Hours spent learning to drive don’t just entail the mechanics of operating a machine, but learning the rules and mechanics of the road. Have you ever wondered how some of those rules came into being?

Specifically, have you wondered how the norm of driving on a particular side of the road arose? Here in America, we’re used to driving on the right side of the road with our steering wheels on the left side of the car. But we all know the Brits (and others) do it differently. What’s up with that?

The answer lies in history. The History Channel’s website offers the theory that rolling down the left side possibly originated during Roman times and extended into medieval Europe. It’s thought that it was the safest way to operate chariots and horse power for easy access to weaponry with the right hand.

Back in the day left-handed people were the minority, so it was about being able to maneuver easily for righties. Drive with the left hand, fight with the right. For a righty, it was also easier to mount and dismount a horse on the left, making that side of the road closer and safer.

For the British, pushing traffic to the left slowly became the law in the late 1700s to early 1800s, with it becoming mandatory in 1835. This spread to British colonies as well. However, in France, fallen aristocrats who used to ride on the left took to blending in with the commoners on the right side of the road, and it remained that way under Napoleon. His conquests drove the right-sided movement into other parts of Europe.

In America, freight wagoners rode their team’s left rear horse so they could see oncoming traffic in the center of the road clearly. It also freed up their right hands to drive their horses with ease. Driving down the right side with oncoming traffic on the left helped to avoid accidents. When Henry Ford introduced his Model T automobile, the left-sided steering wheel made driving on the right a necessity.

Out of the world’s population today, 65% of us live in right-side driving countries. As you can see from this map, these countries include the U.S., China, Canada, Russia, and Brazil. Brief consideration was given to changing things around in England during the 1960s, but they dropped the idea due to political pushback and the financial costs of switching the country over.

Of the few left-side countries, Japan has remained one, as well as Australia, Thailand, and a few Caribbean nations. In order to help keep traffic harmonious with its neighbor, Canada switched to right-sided driving in the 1920s. In Europe, drivers stay on the left in the U.K., Cyprus, Malta, and Ireland.

My, how history has dictated these norms! We’ve come a long way from being concerned about battleaxes and horse-drawn wagons, but road rules and traffic problems are still here.

Have you ever driven on a side of the road that you’re not used to? What was your experience like? World travelers: do you have a preference?

Sources:

Brilliant Maps

World Standards