Why must you drive on the right
side of the road in some countries and on the left side of the road in other
countries? Investigate the question, and you find a lot of confusion on right
versus left. About a quarter of the world drives on the left, and most of those
countries used to be British colonies. In England people drive on the left, but
on escalators they stand on the right, so that people who are in a hurry can go
up on the left. In Japan, they drive on the left on escalators.
There are different explanations for the use of right versus left.
Some people believe that it is a natural tendency to walk or drive on the
right. This is because most people are right. This is because most people are
right-handed.
We can look back in history for
reasons people move on the right or left of the road. Some people say that in
Europe hundreds of years ago, people rode their horses on the left. This way,
their sword was between them and anyone who was coming toward ready to pull out
their sword and fight to defend themselves with their right arm. But there is
evidence that people used the right side, too. In 1300, some say that Pope
Boniface ordered pilgrims on the way to St. Peter’s Basilica to stay to the
right when they crossed a nearby bridge.
Another idea is that in the
1700s, people in France and in the United States started to use wagons with
several pairs of horses and to drive on the right side of the road. It was
easier for the drivers to sit on the left and control the horse with a whip in
the right hand, and it was safer if other vehicles passed on the left so the drivers
could see the distance between vehicles. Some people say that in England,
people always drove on the right.
In any case, Napoleon, a ruler of France, ordered people to drive
on the right side in the early 1800s. France conquered many countries at that
time, and so these countries drove on the right. But France didn’t conquer
England, so England kept its custom of driving on the left.
In the twentieth century, there was a trend to the right. Many cars
were made for driving on the right side of the road. As recently as 1967,
Sweden changed its laws. Now people in Sweden must drive on the right.
So right or left? Just follow the customs of the country where
you are-and be sure to drive carefully on that side!
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