A lot of
people wonder why British people drive on 'the other' side of the
road (the left hand side). Although
some seem to think that is quite a strange idea, not all of us are aware that
left-hand-side driving is more natural and it has been present in most countries
around the world for some 100 years.
Great
Britain in not the only country driving on the left. Other countries, mainly
former British colonies, also use the left-hand side of the road. Some of those
countries include: Cyprus, Malta, Australia, New Zealand, India, Hong
Kong, Indonesia and Thailand. Altogether, there are 75 countries or areas in
the world that drive on the left-hand side.
What is
more interesting is that a lot more countries used to drive on the left in the past.
In Europe, the idea of driving on the right hand side came to life only some
300 years ago. Before that, everyone used the left hand side because it was
simply more comfortable. Why? Knights wore their swords on the left side of
their body and it was easier for them to defend themselves from someone who
arrived at their right hand side. Coachmen always sat on the right hand side so
it was easier for them to drive and use the whip.
In the 18th
century in France, at the time of Napoleon, right hand driving started to
get more popular. Europe had gradually started going to over to the right side. In
Sweden, left hand side driving was in force until 1967 and in Iceland until 1968.
Driving on the left didn't only apply to roads, but also rail and tram tracks.
Driving
on the left also means that steering wheels need to be installed on the right
side of all the cars. However, pedals and gears are exactly the same as in the
cars with steering on the left side.
Both countries who drive on the left and the right use the 'right hand' rule. But how do you deal with roundabouts which
are present around every corner of Great Britain? Well, that is a whole other story...
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