Why Do Some Countries Drive on the Left?

More than two-thirds of the countries in the world drive on the right, with famous examples being the US, China, and Canada. That leaves behind a third of the world’s countries, which drive on the left. For most people accustomed to driving on the right, when visiting a country like Britain, the aspect of driving on the left can leave you completely disoriented. Everything feels wrong. You feel like you’re seated on the wrong side and are driving on the wrong side of the road. For most people, it takes years to adjust to these conditions. If you have ever experienced something like this, it’s normal to wonder – why do some countries drive on the left? This article attempts to answer that.

How Driving on the Left Started

Red indicates the countries that drive on the right, while blue show those that adhere to the left.

Funny enough, driving on the left was the most preferred option in the medieval ages; the phenomenon dates back to the era of knights and castles. If you are fascinated by this, some Hollywood movies can give you a glimpse of life during this era.

As is the case today, most knights back then were right-handed. Therefore, they would yield swords on their dominant right hand. To easily access these weapons, they placed them on the left side of their bodies.

When meeting a friend or a foe, it was best for them to walk on the left side of the road as this would allow them to quickly greet or attack the other person with their right hand. Placing the swords on the left guaranteed safety because a passerby couldn’t steal the sword and attack them.

It gets more interesting. Because knights wore swords on the left side, they would mount horses from the left side so that the sword wouldn’t interfere with the mounting process. In castles or taverns, horses would be positioned on the left side of the road to facilitate easy mounting. With everything being done on the left, horses would stick to this side when moving from one point to another.

How The British Adopted the Started Driving on the Left

When carriages were introduced, this norm went on. There is evidence from an old Roman Quarry dug up in England in 1998. It shows that the road on the left side of the quarry was more worn out than the right. That’s because the left side leads away from the quarry, and it was worn out because the carts would be filled with rocks, thus making them heavier.

Historians also highlight that Pope Boniface VIII ordered pilgrims moving to Rome to stick to the left side in the year 1300. Therefore, traveling on the left was more acceptable in the past. England embraced this solution for the longest time. This is why most countries that drive on the left are British colonies, such as India, New Zealand, Australia, and Kenya, among others.

However, it wasn’t always the case. In England, people could travel on any side. But when the traffic on the London bridge became hectic in the 1700s, a law was passed to have everyone travel on the left side of the road. In 1835, keeping left was incorporated into the British National Highway Code, which has been the norm ever since.

Advantages of Driving on the Left

Driving on the left has its perks. Considering that most people are right-handed, driving on the left allows you to use your right hand to view oncoming traffic better. Several studies have shown that countries that drive on the left have fewer crashes.

By driving on the left, the right-hand focuses on the steering wheel in charge of navigation. On the other hand, the left hand is used on other non-serious tasks such as changing the radio station or climate control features.

Why Do More Countries Drive on The Right?

If driving on the left goes way back in history, why do many countries drive on the right? There are a couple of reasons behind that. In the 1700s, large wagons were invented to carry produce and raw materials. With these wagons, the riders would sit on the left side and use their right hand to hold the whip that directed the horses to push the most common wagons in France. In England, the roads were thinner and couldn’t accommodate large wagons.

Still in France, Napoleon Bonaparte popularized the option of driving on the right as he categorically ordered the French to mandatorily drive on that side. There were two reasons for this: Napoleon was left-handed and was against British policies. In every country that France invaded, he enforced this rule.

The other figure who popularized driving on the right was carmaker Henry Ford. The industry mogul placed the steering wheel on the left when he introduced the Model T. Considering how famous the Model T was, people got accustomed to driving on the right, prompting more countries to start driving on the right-hand side.

In the 20^th Century, many countries switched to the right to adhere to the standardized rules of the road. However, England stuck to its norm. Countries like Sweden spent millions of dollars switching their motorists from left-side to right-side driving. Considering how expensive making such a switch is, the odds of a country switching from right to left-side driving and vice versa in the 21^st Century are very low.