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Jul 06, 2024

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Why driving on the left is correct.

Why driving on the left is correct.

Why didn't all the countries of the World settle on driving on one side of the road? Was it the insistence of the British Empire not to change anything?

About 35% of the world population 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.

Right-handed knights preferred to keep to the left in order to have their right arm nearer to an opponent

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 them. 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.

The natural way to pass anyone, ever since we came down out of the trees and started walking, was always your right side to the oncoming person's right side, passing each other on the left side. This was because whatever weapon you were carrying, a stick, a knife, a sword, etc., would be on your left side and drawn by your right hand to defend yourself, so naturally, when any form of vehicle was used, one would be on the left side, passing any oncoming vehicles right side to right side. The was, until a funny little man called Napoleon Bonaparte, a prominent French military & political leader, came on the scene, in the 18th & 19th centuries. He made all his troops and vehicles march on the left-hand side of the road, so any country, directly or indirectly influenced by Napoleon, started driving on the left side of the road. Counties like England and Japan