WHY DO THE BRITISH DRIVE ON THE LEFT?

23.08.2019

Have you ever wondered why the British drive on the left? Well, there is an historical reason for that.
Believe it or not, this rule was about the relationship between warriors and the common people. Whenever the knights in their armor rode the British roads, the people tended to the left side, because all the knight's equipment was on the left side.

Furthermore, in the Middle Ages, almost everybody travelled on the left side of the road because that was the safest option to avoid violence. Since the most people are right-handed, swordsmen used to keep to the left in order to have their right arm nearer to the opponent.

Moreover, it was easier to take out the sword on the right and react in case someone had a bad intention.

When the United States gained independence, it came to be regulated by law. Considering the fact that a huge wave of car manufacturing started in America, it was only logical that people would drive on the right in other countries, since the instrument panel and steering wheel were on the left.

Despite the fact that people in most countries drive on the right side of the road, Britain has maintained the tradition for hundreds of years. Also, left traffic is quite normal for as many as 35% of the world's countries. These are countries that were mostly British colonies.