2006-08-26 11:55:44 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Other - Cars & Transportation
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.
What I found to be interesting is that people on the sidewalk have the same habit. They walk on the left rather than the right.
2006-08-26 12:00:09 · answer #1 · answered by Barkley Hound 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I can tell you why we adopted the left side drive. During the 1800's as settlers moved west and more and more towns popped up, roads started to form. Since most people are right handed, they would sit on the left side of the wagon as that put the reigns in the center. As two wagons passed, the drivers would pass each other on the left so they could see the wagons wheels, especially on the narrower trails, to ensure they did not tangle up. The Brits? I'm sure there is some reason, other then they had to be different then us yanks.
2006-08-26 12:05:06 · answer #2 · answered by JimmyJ 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
When I was in Europe I was told that in days of old, in England the coachman's whip would get snagged in the over hanging trees, thus they moved to the outboard side of the coach, where the whip wouldn't get caught in anything. When auto came to be, they had already established driving on the left side on the road with the steering wheel on the right side....in Europe they call certain parts of cars thus: trunk is the boot, fender is the mud flap & the hood is called a bonnet...
2015-08-05 21:25:20 · answer #3 · answered by GinMalta 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer is so long and complicated it would take more space than we have on here to explain. But it has to do with where teamsters sat on the horses when driving the teams back before wagons had seats. The brits had one way of doing it and the continent, primarily the french another. When wagons got seats carried over after the revolution the us adopted the european method because it was more effecient.
2006-08-26 12:06:48 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you look at some older American cars , you will see that they used to be right-hand drive, as in the UK.
I am unsure as to why they decided to change.
The last country to change to driving on the right was Sweden in 1966.
2006-08-26 12:20:32 · answer #5 · answered by aarcue 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
becuz havn't you noticed, everything here is different. we use miles, inches, and farenheit. it makes sense that not only in england but in other places they drive on the left hand side. i have seen it. its not that weird.
2006-08-26 11:59:07 · answer #6 · answered by HELP! 3 · 2⤊ 7⤋
BECAUSE WE ARE AMERICAN!!!!
2006-08-26 12:00:03 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 8⤋