> carriages in the cities, many countries changed the traffic direction to
the
> right. Some countries, like the UK , Australia, New Zealand, Japan and
> others still drive on the left, the traditional way. Sweden switched to
> driving on the right only in the 1960's.
>
> BTW, one of my other hobbies is -  besides military surplus - horseback
> riding and carriage driving for sport...
>
> 73, Meir WF2U
> Landrum, SC
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of [email protected]
> Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2003 9:47 PM
> To: [email protected]; [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Toggle switch conventions
>
>
> Oh well, they drive on the wrong side of the road over there too, HI!.
>
> Dennis D.   W7QHO, Ex. G5BSW