Why do we drive on the left handside?

[Fingers]

Not sure if anyone has ever raised a thread regarding why we drive on the leftside of the road in the UK, Japan and a host of other countries. I have heard some interesting stories why Europe & the US drive and many other countries drive on the right side of the road.

The most interesting one was that before the invention of cars, carriages throughout Europe drove on the left handside however, Napolean (who was left handed and ruled a few peeps) changed the law in France so that everybody had to drive on the right hand side of the road so that in case he had to draw his sword he wouldn't get caught out!

The rest of Europe followed suit and the Yanks who hated all things British at the time followed with the rest of Europe.






Migration info. Legacy thread was 19063

 

[Porsche]

it's actually all to do with the French Revolutionaries !

if I can dig out the article I'll post it here..



regards


Migration info. Legacy thread was 19073

 

[richard a. harrison]

The original reason for driving on the left was because the Pope decreed that this was most respectful. So, you had to drive on the left on your way towards the Pope, and on the right otherwise. This caused one or two problems so everybody kept to the left. Then, after the French revolution, as a way of sticking two fingers up at Rome, Napoleon declared that henceforth all should drive on the right. However as any fule kno, the ruling classes in this green and pleasant land didn't think much of Boney, so they stuck with left. A good number of our former colonies have also stuck with the left; not sure where Japan got the notion from, but I expect it's got less to do with the Pope than its being more convenient to violently attack an oncomer if you are free to wield your sword arm. An interesting fact is that until relatively recently (1930s I think) Italians had to drive on the left in the city, and on the right in the countryside. Confusing.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 21236