Turned or "clocked" gauges [0] are used to further reduce cognitive load by turning the gauges so that the needle aligns to closely to a horizontal or vertical

Turned or "clocked" gauges [0] are used to further reduce cognitive load by turning the gauges so that the needle aligns to closely to a horizontal or vertical line when operating in normal conditions. If you notice that your gauges are not pointing "straight up" then you can take a second pass and actually read the indicated number on the gauge. I understand that this is not helpful for things like vehicle speed but OP's point still applies. [0] https://www.motortrend.com/news/hot-rodding-basics-why-do-some-race-cars-have-sideways-gauges/ https://www.motortrend.com/news/hot-rodding-basics-why-do-so...