Why did Britain & their colonies decide to drive on the left, and why did all other countries decide to drive-

Question

on the right? Did Britain just want to be different, or was their some practical reason for it?

Answer 1

All practical and linked to the bulk of the population beig Right-handed...

Left-hand drive - Mostly right-handed swordsman in feudal times. Easier to pass left and keep RH free and so on.

Right-hand drive  - originated from animal drawn carriages, driven by mostly, right-handed men with whip in that hand sitting on left-hand animal - easier to see and manage from there and so on.

Answer 2

A lot of countries drive on the left. Have a look at this link.

http://www.brianlucas.ca/roadside/

Answer 3

i read somewhere that there is a practical reason

back in centuries gone by, when life was alot more violent, and travelling on roads was dangerous activity, people would keep to the left, so they were in the best possible position to draw their swords and weapons in the event anything bad happend, and because most people are right handed, it was logic to keep to the left so they were in the best position to protect themselves

And then as the highways became busier with horse drawn carriages, a rule to keep left was introduced in the General Highways Act of 1773. This then became a law as part of the Highways Bill in 1835.

And it was the French who started driving on the right. Reasons to travel on the right are less clear but the generally accepted version of history is as follows: The French, being Catholics, followed Pope Boneface's edict but in the build up to the French Revolution in 1790 the French Aristocracy drove their carriages at great speed on the left hand side of the road, forcing the peasantry over to the right side for their own safety. Come the Revolution, instincts of self preservation resulted in the remains of the Aristocracy joining the peasants on the right hand side of the road. The first official record of this was a keep right rule introduced in Paris in 1794

Also In the late 1700s, teamsters in France and the United States began hauling farm products in big wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. These wagons had no driver's seat; instead the driver sat on the left rear horse, so he could keep his right arm free to lash the team. Since he was sitting on the left, he naturally wanted everybody to pass on the left so he could look down and make sure he kept clear of the oncoming wagon’s wheels. Therefore he kept to the right side of the road.

Both Britain and France had large empires, and the rules of each country will have spread because of this

http://www.amphicars.com/acleft.htm

http://users.pandora.be/worldstandards/d...