[et-al]

You're right, but I've only looked at it and run the design through my head.

If I were sitting in a car, I would would know that 4-D is basically shifting between fourth and overdrive. And if someone accidentally did shift from overdrive down to fourth, it won't kill the car in most circumstances. It's better than the old O/D button that asks your thumb to press it.

Ultimately, my proposal that this shift pattern groups gears by use-cases still holds true. D-4, 4-3, 2-L. If a person can't understand that, it's perfectly fine to leave it in D.

[CoconutPilot]

Consider this scenario: you're shifting up from 1st gear and forget what gear you're in. If you're in 3rd gear its safe to shift up and to the right. If you're in 5th gear its not safe, up and to the right is reverse!

I don't agree with your analysis. Toyota's shifter is unsafe.

[et-al]

First off, please explain to me the scenario where you're drag racing someone and limiting your upshifts in an automatic transmission car. Okay, so you're in 5th gear (D), which happens to be overdrive. If you know what overdrive is, then you'd know that the possibility of redlining in that gear is next to none.

Lastly, with any automatic-transmission car made in the past 20 years, they won't let you shift into reverse from drive.

See:

https://www.quora.com/What-will-happen-if-a-person-suddenly-...

Shift Transmission into Reverse While Driving (https://youtu.be/GR13mElbqxM)

Anyways, you don't have to agree with my analysis. AFAIK, Toyota hasn't had a recall for this shift pattern.