Why does england drive on the left side of the road

In fact, it goes back to the Middle Ages. In ye olden days, when traveling down a highway put you at risk of being attacked or robbed, traveling on the left was a matter of safety. Since most people were and still are right-handed, passing on the left meant leaving your sword-hand free to take on any challengers.

Whether on foot, horseback, or in a carriage, you needed to be able to whip out your lance, sword, pitchfork, or staff in response to a threat—and quickly. According to the BBC , this practice was widespread outside of Britain, too, potentially dating back as far as ancient Greece and Rome. But various pressures eventually shifted travelers to the right. In the United States, meanwhile, many researchers trace the beginning of right-hand traffic to the 18th century and the rise of freight wagons pulled by large teams of horses.

As the wagons became more popular, traffic naturally moved to the right so drivers could sit closer to the center of the road and avoid collisions with one another. Yet another major influence was carmaker Henry Ford, who mass-produced his Model T with a left-positioned steering wheel, which necessitated driving on the right side of the road.

These days, left-hand traffic remains the norm in Britain and many of its former colonies as well as in Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and several other nations. Nevertheless, with the rise of the automobile, many countries have switched to the right to fit in with their neighbors. Canada abandoned the left side of the road in the s to facilitate traffic to and from the United States. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! For more tech and driving safety tips, as well as fun facts, defensive driving courses , competitions, and other cool stuff, follow DefensiveDriving.

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