Why Do Some Countries Drive on the Left and Others on the Right?

When you watch a Hollywood movie, there is a high chance that you might have thought about why the cars in the movie have steering wheels on the left side and they drive on the left side of the road, right? Well, a lot of us have pondered this thought, and now we'll clear this question from your mind about why people in some countries drive on the left side of the road and in some they drive on the right side of the road.

Some drive on the left side of the road and some on the right. Why?

To answer this age-old question, we have to go back to ancient times and basic human biology. Historically, 90 percent of people in the world have been right-handed, and before things were not so civilized, carrying a weapon was almost an essential thing. So, due to these two factors, most people who used horses to travel from one place to the other preferred to keep their right hands free.

This was done to ensure that they quickly draw their sword or the weapon of their choice to protect themselves from enemies coming from both the front and also from the rear. The same was the case with ancient Romans, who, according to archaeological studies, also used the left side of the road. Researchers found wheel ruts on Roman stone paths, solidifying their findings.

Additionally, Mediaeval knights and soldiers across Europe marched on the left for the same combat-readiness reason. Now, although the left-side rule was not formalized, it was widely accepted for centuries across various continents and countries.

Transition from left or right side driving

The main transition from driving on the left side of the road to the right side of the road became prominent after horses and carriages were replaced by motorcars in the 1800s. Most people still at the time continued driving on the left side of the road, as most of the British Empire stuck with left-side driving. However, the change happened when fast petrol-powered cars and mass-production cars became mainstream.

American automaker Ford Motor Company, back in 1908, introduced the Ford Model T in which the driver was placed on the left seat of the car. Due to this, road users in the USA were encouraged to drive on the right side so that the passengers could easily exit onto the sidewalk.

In the long history of motoring, being on any one side of the road has not been permanent. There have been occasions when countries have officially switched the sides of driving. France, back in 1792, officially shifted to right-side driving after the French Revolution. Additionally, Germany and Napoleon's conquests also led to many European countries switching to right-side driving.

Why do we in India drive on the left side?

Coming back to India and other countries such as Japan, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Malta, New Zealand, and many others still drive on the left side. Now, the main reason for this is major financial cost and logistical complications of switching road layouts, signage, and traffic systems. Also, there is a huge safety risk in retraining millions of drivers and redesigning intersections. Due to these reasons, we never switched from left-side driving to right-side driving.

Is driving on the right side safer?

There have been some questions regarding whether right-side driving is safer or not. Well, the answer to this is that there have been claims in which it has been stated that right-side driving is safer because the human hand controls the steering wheel more effectively. Also, some people have claimed that driving on the right side gives a clearer view of oncoming traffic as well.

Now, there has been some research, including the WHO global review, that has highlighted that some right-side driving nations report lower road fatalities. Additionally, a Swedish research group also found that the number of accidents dropped significantly lower after switching sides in Sweden. However, it has to be noted that there is no clear-cut answer to this question.