This was a discussion this weekend on Car Talk with Tom and
Ray and, while some of the answers were pretty hilarious, we decided to do a
little research of our own and come up with an answer for our blog readers.
Luckily, “The Google” works great. Unfortunately, there is a lot of different
information as to why cars in the U.S. drive on the right and in a quarter of
the world, drive on the left. The invention of the automobile had nothing to do
with it, according to most historical interpretations.
The original drivers, those on horses, rode on the left
because it was easier to grab your sword from the scabbard on the left side
with your right hand. Think about it for a second…you’re riding along, you need
to quickly grab a sword to fend someone off, you grab with your right hand. It
would be easier if everything was on the left. Plus, knights got on and off
their horses from the left since their swords dangled from their left sides. It
just made sense to ride (or drive) along that side as well.
This all changed with the invention of larger wagons used
for hauling that had multiple horses. Since there were no driver’s seats, the driver
sat on the left rear horse so he could use his right arm to guide the
horses. Since the driver also needed to
make sure there was clearance for the wagon and any other traffic, the drivers
moved over to the right. You didn’t want to have wheel repairs and strut issues
if you had a wagon accident.
Here’s where it gets even more interesting. After the French
Revolution, most countries switched because the aristocracy used to walk or
travel only on the left, forcing the peasants to walk on the right. Since the
rich didn’t want any more problems with the poor after that revolution, they
began blending in with everyone on the right side. England, though, hating
everything French, stayed with driving on the left and made it law in 1835.
If you want to learn more about these driving standards, and
avoid auto accidents should you drive a car in another country, you
can read more here.
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