And why R is before D, making the driver behind you think you are backing up?
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Fun fact on semi trucks that are automatic it goes RNDM reverse neutral drive automatic. And they use a button to apply the breaks for park
Fun fact on semi trucks that are automatic it goes RNDM reverse neutral drive automatic. And they use a button to apply the breaks for park
Old cars with mechanical control of the gear selection were easily subject to damage, and dangerous situations. PRND is the safest option. Once that’s decided it should be standardised so every car is equally intuitive to drive.
P at the home position. That’s where you start from, make it standard. R next. When going to P a latch is dropped into the gearbox physically stopping the wheels from turning. You don’t want people going from D to P while pulling up before they’ve yet stopped. You’re unlikely to go to P while still moving backwards, that’s not how people drive.
N between R and D. It doesn’t matter if you go to N while moving. Putting a gap between R and D makes is less likely you’ll accidentally shift accidentally from one to the other.
None of this was fail safe, but a better option than not doing it this way.
Old cars with mechanical control of the gear selection were easily subject to damage, and dangerous situations. PRND is the safest option. Once that’s decided it should be standardised so every car is equally intuitive to drive.
P at the home position. That’s where you start from, make it standard. R next. When going to P a latch is dropped into the gearbox physically stopping the wheels from turning. You don’t want people going from D to P while pulling up before they’ve yet stopped. You’re unlikely to go to P while still moving backwards, that’s not how people drive.
N between R and D. It doesn’t matter if you go to N while moving. Putting a gap between R and D makes is less likely you’ll accidentally shift accidentally from one to the other.
None of this was fail safe, but a better option than not doing it this way.
Others have explained why it needs to be on the other side of neutral to drive and how it ended up the way it is. My question is why does it matter if people think you’re backing up for a second? If you’re shifting in a driveway, parking lot or parking space beside the road then it shouldn’t matter – If you’re stopped at the lights and this happens then the problem is that you shouldn’t be shifting to park when you stop at the lights
Others have explained why it needs to be on the other side of neutral to drive and how it ended up the way it is. My question is why does it matter if people think you’re backing up for a second? If you’re shifting in a driveway, parking lot or parking space beside the road then it shouldn’t matter – If you’re stopped at the lights and this happens then the problem is that you shouldn’t be shifting to park when you stop at the lights
Read Ralph Nader’s unsafe at any speed. It explains this topic in some detail. Accidentally shifting into drive is a lot less likely with the PRNDL pattern. Also before that pattern shift sequences weren’t standardized leading to driver confusion.
Read Ralph Nader’s unsafe at any speed. It explains this topic in some detail. Accidentally shifting into drive is a lot less likely with the PRNDL pattern. Also before that pattern shift sequences weren’t standardized leading to driver confusion.
Other comments have covered the P-R part. I’ll talk about the D-N part.
You want the neutral to be next to the drive when you drive on icy roads.
If your car starts to slip and you are going down a hill, you want to remove any torque on your wheels and let them run free (aka neutral). This allow better handling and let you retake control faster.
Most car will have the D and N in a line (while R and P will require somewhat of a sidestep) so in case of an emergency, you can slam the stick without thinking and it should move from D to N without risk of hitting R accidentally.
Other comments have covered the P-R part. I’ll talk about the D-N part.
You want the neutral to be next to the drive when you drive on icy roads.
If your car starts to slip and you are going down a hill, you want to remove any torque on your wheels and let them run free (aka neutral). This allow better handling and let you retake control faster.
Most car will have the D and N in a line (while R and P will require somewhat of a sidestep) so in case of an emergency, you can slam the stick without thinking and it should move from D to N without risk of hitting R accidentally.
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