h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Although it is more a continuing justification.
Is that if you drive on the left (and hence sit on the right of the car) it is the left hand that is used to change gear. The majority of people are right handed and so the strongest and most controlled hand is in charge of the steering at all times. This is considered a good thing.

Z

But the same case can be made for driving on the right. When driving on te right, you sit on the left. Sitting on the left means you can use your right hand to shift gears, a skill requiring acurracy, and fine motor control, something right-handed people seldom have much of in their left hand.

being right handed i'd rather have my dominant hand controlling the direction of that hurtling lump of metal and leave the secondary task of changing gear to my weaker left hand....maybe thats just me?

I was taught at driving school that you should avoid changing gears while turning the steering wheel, or the other way round. The idea is not to do tricky operations with both hands independently.

So, you end up either: not switching gears, so you hold the wheel with both hands (you're supposed to, anyway) or switching gears and not moving the wheel, at least not moving it in some intricate movement. In this case, I like my better hand to do the tricky gearing while my clumsy one does the easier wheel holding.