1. A material handling vehicle comprising: an operator compartment; a first control handle mounted to the operator compartment for access by an operator facing a first direction for producing a first travel request control signal; a second control handle mounted to the operator compartment for access by an operator facing a second direction for producing a second travel request control signal; a traction control system for driving the material handling vehicle in a selected direction and at a selected speed; and a vehicle control system for receiving the first and second travel request control signals and for producing and transmitting a directional control signal and a speed control signal to the traction control system, wherein the vehicle control system evaluates the first and second travel request control signals, determines whether a conflict exists between the first and second travel request control signals, and brings the vehicle to a stopped state when the conflict exists.