the biggest thing is room. Where are we going to put our consoles? I have an ongoing order with D&R to build 1,000 consoles for our cars. the feet brackets can be changed from car to car, but the console must sit between the seats (where the shifter is).
When you have the shifter where its at in the holden, the officer must look down to the right to look at the radio. The officers eyes are no longer able to see if a car brakes. When the officer wants to press the buttons on the radio, how are they going to do it? the right arm can not bend correctly to easily press buttons. try it right now - try to touch right past your armrest on your chair with your right hand, notice how awkward and hard it is. (remember there's a shotgun rack right between the seats, behind the driver, so your elbow cant lay straight) Yes its easier with the left hand - but then your moving your whole body sideways. thats a no-no while driving.
third, our consoles are in front of the cop to the right. the cop can slightly look down and still use the peripheral vision to notice if a car brakes in front of them. Putting the computer on the dash is a nice idea, but its too far from reality because of contracts with companies. We have a laptop system that we use (tough books). Where are the cops gonna mount the laptop if the shifter is right there? and yes it must be mounted, not laying free.
theres a couple more but that should give an idea.
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