Why in some countries do people drive on left and other countries on right? what decided this in days gone by?

Question

Why in some countries do people drive on left and other countries on right? what decided this in days gone by?

Answer 1

It was the custom, certainly in England for horseriders, when approaching an oncoming rider, who might have hostile intent, to move towards the left side of the track, in order to keep the approaching rider on their righthand  side where they would hold their sword.

When cars began to appear, contemporaneous with horses, and long before metalled roads, the cars simply followed the same practice. Drive on the left, keep your sword arm ready. Still very useful when driving against hostile traffic on M25.

As most people are righthanded, it is reckoned as slightly easier to drive a car where the gear shift is under the right hand, ie the driving position is on the left, and traffic moves on the right hand side.

Answer 2

The British drive on the left rule derives from the Romans ,who marched on the left so their right hand/sword hand would be free to defend themselves. This British adaptation of an ancient tradition was exported around the world or adopted by other nations for commercial reasons or for no particular at all.

Answer 3

just the way it rolls.

the sane countries drive on the left.... britain... india...

the rest are just crazy

Answer 4

As suggested by others the left side kept your right (sword) arm available for self defence. The French revolution started to drive on the right just to be different ( they also did the metric system, a 10 month year &c. &c. ) and the 2 major colonial powers (GB, F ) split the world in two on this issue.

Answer 5

In the UK we drive on the left because up to the 1700's people used to always travel on the left as most of society was right handed and therefore if you travel on the left when someone passes by you could fight them off if they were rogues; also swordsmen travleed on the left so their strong right arm (holding the sword) could be used for protection.

In France Napoleon overturned the rule as he was left handed so he made travel take place on the right for his own benefit.  Since then countries originally colonised by Brits travel and hence drive on left and those by France on the right! The USA overturned the law for travelling on the left to rid themselves of old British colonial laws. As the Americans drove on the right most of the greatest cars were made for right hand drive only, from this time many countries changed to right hand drive to be able to use American vehicles as they were the best in the world. The majority of the world therefore now drives on the right but it would be too costly to change Britain and Australia to change their laws.

Answer 6

Because in Britain we are all lefties!

Answer 7

In Britain and some of britain former colonies people drive on the left. I think other countries drive on the right.