Do more countries drive on the left or the right side of the road?

Question

Is there a common reason why some countries drive on the left and others on the right?

Answer 1

Here we go again with all the old chestnuts about guns and swords, etc.

Here's the real reason. In some countries (like this one), the driver of a horse-drawn vehicle would sit on the front of the vehicle. If he had a team of four or more, his whip would be quite long and would need a lot of room to swing it. So the driver (who would usually be right-handed) would sit on the right, and to see the road better he would drive on the left. Other countries favoured the "postillion" style of driving, where the driver would sit, not on the vehicle, but on one of the horses. To control all of them with his right hand, he would therefore sit on one of the left-hand horses. To see the road better, then, he would drive on the right.

The world didn't suddenly change from horse-drawn vehicles to motor vehicles overnight - there was a period of transition where both were using the road (which is still going on if you think about it), so drivers of motor vehicles had to follow the same rules, and before long it was made law. (The law of "rule of the road" wasn't necessary before motor vehicles, because (a) drivers did it anyway, and (b) there wasn't an issue of safety.)

You might be interested in the next bit.

Whips were only part of the way drivers controlled horses - it was mostly done by verbal commands. "Come on" meant "left" (come on to the kerb), and "get off" meant "right". (Well, HORSES understood it.) That's why the "offside" of the road is so-called. The left side of the road
was called the "onside", but was changed to "nearside" by car drivers. There are many driving terms that are leftovers from the horse-drawn days - even the word "driving" itself. "Drive" is something you do to an animal - it means to "urge" or "encourage" - you can't do that to an inanimate object like a car. But we still use the word anyway. And what about when you "pull up" outside someone's house? That's how you stop a team of horses - you "pull up" on the reins.

Answer 2

About 34% of the world by population drive on the left, and 66% on the right. See the coloured map on Wikipedia and the countries where they drive on the left

In fact, some believe that ancient travelers on horseback generally rode on the left side of the road. As more people are right-handed, horsemen would thus be able to hold the reins with their left hands and keep their right hand free—to offer in friendship to passing riders or to defend themselves with swords, if necessary.

Answer 3

Older nations drive on the left. This is because the roads were invented when people rode horses. most people are right handed and when they passed a stranger they would do so on the side of their weapon hand. so to have people pass on the right you have to stay left.

Answer 4

NO, that isn't any longer. do no longer forget the Commonwealth worldwide places! India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Australia, and eire, Malta, Falklands, Hong Kong, Japan and advantageous some greater. (Samoa, Fiji?) needless to say for many individuals of eu travelers, that's the "incorrect" section, and for many precise exceeded human beings, working a handbook shift with the left hand seems awkward. the clarification for making use of on the left hand component to the line is going precise decrease back to the days of horse delivery, while a solo rider, seeing yet another horse and rider drawing close, had to be arranged to take care of himself against a a possibility robber. The prepare replaced into to circulate in direction of the left hand component to the track and draw a sword with the main suitable hand (as maximum individuals have been precise exceeded). the different rider could have the comparable concerns approximately his risk-free practices, and could do the comparable. the two riders could then bypass one yet another, sword arm to sword arm, for that reason, nicely located to take care of themselves against any danger. while vehicles got here into use (contemporaneous with horse site visitors) the motor vehicle drivers purely observed the comparable prepare, in spite of the actuality that there replaced into possibly, no longer a ought to hold a sword.

Answer 5

Fishy, I think you need to get off the computer and get out more often. In the U.K. driving is done on the LEFT side of the road!!!

Answer 6

Most drive on the left.

Answer 7

Where I live we drive on both sides of the road. Fewer collisions that way.

Answer 8

Don't be silly, countries can't drive - it is people that drive.

Answer 9

the first persons answer is hilarious, lol!

i believe more drive on the left. they say we in UK are the only ones who drive on the right in the whole of Europe so....