Why in UK the steering wheel (of the cars) is in the other side ?

Question

Why in UK the steering wheel (of the cars) is in the other side ?

Answer 1

Throughout history many reasons for driving on the left have been espoused.  One of these is that an armed rider would draw his sword (using his right hand) in a defensive action to protect himself from an attacker.  This means that the attacker would need to be on the riders right - therefore, the rider would have to be on the left.

Driving on the left carried on as the normal until the 1700's when cart drivers prefered to hold their whip in their right hand to whip up their teams.  This then meant that they would sit on the rear left hand ox or horse.  They would then prefer to keep their whip away from fellow teamsters which meant they had to drive on the right.

Countries which were created by the driving of large wagons across the plains (like the USA) naturally adopted the Right Hand Driving tradition.

The strangest part of Left and Right Hand Driving is the train infrastructure with many RHD countries having Left Hand Drive train systems!

Answer 2

Regardless of which country you drive in the driver needs to be controlling the vehicle from the best vantage point in the vehicle to enable the driver to best judge the position of on-coming traffic to avoid head on accidents (try to anyway).  

So the driving position will ideally be on the side, nearest to that of on-coming passing the traffic.

Therefore USA drive on the Right so driving position is on the Left.  UK drive on the Left so driving position is on the Right.

Answer 3

Actually, people started driving their horse carriages in UK (England) long before they did here.  In effect they started the standard of driving on the left first.

So the question is how in USA we started riding on the WRONG SIDE.

good luck...

Answer 4

Everybody knows that in the UK you drive on the left, not the right like in America.

Answer 5

Because we drive on the left hand side of the road

Answer 6

Because we drive on the left.

Answer 7

Hey, to us it is not on the other side. To us, yours is!

Answer 8

we drive on the other side of the road too.

I dont know why the road side difference but the driver position is due to the road side, im pretty sure of that.

Answer 9

because in uk we have to drive on the left, the driver is best to be in the centre of the road so it increases his capability to see....

Answer 10

we put them there to confuse you aliens, the secret is to reverse everywhere

Answer 11

So that we don't have to ask the passenger to drive.

As to the "OTHER" side - you may be surprised to know just how many countries drive on the left, including Japan.