why do we drive on the left hand side of the road who said we have to bcause really we are in the wrong the rest of the world drives on the right side of the road i think this country also need to stop thinking that the queen is great what does she do for us nothing but live off our taxes thats why every year our taxes go up to pay for her over spending
2007-07-11 14:54:42 · 13 answers · asked by mervin 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Royalty
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.
So basically it's an age old tradition
As for the Queen she is total class!
2007-07-11 15:00:48 · answer #1 · answered by Super Saz 3 · 5⤊ 2⤋
The two parts of your question are - perhaps surprisingly - linked.
Yes, convention was to pass other travelers on the left for many centuries, swords to hand etc.
It was the French revolutionairies that started to travel on the right-hand side of the road. This was deliberately "confrontational" and they challenged other travellers they met on the road. Any aristocracy found in this way were arrested.
They wanted rid of an elite establishment that had grown fat on the backs of the ordinary people.
As another republic, the Americans adopted the same convention as the French.
The Queen can stay head of state if she wishes, just as long as she wins an open and fair election every four years. She can govern with the consent of the governed, but the monarchy has never bothered asking.....
1649 was a good year!
2007-07-15 05:56:24 · answer #2 · answered by Blunt Bloke 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The following countries drive on the left although the last time I was in Malta, I was convinced they drive on whichever side of the road was shadiest.
I'm afraid your rant about the Queen is way off beam. The cost of the monarchy is but a few pence per annum per head of population and really doesn't figure in the tax computations. I for one would rather have a monarch than a president. President Bush probably is the most powerful argument for the monarchy I can think of.
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2007-07-12 03:38:38 · answer #3 · answered by Mike 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The royals cost every tax payer 63p last year.
Not exactly huge amounts when you think of how many people come to the UK to see buckingham palace, the changing of the guards etc.....tourism would take a nose dive without the royals.
And who cares what side of the road we drive on. It was generally accepted practice long before any rules of the road were made, so why change it to match others?
Should the rest of the world give up their language and everyone speak english since it's the most commonly known language in the world?
(the answer's no, by the way!)
2007-07-11 22:03:02 · answer #4 · answered by Al 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The reason why Continental Europe and the United States drive on the right side of the road, but the British drive on the left, has nothing to do with politics--past or present--and everything to do with a horse-drawn freight driver's driver's safety and convenience.
According to Wikipedia (which may or may not be credible), in the late 1700s, American teamsters started using very large freight wagons pulled by large teams of horses. The driver sat of the left rear horse, holding a whip in his right hand. Since he was seated on the left, he preferred that other wagons over take him on the left as well, so he drove on the right.
A British wagon driver, by way of contrast, sat on the front wagon seat, his right hand controlling the reins and his left hand free to defend himself as necessary. He also drove down the traditional left-hand-side of the road.
Island nations who do not share borders with other countries do not need teamsters who drive for as long a distance, nor do their teamsters need to haul as large of loads--hence the origin of the British driving on the left and the Americans (and presumably Europeans as well) driving on the right.
Oh, and by the way, England tried a republican form of government from 1649 to 1660, but reverted back to a monarchy, which in time became a Constitutional Monarchy, meaning the king or queen reigns but doesn't rule. Death and taxes (no matter what the form of government) seem to be universal human conditions.
2007-07-15 15:31:17 · answer #5 · answered by Ellie Evans-Thyme 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What a load of claptrap! Australia drives on the left-hand side as does Japan, The Bahamas and Pakistan, to name but a few... And in case you weren't aware of it, statistics have shown that tourists flood to Britain from around the world to visit and take photos of Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Horse Guards Parade etc. etc. bringing in billions of pounds into the country's coffers and boosting the economy. What the Queen earns from this is nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
2007-07-13 07:16:28 · answer #6 · answered by Paul R 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Japan,HongKong and Singapore and a few others drive on the left.I am not sure about Australia and New Zealand.Why should we conform to the u.s.a,let them change to our system.We have the fewest traffic accident deaths in the world.In Taiwan with a population of only about 25 million,they have more than 14 thousand road deaths per year.Think yourself lucky that you live in a country with sense enough not to change.The Queen is ok,she works hard at her job but,Phil the Greek just tags along behind her and gets a bloody good salary plus free travel and all of the usual perks that the other refugees get.
2007-07-12 00:41:51 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
OK. First, driving on the left side of the road has nothing to do with the Queen.
The Queen IS great, pays her taxes because she decreed that she should.
Besides. there are alot of people over on your side of the "pond" who live off the income generated by magazine sales, merchandise with royals' photos, tourists to the castles, and so on.
2007-07-13 01:19:30 · answer #8 · answered by kiwi 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In days of old logic dictated that when people passed each other on the road they should be in the best possible position to use their sword to protect themselves. As most people are right handed they therefore keep to their left.
This custom was given official sanction in 1300 AD, when Pope Boniface VIII invented the modern science of traffic control by declaring that pilgrims headed to Rome should keep left.
2007-07-11 22:00:53 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 1⤋
calm down merv ya perv. Im not a big fan of the queen but i think you'll find that the money they generate in tourism more than pays for them
2007-07-11 21:59:04 · answer #10 · answered by dazza 2 · 7⤊ 1⤋