what are the historical reasons behind the fact that the UK drives on the Left and Europe on the right?

Answer 1

Seems there are a number of popular and "common sense" ideas about this that the facts don't bear out.

A. What we DON'T know. . or know is wrong!

1) No evidence that Napoleon was left-handed, and it's hard to see any reason this personal trait should determine his decision about such a matter for his Empire.

2) Though the link of right-handedness and the danger of someone pulling a sword on you may explain the origin of the HANDSHAKE, there is nothing to suggest it has anything to do with determining which side of the road people rode/drove on, and esp. not the custom for entire communities..or nations. (In other words, both the sword and shield arguments are beside the point.)

This commonly cited reason is based on a romantic notion of people. The daily routine was much more mundane -- the vast majority or travelers (by foot, horse, wagon) were not out looking for a fight (and if some carried swords it is extremely UN-likely that anyone but a warrior carried a shield).

3) There is NO evidence:

a) that driving on the left side was subject of a papal decree
b) that the leaders of the French Revolution switched from left to right as an act of rebellion against the nobility of the pope/church
c) that Americans made such a switch to show their independence from Britain

For b & c -- switching for this reason ONLY, without other practical benefits, would seem unlikely. And if someone DID start a "campaign" to convince people to show their independence in this way, we should have some EVIDENCE of it.. we do not. (Note that other changes that may have been partly motivated by the desire to demonstrate American independence, such as the spelling reforms of Noah Webster, also appealed to logical, practical reasons, and only succeeded because of them)

4) Right-handed driving in the Americas was NOT the result of immigrants from nations Napoleon ruled bringing his practices over (as so many articles oddly suggest). What's crazy about this is that the immigrants from thse countries who would have established these practices (e.g., the Dutch settlers in New York, Conquistadors, etec from Spain) came over centuries before Napoleon lived!

_______________________

B. What we DO know.

1) The best and earliest evidence we have suggests that, when there WAS a preference or need to designate one side or the other, driving/riding on the LEFT was typical. Most interesting evidence of this comes from an old Roman road in which ruts on the left side if going FROM a quarry (when the wagon would be full) are much deeper than in the other direction.

2) Preference for side of the other has varied greatly by time and place, and here are some of the key factors -

a) When driving WAGONS, esp. large ones, the driver usually preferred to sit on the "inside", where he can see and make sure he safely gets by vehicles driving the other direction -- it is THIS sort of traffic, transporting goods, which seems to play the biggest role in general driving customs

b) When driving animal drawn wagons and carts, a WHIP was typically used, and held, of course, in the RIGHT hand.

Generally the preferred side can be explained thus:

"The most important factor seems to be the relative dominance of different types of animal-drawn carts and wagons. Most people are right-handed, which leads to a natural tendency to favour one side of the road or another depending on the means of transportation being used"
(Lucas - see first link below)

3) Specifically,

In the late 18th - early 19th centuries the right side was preferred for:

* leading horses, or wagons by hand - in France

* multi-horse wagons, when riding ON the horse (no driver's seat), in "postilion" position - as was done with large wagons in the US... because it was easier to sit on the left rear horse and manipulate the whip (with the right hand)

* later in the 19th century on Conestoga wagons (often similarly driven from postilion position)

At the same time, in Britain, driving smaller wagons in which the driver did have a seat, it was easier to manage the long whip (right hand again) by sitting on the right.

These specific examples may not explain ALL of the patterns that became established in these countries, but they give the idea.

Answer 2

The ONLY problem with what most of the people are talking about, is the FACT that people would not travel on the left to keep their sword arm(right) between them and another party coming the opposite way.

WHY?

Because, you didn't keep your sword between you and your enemy, you keep your SHIELD between you and your enemy, the shield being on the left hand or arm.

Furthermore, if you were riding on the left side of the road and an enemy approached from the opposite direction, the enemy could surprise you and prevent you from withdrawing your sword, if you were on the other side of the road, no one could prevent you from drawing your sword and defending yourself.

In addition, until the development of stirrups, most combat was done on the ground as it was very difficult to control the reins of the horse and fight with sword and shield at the same time.

The comment about having to dismount from the horse in the middle of the road is inaccurate then as it would be today. You would not then dismount form a horse in the middle of the road, as you would not get out of your car in the middle of the road. What you would do, both then and now, is to leave the road itself and dismount or get out of the car on the side of the road.

While exact answers can't be given, the most plausible is that it was a custom dating back to the Roman Empire and thusly brought to Britain. The Pope codified being on the left in about 1300ad and when the French Revolution occurred and Napoleon ordered all countries that were his allies or subjects to change, the British kept there system because they so hated Napoleon.

whale

PS. while Napoleon is stated as being left handed, the majority of the photos of him wearing no sword at all(why would he need one in the midst of a 500k man army) or they show him wearing his sword on his left hip, meaning he may have been a left hand writer, but he used his right hand to yield his sword when he was younger.

Answer 3

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.

Answer 4

Go back a century or so and you quickly realise that back then a lot of people got about by riding on horseback.

To get on and off a horse, the rider must do this on the left hand side of his beast.

If a rider on horseback in UK wishes to mount or dismount in the street he can pull over to the left and dismount in safety, since he/she will be doing so on the grass verge at the left hand side of the horse.

In countries where people must drive on the right, the rider of a horse is forced to dismount in the middle of the road.

Bad thinking!

In spite of what people may say or think on this issue, the answer I have given is the correct one and based upon historic fact.

Answer 5

Yes, apparently Emperor Charlemagne was left-handed.

By the way, we drive on the left in Ireland too.

Answer 6

Knights carried there charger with right hand so would make the pass on the left side.

Apparently the US do it the otherway as a demonstration of their independence.

Answer 7

Taff.........if British style driving is 'ultimately doomed' can you explain why almost all of asia drives on the different side to King America,including the greatest car building nation on earth,namely Japan

Answer 8

I think that it had something to do with Napoleon changing the road system due to being left handed.

Answer 9

This dates back centuries.when horsemen rode on the left to keep the right (sword arm ) ready for battle.

Answer 10

SAPPER is right it is easy to attact some one if they are on your right side.. Most people are right handed so your sword would be on you left.. One strike and he is dead... HOPE I HELP well I'm off to save the world AGAIN!