Why do some countries drive on different sides?
Have you faced this #CruelDoubt? For those who are accustomed to driving on the right side of the street may strange the opposite in certain places of the world, or vice versa. But… Why the difference? Read it now!
By @jpcppinheiro + sources
More than a simple matter of choice, there are a number of historical events related to the side of the street that is used to transit.
England is one of the main examples of nations that drive on the left, but this team also includes countries such as South Africa, Australia, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, New Zealand and many others, as even the Hong Kong region (China isn’t included)…
But more than a simple matter of choice, there is a very interesting historical overview that allows us to understand why the drivers from around the world drive from different sides. As much as today most of the world use the right hand, the logs show that it was not always so and the left side was the first to be chosen.
Romans
There is an archaeological evidence which shows that the Romans were the first to create an order for transit. That’s because during the expansion of the Roman Empire many roads were built throughout Europe and it was necessary to establish rules to the use of the roads.
In 1998, experts found a road that linked a quarry in the area of Swindon, England. To analyze it — that was possibly taken by the Romans — they concluded that the left side of the track had suffered greater wear, indicating that this was their main access road.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to know for sure what were the reasons that led the Romans to make that choice, but it is believed that it’s the same reason of the practice has been maintained during the Middle Age.
At that time, the roads were not safe for travelers. For this reason, historians believe that the left side of the road was adopted for the right-handed people traveling mounted on horses could take up arms and defend with ease whenever needed. And, as mounted people used to be majority, others simply followed suit.
The idea was so successful that in 1300 Pope Boniface VIII decreed that all pilgrims en route to Rome should follow the rule supposedly proposed by the Romans all the way. After that, the law was kept in the West until the late 17th century.
Americans
It was only in the 18th century that Americans were forced to change the rule due the type of vehicle in the current era. Traditional horse drawn carriages used to occupy the roads almost completely, which forced the others to follow the side that carters chose.
As the carriages generally had no seat, it was common for right handed drivers to sit on the horse over the left so that they could control all the animals with the whip in their right hand [The road in the photo is located in South Africa…]
Thus, the activity was easier if the driver occupied the right side of the road. In addition, the driver who was riding on the left had greater visibility of the highway and could have more control over the transit.
Gradually, the new system has been gaining adherents and in the late 18th century the state of Pennsylvania passed a law decreeing that the official side would be the right circulation. The act quickly spread to the United States and Canada.
French and British
In Europe, the exchange of hand on the roads began with France. The reasons that led the French to abandon the left-hand traffic are not very clear, but there is a lot of speculation.
Some say that the French revolutionaries did not want to obey the decree of the Pope. Others argue that the change occurred because they did not want to follow the same rule of England. There are still those who say that it was all idea of Napoleon Bonaparte.
“ Regardless of the reasons that led the French to occupy the right side of the street, the fact is that Bonaparte was responsible for spreading the option for countries that conquered…”
And even after being defeated, many nations continued using this system. The most important of these was Germany, which followed the spreading rule in conquered territories also.
In turn, Britain continued its option to occupy the left side of the road, because the big American-style carriages have not adapted to the narrow streets of London and other British cities. Still, England was not conquered by Napoleon or by the Germans, ie not suffered the influence of these nations.
Thus, in 1756, driving on the left side of the street became law in England. With the growth of the British Empire, the rule reached other parts of the world. Currently, the most populous British Standard the following country is India.
Check the side of the highway adopted by every place in the world by clicking on this link!
Source: Mega Curioso [in portuguese]
