This is a summary of countries who drive on the left side of the road. How countries decided which side of the road to drive on. Driving on the right evolved from this in the countries he invaded throughout europe. Why americans and brits drive on opposite sides readers digest. Now the question becomes, why do some cars have their steering wheels on the left or right side of the car. The surprising reason some countries drive on the left. Why americans and brits drive on opposite sides readers. The history behind driving on the left or right side of the.
In fact 90% of the total distance of the roads around the world see traffic wearing them down from the right, and most of these right handers are continental landmasses, with islands mainly choosing to stick to the left. Yes, with a left drive vehicle us the passenger side is the right side of the vehicle. In most countries, cars are set up to put the driver s seat in the centre of the road, to give them improved visibility. The standard explanation for this is that its all napoleons fault. We mostly deal with japanese cars here at heeltoe, and in japan the driver sits on the right. It is designed to be driven in countries such as britain, japan, and australia, where people drive on the left side of the road. Left side drivers include the majority of former british colonies and the right drivers include us, latin america and most european nations.
On the particular day, the lefthand side signs were covered and right hand side signs were used. Most countries which were british colonies still drive on the left hand side of the road including huge land masses such as india, australia and. Jan 11, 2019 although the majority drive on the right, there is no global standard driving system which causes some countries to require driving on the left. Countries with mixed systems, such as canada, settled on the right because their neighbours were already on that side. Throughout the world, countries observe either lefthand traffic lht or righthand traffic rht. Which countries drive on the right side of the road, and which drive on the left. Which countries drive on the right side of the road, and. The traditional type of cart had a driver s seat at the front, and the driver could sit on the righthand side of the seat and see what was coming on his right.
This map shows worldwide which side of the road traffic drives on by country. Around 65 percent of the world drives on the righthand side, while the remaining 35 percent drives on the left. In which countries are vehicles drivers seats on the right. The practice is believed to date back to ancient rome. Driving on the right side of the road did spread across the europe when napoleon and hitler imposed their national driving rules on conquered territories. The bizarre reason some countries drive on the left. Why do different countries drive on different sides of the road. After that, it changed to right hand driving when it was colonized by japan. Same as it is with cars in countries which drive on the right side of the road usa, canada, mexico, all of mainland europe, etc. There are 163 countries that drive on the righthand side of the road. Guyana and suriname are the only countries in south america to drive on the left. Such vehicles remained in common use until 1915, and the 1908 model t was the first of fords cars to feature a leftside driving.
In africa, for instance, newly independent countries often initially followed colonial english norms, but then ditched the left for driving ease. Nevertheless, with the rise of the automobile, many countries have switched to the right to fit in with their neighbors. Apr 23, 2018 now think of the most prominent countries that drive on the lefthand side todayireland, australia, new zealand, and india among them. Old british bikes have the gear shift lever on the right side this arrangement is correct for left driving countries because when you make a very tight uturn on a bike turning to the right, you occasionally place the right foot on. In lht areas, drivers will stay to the left side of the road, while rht areas require drivers to stay on the right side of the road. The change was made at 0500 on sunday 3 september 1967.
Why do most countries including the us drive on the right. Now think of the most prominent countries that drive on the lefthand side. Similar to that, the virgin islands, namely the us virgin islands are what i have experience with, drive on the left side of the road in card w the driver on the left side. Most of the world keeps its traffic on the right hand side, yet there are a number of countries that drive on the left.
Why some countries drive on the right and some countries. Countries that drive on the right driving test tips. In order for him to keep an eye on the road and maintain the position on the road for oncoming vehicles, the wagons had to be driven on the righthand side of the road. Why some cars have gas tank fillers on the left or the right. Map of countries who are driving on the left or right side. Without it, headon collisions would increase, and traffic would soon be gridlocked.
Throughout the world, countries observe either lefthand traffic lht or right. The power of driving right grew up as most european countries started driving on the right. Uk, australia, usa, costa rica now, no matter where i travel to in the world, nor after how long the intervening period, it takes me nothing more than 25 minutes to completely swap mentally into the correct driving mode. On the right side of the road general highway history. Of course, in countries with righthanddrive cars that drive on the left side of the road, the reverse is true, which is one reason why many japanese cars tend to have their fuel fillers on the. Italy, and spain changed to rightside driving in the 1920s and most of eastern europe. But, the importation of jdm cars to the us is on the. In both cases, the seat positions the driver close to the middle of the road for better visibility. In total, there are 76 countries and territories that follow lefthand traffic laws or 34 percent of the worlds population. Number of countries drive on the righthand side of the road. He was lefthanded, its said, and so was more comfortable on the right hand side of the road. This is the reason why many countries drive on the.
Almost always, in countries where one drives on the righthand side of the road, the cars are built so that the driver sits on the lefthand side of the car. Throughout the world, countries observe either lefthand traffic lht or right hand traffic rht. Countries that drive on the right around 70% of the worlds countries drive on the right, with a little over 66% of the worlds people population driving on the right. The surprising reason some countries drive on the left side of the road. Those marked in red drive on the right and those in blue drive on the left. In countries where one drives on the righthand side of the road, the cars are built so that the driver sits on the lefthand side of the car instead of the right. Well, that is true if you live in america, or most other countries on earth. Thus, most american cars produced before 1910 were made with rightside driver seating, although intended for rightside driving.
And while our country went back to lefthand driving after the japanese lost to the philippines with some help from the u. May 07, 2018 countries have designed the roads and cities according to the way the drive. To easily mount from the left side, and dismount from the right side of the horse. Heres a look at how the right side was chosen, and why other countries drive on the left side of the road. Why the driver seat is in the left side in some countries and.
Thanks largely to the british empire, a majority of. Typically, a righthand drive vehicle drives on the left side of the road, or lefthand traffic lht. Typically, a righthand drive vehicle drives on the left side of the road, or left hand traffic lht. Funnily enough, though, driving on one side of the road isnt only a matter of common sense. Driving on the right side is for right handed people, and british are just stubborn and they mess with their brains while driving on the wrong side of the road. Guide to which countries drive on the left left hand. Today, almost 50 countries still stick to the tradition of driving on the left. If you plan to rent a car in the uk or any other country that drives on the left and you usually drive on the right, you should take extreme care for the first few miles until comfortable with driving on the other side fo the road. French peasants also liked to travel on the righthand. Righthand drive definition and meaning collins english. But around 76 countries and territories use lefthand traffic.
Although most of the world now drives on the right hand side of the road, there are still dozens of countries and territories that drive on the left, primarily in asia, africa, oceania, and the west indies. Since these vehicles often didnt have a driver s seat, drivers tended to ride on the left rear horse to more easily control their. Whether a car is right or left hand drive is dependent on in what country it will be sold. Many of the island nations are former british colonies and drive on the left, including jamaica, antigua and. While other countries voluntarily switched to their right to align with their neighbors like sweden in 1967 or ghana and nigeria in 1970.
Hello, 78 countries and territories drive on the left side of the road. Europe generally drives on the right hand side apart from the united kingdom, ireland, malta and cyprus so if youre renting a car in the uk or. British horseback riders used to ride on the left hand side of the road. Number of countries drive on the lefthand side of the road. Car makers usually copied existing practice and placed the driver on the curbside. Some commonwealth countries and other former british colonies, such as hong kong, singapore, new zealand, australia, india, pakistan, malaysia and south africa continue to drive on the left, but others such as canada, gambia, ghana, nigeria, sierra leone, and the united states drive on the right. Nearly 75% of countries in the world require drivers to drive on the right side of traffic. About a quarter of the worlds population live in countries where people drive on the lefthand side of the road e. A map indicating which countries drive on the right side of the road, and which drive on the left side. Jan 20, 2019 in order to keep control of the team, the driver sat on the horse which was to the left, rear side of the group, so he could use his right arm to handle the group.
Why do some countries drive on the right side of the road and. Left and righthand traffic simple english wikipedia. Apr 06, 2020 this designates what side of the road a driver will stay on. A photo of a highway in england, showing traffic driving on the left hand side. Bbc news uk magazine could the uk drive on the right. In australia and england and japan where they have right hand drive vehicles, the right side of the vehicle is the driver.
The usa, for example, drives on the right, while great britain drives on the left side. Just why do some countries drive on the left when the majority drive on the right. The following is a summary of countries who drive on the left. Australia, jamaica, japan, pakistan, india, ireland. This is why americans and brits drive on different sides of the road. The reason why most countries use the right lanes dates back to before the invention of cars and the same is true for the approximately 50 countries in which drivers travel on the left side of the road.
Map of countries who are driving on the left or right side of. And one of the things you get to do when you conquer most of europe is make people drive how you want them to. I was told while there, this is due to some of the roads and passes being so narrow to help traffic flow, the driver needs to be able to hug the edge as tight as possible. In right hand drive countries, the traffic is on left side but driver sits on the right side. Each country says whether vehicles will drive on the right hand or lefthand side of the road. In left hand drive countries, the traffic if on the right side but the driver sits is on the left.
The reason why most roughly threequarters of the world drives on the right side of the road. About 75% of the world drives on the right side of the road. Guide to which countries drive on the left left hand drive cars. What happens when lefthand roads meet righthand roads. Aug 30, 2018 why do some countries drive on the left side of the road. Jun 25, 2010 britain and indiabecause of british rule drive on the left side. Countries have designed the roads and cities according to the way the drive. Such vehicles remained in common use until 1915, and the 1908 model t was the first of fords cars to feature a leftside driving position. A righthand drive vehicle has its steering wheel on the right side. The other two thirds of the countries in the world drive on the right including the usa, china and russia. Britain and indiabecause of british rule drive on the left side. Drive left or right which countries drive on the left or.
Apr 29, 2015 the map above shows which countries drive on the wrong side of the road. After world war i, more countries were driving on the right hand side. Why do different countries drive on different sides of the. The left turning traffic must cross oncoming traffic. It is obvious from the left hand drive vs right hand drive discussion that all the countries started driving on the right side of the road but most of them eventually switched the side. All traffic remains to the right and passing is from the left and oncoming traffic comes from the left. The history behind driving on the left or right side of. How countries decided which side of the road to drive on posted on september 19, 2016 by defensive driving in defensive driving online, everyday driver. In countries with right side driving, the driver s seat is on the left, while left hand countries have drivers seats on the right. Of course, in countries with right handdrive cars that drive on the left side of the road, the reverse is true, which is one reason why many japanese cars tend to have their fuel fillers on the. The best story of joining the right side oftheroad club comes from sweden, which switched over on september 3, 1967. According to national geographic, this influenced a change in many countries.
Your opinion about which is the correct side to drive on, likely depends on where you live. Right hand driving law was passed for the drivers first in pennsylvania in 1792 and then later in new york in 1804 and new jersey in 18. In europe, the only major holdouts are the united kingdom, ireland, malta, and cyprus, which. That puts the driver nearest the centerline of the roadway.
Mar 18, 2015 the driver s seat is always on the same side of the car as the steering wheel. However, the french and americans, with wider roads, adopted heavier trucks with teams of horses. Conversely, driving on the lefthand side of the road usually implies that the driver s seat is on the righthand side of the car. Each country says whether vehicles will drive on the righthand or lefthand side of the road. Canada abandoned the left side of the road in the 1920s to facilitate. Apr 20, 2017 to easily mount from the left side, and dismount from the right side of the horse. Canada, italy, and spain changed to rightside driving in the 1920s and most of eastern europe followed suit in the.
In which countries are vehicles drivers seats on the. In the past, the vast majority of countries traveled on the leftside of the road. What countries in europe driving on the left side of road. Old british bikes have the gear shift lever on the right side this arrangement is correct for left driving countries because when you make a very tight uturn on a bike turning to the right, you occasionally place the right foot on the ground. In asia bangladesh bhutan brunei east timor hong kong india indonesia japan macau malaysia maldives nepal pakistan singapore sri lank. Most windscreen wipers are designed to clear the driver s side better and have a longer blade on the driver s side and wipe up from the passenger side to the driver s side. In most countries, people can import cars which are engineered to drive on the wrong side of the road and use them. All private traffic was banned between 0100 and 0600 and there was a total stop on all traffic at 0450, with a. The tilt to the right accelerated with decolonisation in the 1960s. Why some cars have gas tank fillers on the left or. Drive left or right which countries drive on the left or right. Most of the world drives on the right side of the road. Apr 12, 2020 no matter what side of the road one drives on, in most countries, cars are specifically engineered to drive on a specific side of the road. Almost always, in countries where one drives on the righthand side of the road, the cars are built so that the driver sits on the lefthand side of the.
Oct 15, 2019 how to adjust to driving a car on the right side of the road. Why do some countries drive on the left side of the road. However, with the introduction of the steering wheel in 1898, a central location was no longer technically possible. Now the question becomes, why do some countries drive on the left while others drive on the right. Whats the reason behind righthand driving in some countries. Do most european countries drive on the righthand side of. This designates what side of the road a driver will stay on. The driving side of a road is the side where vehicles must drive. Although the majority drive on the right, there is no global standard driving system which causes some. Napolean taught his army to use their swords backhand during a duel to allow them to attack on the right side. Please roll your mouse over countries for more info. Number of countries drive on the right hand side of the road. Thus on lhd configurations, they wipe up from right to left, viewed from inside the vehicle, and do the opposite on rhd vehicles.
Why do most countries drive on the wrong side of the road. Have lived at least one year in 2 left side drive countries and 2 right side drive countries. The surprising reason some countries drive on the left side. There are surprisingly few land borders on earth where righthanddrive countries meet lefthanddrive ones. If it is sold in england, australia, japan or other countries where one drives on the left side of the. Europe generally drives on the right hand side apart from cyprus, ireland, malta and the united kingdom. Countries that drive on the left side of the road aceable.
While mainland china drives on the righthand side of the road, in former british colony hong kong they drive on the left which can make for. That puts the right eye, which tends to be stronger, in a better position to see oncoming traffic. Left and righthand traffic simple english wikipedia, the. Canada started righthand driving only after the second world war. When cars were invented, henry ford was a big influence in american driving customs as he built his model t with the driver on the left side of the car, meaning drivers would have to drive on the right side of the road so their passengers could exit the car on the curb and. A fundamental element to traffic flow, it is sometimes referred to as the rule of the road rht is used in 165 countries and territories, with the remaining 75 countries and territories using lht. Lefthand traffic lht and right hand traffic rht are the practice, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. Canada used to drive on the left but changed to the right to make border crossings with the usa more manageable. Countries that drive on the left 2020 world population. The map above shows which countries drive on the wrong side of the road. Countries formerly part of the british empire that drive on the left side include saint kitts and nevis, jamaica, trinidad and tobago, saint vincent. Please consider presenting a list of countries driving on righthand side and lefthand side of the road. If you plan to rent a car in the uk or any other country that drives on the left and you usually drive on the right, you should take extreme care for the first.
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