The car was invented at the same time the world over so why are we differant
2007-07-04 09:54:31 · 24 answers · asked by unisafari 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Other - Cars & Transportation
Up to the late 1700's, everybody travelled on the left side of the road because it's the sensible option for feudal, violent societies of mostly right-handed people.
Jousting knights with their lances under their right arm naturally passed on each other's right, and if you passed a stranger on the road you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between yourself and him.
Revolutionary France, however, overturned this practice as part of its sweeping social rethink. A change was carried out all over continental Europe by Napoleon.The reason it changed under Napoleon was because he was left handed his armies had to march on the right so he could keep his sword arm between him and any opponent.
From then on, any part of the world which was at some time part of the British Empire was thus left hand and any part colonised by the French was right hand.
In America, the French colonised the southern states (Louisiana for instance) and the Canadian east coast (Quebec). The Dutch colonised New York (or New Amsterdam). The Spanish and Portugese colonised the southern Americas. So The British were a minority in shaping the 'traffic'.
The drive-on-the-right policy was adopted by the USA, which was anxious to cast off all remaining links with its British colonial past
Once America drove on the right, left-side driving was ultimately doomed. If you wanted a good reliable vehicle, you bought American, for a period they only manufactured right-hand-drive cars.
From then on many countries changed out of necessity.
Today, the EC would like Britain to fall into line with the rest of Europe, but this is no longer possible. It would cost billions of pounds to change everything round.
The last European country to convert to driving on the right was Sweden in 1967. While everyone was getting used to the new system, they paid more attention and took more care, resulting in a reduction of the number of road accident casualties.
2007-07-04 10:01:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
Yes, I think you mean the other way about!!
Britain is not the only country to adopt the drive-on-the-left policy. The reasons have already been given by Maxcottle, so give the man best answer!
Among the other countries to drive on the left are; South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Cyprus, Philippines.
It's not such a bad idea, it's just the rest of the world is out of synch, just take a look at Italy's road accident record. for example.
2007-07-04 17:22:37 · answer #2 · answered by Room_101 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I really, really hope you don't have a driving licence, because in the U.K. we drive on the left...
The car wasn't invented the same time the world over, either. It was invented in France in 1769. Further developments occurred for the next 100 years across Europe, the U.S.A. and eventually the rest of the world.
2007-07-04 18:19:39 · answer #3 · answered by Nightworks 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
As everyone has pointed out, we sit on the right but drive on the left hand side of the road.
This originates from the days of horseback travel when people armed themselves with swords to fend off attack by highwaymen and briggands whilst riding along the paths! Most people are right handed so would thus hold their sword in their right hands. As two travellers approached each other they would move to the left so that their sword arm was free in case of attack. Basically its hard to have a sword fight if you are on the right hand side of the track as your horse's head is in the way!
Other clever nations still drive of the left hand side of the road, most noticeably in Japan! The others only switched to be different from the British!
2007-07-04 17:20:23 · answer #4 · answered by roy d 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is the story I heard. Could be true or not, but it's a good story.
In England most traffic on roads was men on horseback. They passed oncoming riders on the left in order to have their sword hand free in case they needed to fight.
The US came later when personal defense was not as important. Most traffic here was farmers leading carts drawn by horses or oxen. The drivers would walk alongside, leading the animals with their right hand. When they met oncoming traffic they'd go to the right so the animal would walk in the mud at the side of the road, not the farmer.
2007-07-04 17:03:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
So we can laugh at people tring to drive over here in left hand drive cars. Must be scary pulling out on the M25.
2007-07-04 17:29:00 · answer #6 · answered by sloopisues 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hey, we drive on the LEFT, and some other countries drive on the right!! But Australia drives on the left like us and also Cyprus! Its continental Europe and USA who do it different, but as for why? - I have no idea!!
2007-07-04 17:09:21 · answer #7 · answered by Norah B 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We drive on the same side as the roman marched all those years ago......its just that the world got it wrong+
2007-07-04 16:58:12 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you search you will see that it has to do with the way the brain deals with the processing of field of view data, if you drive on the right, your more prone to accidents because of the way in which your brain processes field of view data...
Thats why theirs statistically less accidents on left hand drive than right hand drive countries.
2007-07-04 17:08:04 · answer #9 · answered by cheek_of_it_all 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
dude/dudette in the uk u drive on the left side, its just the US trying to be different from other ppl again cuz were the only remaining superpower, its the same thing with the metric and imperial systems
2007-07-04 17:01:47 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋