i dunno, i think it'd be so damn awkward to drive on the right hand side of the car, i don't know damn that'd be wierd lol.

 

japan and europe drives on their right, and odd ass americans drive on left, but it's what i'm used to i guess.

 

don't mind me i'm jus posting up random shit =)

Not all of Europe only the good old UK. Rest of Europe copy America (or is it the other way around)

Not sure how so much of the world came to drive on the right, but there is very good reason that the majority of the former British Empire does.

 

It basically dates back to when we had coaches and horses. One of the coachmans duties was to protect his passengers and consequently he would have been armed with a sword. As most people are right handed he would have wanted to pass potential attackers (in other coaches) on his right, hence he drove on the left. The rest has become history ....

 

Incidentally, I believe that more countries drive on the left than the right, but the number of drivers on the right far out number those on the left. Helps I guess when the US has a population of 300m, plus all of continental Europe.

The 'rule of the road' in mainland Europe and the majority of countries in the world, including the United States is `to drive on the right'

 

In the United Kingdom and some of her former colonies; Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe; some Carribean Islands including Barbados and St. Lucia; India and Pakistan; the Mediterranean island of Malta, where they are very happy to tell you that they drive in the shade , the rule of the road remains to drive on the left. This also applies in Japan and Thailand.

 

The origin of the rule of the road dates back to how people travelled in violent feudal societies. As most people are right handed it made sense to carry any protective weapon in this hand. When passing a stranger on the road, it would be safer to walk on the left, so ensuring that your weapon was between yourself and a possible opponent. Jousting knights would hold their lances in their right hand, therefore passing on each others' right.

 

Revolutionary France was to overturn this historic practice, as part of its social rethink. Their military general and self proclaimed Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte was left handed, therefore his armies had to march on the right so he could keep his sword arm between him and the advancing enemy. From this time any part of the world that was colonised by the French would travel on the right, the rest would remain travelling on the left.

 

Although America was originally a British colony, the French colonised the southern states such as Louisiana and the Canadian East coast including Quebec. The Dutch colonised New York (New Amsterdam), the Spanish and Portuguese colonised the Southern Americans and much of the south west parts of North America.

 

The British were in the minority when it came to shaping the traffic system. The new independent American republic adopted the drive on the right system, being anxious to cast away any remaining links with its British colonial past.

 

American motorcars were designed to be driven on the right by locating the drivers' controls on the vehicle's left side. With the mass production of reliable and economical motorcars from the United States, initial exports used the same design, so out of necessity other countries changed their rule of the road.

 

The last European country to convert to driving on the right was Sweden in 1967. While everyone was getting used to the new system, they paid more attention and took more care, resulting in a reduction of the number of road accident casualties.

 

(From www.ask.co.uk)

 

Simon

That's the explanation I heard, allbeit briefer, on Top Quear a few months back.

 

Tim

;-)

 

Well the version I was told was almost right then ! (Depending upon your view of 'right' of course!)

......and in Ireland, when they changed from driving on the left, to driving on the right, they made the change gradually to avoid confusion LMFAO

 

CheerZ,

 

Andy

Just the same as Italy and India - straight up the middle of the road.

Tooley pleases himself. Believe me.

 

Johnny