Many people like to travel. Getting away from the familiar confines of home and experiencing something different, something out of the ordinary, can be exciting. Depending on one’s occupation, some people are even required to travel, and this can include a trip overseas. If this describes you and you happen to be a licensed driver, chances are that you’ll rent a car to get around once you arrive. In some locations (making up about a quarter of the world, including England and Japan), you’ll find that the vehicles are equipped with right-hand drive and that people drive on the opposite side of the road. Find out why from our team at DCH Toyota of Oxnard.
Needless to say, this can take some getting used to. After all, if you’ve been driving for a while and live in the United States, that left-hand steering wheel paired with driving on the right-hand side of the road will be second nature. The first time this is reversed, as it will be in certain countries, it can prove to be quite confusing. So why do people drive on the “wrong side of the road” in some countries, anyway? Wouldn’t it be simpler if everybody in the world adopted the same layout?
The answer is a bit complicated, and the origins of driving on the left-hand side of the road can be traced back to days long before automobiles were even a thought. As it turns out, most of the countries that employ driving on the left side are old English colonies. In the days of frequent warring, feuds and violence, most people chose to travel on the left side of the road. As already stated, some 90% of humans are right-handed, and this applied centuries ago as well. Thus, they travelled on the left side so that their right arms were freed up to hold swords in the event they had to defend themselves. It was also far easier for right-handed people to mount horses from the left side since they kept their swords on their left. By mounting from the right, the sword would get in the way!
Later, in a twist of sorts, those in France and the then-young United States who pulled wagons with teams of horses adopted sitting on the most rearward horse to the left. The wagons had no driver’s seats, and by sitting on a horse to the left, the driver could use a whip with his right hand. As a result, such drivers kept to the right-hand side of the road so that they could be passed on the left by faster riders and not get their wheels locked up. This also made it easier for drivers to look out for oncoming drivers from the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, the French Revolution of 1789 gave way to staying on the right-hand sides of roads in many parts of Europe. Prior to this, the uppity aristocracy travelled on the left and forced the “lowly” peasants to travel on the right. However, this changed after the storming of the Bastille, resulting in the upper class going incognito and blending in with the peasants. This made it less likely they’d be attacked. Eventually, by 1794, a “keep right” rule was imposed on France, modeled after Denmark’s similar ordinance of the previous year. Napoleon didn’t stop this policy in France alone, either. As his troops conquered other parts of Europe, so did the practice of keeping to the right sides of roads.
However, while some three quarters of the world has adopted staying to the right, England stubbornly refused to conform, and as a consequence, many locations once occupied by the English still kept to the left, such as India, Australia and its surrounding nations, and many African countries. This logically carried over once automobiles and subsequent traffic regulations became mainstream. Japan also continues to drive on the left, although it was never occupied by the English.
In most places, regardless of whether drivers keep to the right or left, the steering wheels will be on the opposite side so that drivers coming from different directions will be closest to each other. Thus, the location of the steering wheels in vehicles likewise followed the tradition of the country in question.
Regardless of which side of the road a particular country favors, it’s a very good idea for potential visitors to get a heads-up to avoid unwanted surprises upon arrival. England’s tourism industry suggests that Americans planning to visit and drive over there should get in some practice before getting behind the wheel, but that could prove to be easier said than done. As has been said, it’s tough to teach an old dog new tricks. When visiting a country that employs driving on what you perceive as the “wrong side” of the road, perhaps the best course of action, other than using public transportation, is to remain on the passenger side.
