Let’s Talk Trash! MAY / JUNE 2023 8
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Why do the British drive on the left?
RIGHT SIDE OR WRONG SIDE?
Did you know that the British drive on the wrong side or better put, the left side of the road? There is an historical reason for this; it’s all to do with keeping your sword hand free! In the Middle Ages you never knew who you were going to meet when travelling on horseback. Most people are right-handed, so if a stranger passed by on the right of you, your right hand would be free to use your sword if required. (Similarly, medieval castle staircases spiral in a clockwise direction going upwards, so the defending soldiers would be able to stab down around the twist, but those attacking going up the stairs would not.) Historically, before the creation of the automobile, people mostly rode on the left-hand side, since most people were right-handed and would whip their horses with their left hands. During the 1700s, many farmers began to pull their vehicles using teams of horses rather than just one. This was so that the driver could easily whip all the horses and the driver could see how close their wheels were to colliding to another wagon.
UK
USA
* The Driver’s Steering wheel also sits on the opposite side of the car.
In 1794, France passed the first right-hand driving laws, and this law would spread with Napolean's conquests. The last Europeans to change from left to right were the Swedes who bravely made the change overnight on Dagen H (H Day), September 3rd 1967. At 4.50am all traffic in Sweden stopped for ten minutes before restarting, this time driving on the right. Today, approximately two-thirds of the global population drive on the right side of the street. All in all, 163 countries and territories have right-hand drive traffic while vehicles use the left-side in 76 countries. The bulk of countries that drive on the left are former British colonies including South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Only four countries in Europe still drive on the left and they are all islands. They consist of the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Malta and Cyprus.
Source: wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Left-_and_right-hand_traffic , www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Why-do-the-British-drive-on-the-left/, www.statista.com/chart/9261/which-side-of-the-road-do-you-drive-on/
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