Will I ever learn

Having owned the Kingham for about ten days and driven it four or five times Im beginning to wonder if I will ever get used the the hand brake being on the RHS of the drivers seat.  Clearly it makes sense to put it anywhere except the between the front seats.

I think every time I have set off my left hand has been floundering around looking for the elusive lever, even when my slow to catch up brain remembers its on the outside I still don't fully release it.

When I parked up tonight and started to get out I caught my shorts on the hand brake.

ymfb1 wrote:When I parked up tonight and started to get out I caught my shorts on the hand brake.

Been there - done that. 

I was left hanging there until I could scrabble back up and take the somewhat eye watering pressure of certain delicate items!! 

Of course Mrs Gromit fell about laughing - as they do! 

You will get used to it. After quite a short time you switch into "Van" mode as you climb in, and it becomes just as easy to reach with the wrong hand.

...and then when you get back into your car, you'll be feeling for it on the right!

That's how it goes I'm afraid: 22 years and it's still that way!

Bartfarst

Weird that, it's something that never crosses my mind and I've had the van with right side handbrake for six years. Must be down to breaking my right arm when I was 4 years old. I became ambidextrous at a crucial time of development.
Al.

I did the 'reaching for the handbrake thing' a few times when I first started motorhoming, but the constant scrutiny of another Mickey taking advanced instructor sitting alongside soon got me out of the habit and I can't remember ever doing it in this latest van.

My best one was returning from an extended caravanning trip down in to the Ardeche, driving my auto VW and jumping straight into our Aygo to pick up some milk. 
By the time I'd reached the end of our street, the engine was really rough and lumpy, then I remembered it had a clutch   Never did tell the boss lady about that one !

Moving from a car with an electronic handbrake can have it's own pitfalls like the time I parked the Harmony on top of Portsdown Hill overlooking Portsmouth and wondered why the van was rolling forward !!!
Thankfully there was an earthbank for just such occasions and a change of underwear handily stowed for 'emergencies' !!!

Talking about hand break incidents, a few months ago I unintentionally [and initially unaware] that I had knocked off the hand break with my knee when reaching over to the passenger side seat for my wallet from the drivers’ side foot-well. It was only when I had paid the bill at the service station kiosk that I became aware that my MH had slowly run down a slight incline on the drive-way of the service station, into a car wash. The damage to the van & car wash was significant. I now make doubly sure the hand break is fully on and engine is in low gear. Plus I’m extremely careful not to go near the hand break with my knee.
Mel