why do some countries drive on the left and some on the right?

Question

I have a bet on

Answer 1

Good question, I saw the answer to this on another site and here is a brief extract for you

"About a quarter of the world drives on the left, and the countries that do are mostly old British colonies. This strange quirk perplexes the rest of the world; but there is a perfectly good reason.

In the past, almost everybody travelled on the left side of the road because that was the most sensible option for feudal, violent societies. Since most people are right-handed, swordsmen preferred to keep to the left in order to have their right arm nearer to an opponent and their scabbard further from him. Moreover, it reduced the chance of the scabbard (worn on the left) hitting other people.

Furthermore, a right-handed person finds it easier to mount a horse from the left side of the horse, and it would be very difficult to do otherwise if wearing a sword (which would be worn on the left). It is safer to mount and dismount towards the side of the road, rather than in the middle of traffic, so if one mounts on the left, then the horse should be ridden on the left side of the road.

In the late 1700s, however, teamsters in France and the United States began hauling farm products in big wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. These wagons had no driver's seat; instead the driver sat on the left rear horse, so he could keep his right arm free to lash the team. Since he was sitting on the left, he naturally wanted everybody to pass on the left so he could look down and make sure he kept clear of the oncoming wagon’s wheels. Therefore he kept to the right side of the road."

Answer 2

Many countries built their cars with the steering wheel on the right because 90% of people are right handed and it made sense to keep the strongest arm (the right arm for these people) on the steering wheel while the left arm shifted.

During WWII the Japanese built their bomber aircraft with the pilot on the right side rather then the left for the same reason. That way his strongest arm was on the wheel and his weakest on the throttle.

Fighter aircraft have always been built this way with the thottle on the left so the stick can be held by the right hand.

Answer 3

because Napoleon Bonaparte was left handed.

this is not a wind-up - you go into a 1v1 battle on horseback - you want your weapon arm as close as possible to your adversary, so if you're right-handed, you want to "drive" on the left. Napoleon wanted the advantage swung his way so he forced all his forces to "drive" on the right.

Most of the countries that drive on the left are former British Colonies, like most of sub-saharan Africa and a coupla ex-penal colonies like Australia.

plus a few inexplicable ones like Japan.

Sweden drove on the left until fairly recently, but got tired of french tourists crashing into them.

The Yanks adopted the french standard just to flip the bird at their rightful masters, the British.

Answer 4

It's so that you know where you are by which side of the road you are on....

It's to try to create more car crashes - business has dropped off for recovery trucks and accident repair centres....

It's in hopes of the police being able to stop more people for dangerous driving (going the wrong way round the roundabout when you are abroad!)....

It's because different places have always done it that way and none of them wants to admit that the other way is better.

Answer 5

It might just be the initial choice of the country or that's how the locals drove on paths or roadways before official laws and regulations went into place like before a real government was established.

Answer 6

It started before cars. We in Britain drove on the left with horses and carts. Napoleon started to drive on the right purely out of defiance.

Answer 7

cos those on the left are right
those in the right are wrong

horse riders used swords
they used them with the right hand
so the swords where fought with on the right
they rode there horses on the left
when they met opponents
everyone used to ride on the left because of this
napoleon being french did not like the fact england
rode on the left so changed europe to ride on the right

Answer 8

Cos it's the law in those countries.

Answer 9

Cos the British have to be different from everybody else

Answer 10

I heard that it was something to do with what side people originally carried their swords on hundreds of years ago... probably a load of s**t but kinda interesting!