American Couple Reacts: Why Does the UK & Other European Countries Drive on the Left?

[@TheNatashaDebbieShow]

Do you know the real reason? We certainly didn't know why! Watch along with us as we look at the fascinating history behind different contributing factors. What do you think the answer is? Do you think all countries should drive on the same side? Have you driven on both? Please let us know what your thoughts are in the comments. Thank you SO much for watching! If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our channel, it is the BEST way to support our channel and it's FREE! Also, please click the Like button. Thank you for your support!

[@neilgayleard3842]

Yes we understand about the postman. We see them in American tv programmes. In general most British people would already know about this issue it's old hat.

[@nicholascross3557]

I did hear that essentially, driving on the right was codified first in international maritime law, again because of right-handedness the instinct to avoid collision would be to turn right and if both ships do so they avoid eachother. So when certain countries were choosing left or right for driving they adopted maritime law because it worked. This would have a domino effect on the choices of neigbouring countries, as described in the vid, and explains why currently, the four european countries that drive on the left are _all islands._ In internet tradition, however, I also have no actual source for this, but it's mundane enough to be true.

[@stephenlee5929]

Hi Brit here, I've driven on either side. Its very simple to drive on the correct side for the car you are using. I find a right hand drive stick shift difficult. In 70's/80's there were Pub driving game machines, these were generally set up with Gear lever (stick shift) on right hand (i.e. for right hand drive cars) I found them very difficult to play. Many seem to place US right hand drive to Henry Ford, but his Model A had a central tiller, He made many models (starting at A and moving through to T, I think the steering/driver position varied, and early on it was considered best for the driver to sit next to the nearside sidewalk, so they can alight to the kerb rather than the highway.

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

Didn't know that about the postmen in the US driving on the right. In Hong Kong cars drive on the left but China the right. "Chop shops" used to steal luxury cars in HK and flip them to the other side overnight, cover the cuts with upholstery then send them to the mainland in cool smuggler subs. Got to see a few as a kid when the police caught them and beached them.

[@tonys1636]

It is still possible to buy a RHD vehicle, mainly Fiat and Renault, in Europe as it is safer to drive a RHD one on the right of the road in the Alps, or other mountains, with the long drop on the driver's side. Mainly Trucks and Buses nowadays, cars not so much.

[@TheWalnut47]

In Cornwall, UK, we mostly drive in the middle of the road to avoid potholes, free-roaming sheep, cattle and ponies, and catching wing mirrors on Cornish hedges - our roads are narrow with a few passing bays. 😊

[@annashear7331]

As some one who lives in Cornwall that is 100% wrong roads down there are some bad

[@TheWalnut47]

@@annashear7331 Greetings from Bodmin Moor - the remote bit!

[@Otacatapetl]

In Tunisia, they drive on the right. And the left. And in the middle. Funnily enough, the only accident I ever saw there was an Englishman in a Jaguar. English registered too, strangely.

[@MargaretChapman-k1y]

Friends of mine returning from a pub got home frightened out of their wits, saying they'd seen a piskey. They are scarey those narrow roads with hedges! :)

[@alisonrandall3039]

Same in the Cotswolds.

[@Stannington]

It's because most people are right-handed and when you're on a horse, it's better for wielding weapons and things. Also, it's why the steps in a castle tower go in a clockwise direction

[@JamesLMason]

There's no evidence for the steps thing. It's something that they always tell you when you visit a castle but I can find no contemporaneous sources to validate the claim. If you're fighting down the stairwell, not only is it very hard to defend your lower body from your attacker regardless of which hand you're fighting with, your castle is already lost. If the enemy has pushed that far into your defenses, they've won.

[@84com83]

Clockwise up or down?

[@Stannington]

@@84com83 Up, so an attacked right-handed person wouldn't be able to use a sword correctly

[@kevbrown2532]

Steps down into cellars are often anti clockwise for the same reason.

[@markdon8940]

The Scottish Kerrs are left handed mainly so their stairs are anticlockwise

[@martintaylor8543]

I have lived in the UK since birth and so learned to drive on the left. I have travelled by car in Europe extensively and have no trouble at all in driving on the right and can switch between left and right seamlessly.

[@howardtownsend3139]

I am British, but have lived in the UAE for over ten years. My main problem is not switching from opposite side driving. It is how often that I go to the wrong side of the vehicle when back in UK to get in!! 😂

[@irenepeter-lyons350]

Do you take your own car? I live in Switzerland but I'm from Britain. When visiting, I always hire a car because of the difficulty on joining motorways off a slip road, of over taking etc, but I end up getting a bruised right hand from hitting the door as I try to find the gear stick with my right, not my left😂😂😂

[@Peter-gv6vf]

Yeh me too

[@barryford1482]

In Australia it is because we are mainly right handed and we carry our boomerang on our left hip and use our right hand to reach across and grab it with our right hand to deal with any attackers

[@TheNatashaDebbieShow]

😂

[@timnewman7591]

Gotta be ready to defend against emus at any time. You never know when the Second Emu War will start.

[@needaman66]

The left is the right side. Why did you say "STILL drive on the left" like we are supposed to fall in some line. We dint ask why yiu drive kn the wrong side, just get over it

[@steves9250]

In New Zealand we drive on the left so we could import cars from Australia and Japan.

[@briancampbell179]

I thought it was because being in the southern hemisphere, everything is backwards relative to the northern hemisphere. Our summer is December to February and winter is June to August. The moon appears upside down. Actually it is right side up - the northern hemisphere sees it upside down. Water spins down the toilet in the opposite direction* Our cyclones rotate clockwise compared to US hurricanes rotating anticlockwise. It makes sense that our left is their right. 😂 * I know this is a myth. This whole piece is a joke. Go with it.

[@mervinmannas7671]

A funny story around the day Sweden switched over. Apparently loads of people stayed at home that night not wanting to get caught out, I believe the weather wasn't great either. That night on the TV was a talent and the winner was a young woman called Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Because so many more Swedes watched the programme than would normally have she became quite a star and gained a recording contract. She later went on to super stardom as 1 A of ABBA.

[@alanflint7732]

Strangely enough, this changes when on water. On the rivers and canals in the UK, boats stay to the right.

[@PHDarren]

Something to do with the horses that used to pull the barges no doubt.

[@vaudevillian7]

Or rather you generally stay in the middle and then move right to pass

[@Jason_L10]

That doesnt hold true for canals, where canal barges stay left.

[@alecquail9275]

@@Jason_L10 Not correct. You should maintain a centre line where possible but pass oncoming traffic to the right.

[@Roz-y2d]

@@alecquail9275just like we pass on our roads. Makes sense.

[@ffotograffydd]

Everyone used to drive on the left going right back to Roman times. Then after the French Revolution the French decided to change how many thing were done in France, including which side of the road to drive. This gradually caused all their neighbours to switch too. Partly enforced by Napoleon, later for safety reasons, especially once cars were introduced. Sweden held out until 1967 before switching. Around 30% of countries (35% of the world's population) continue to drive on the left.

[@georginaadair8438]

I agree. Roman chariots drove on the left throughout the Roman empire and everyone had to comply. They left deep ruts in the lanes, roads etc and it became the only way to roll. The French changed it around as a finger in the eye to all things 'establishment' after the revolution. Nations influenced by the French followed suit. Nations influenced by the British or were not impacted by either stayed still on the left

[@jthoresen]

I'm surprised the U.S. doesn’t drive on the left. It’s less common than driving on the right, so that's usually the stance this country takes.

[@peterbrown1012]

When the allies occupied Japan after WW2, the US made them drove on the right, when they left, Japan reverted back to driving on tje left.

[@alexmonroe613]

Napoleon was left handed - that is the reason for his insistence

[@ffotograffydd]

@@alexmonroe613 But France switching to driving/riding on the right pre-dated Napoleon. No doubt it spread around Europe as a result of his antics, but it wasn’t his idea.

[@Malfie657]

Really glad to see that you've discovered Alanna and 'Adventures & Naps'. I've been a Patreon member of hers for a number of years now and the diverse range of quality videos she puts out on a whole range of topics is really impressive....don't worry, so are yours!!

[@MartinCook-kg1vn]

Let’s hear it for Alanna.

[@Mythsinger]

My first visit to the USA I drove on the right straight off the flight from the UK. Found it easy since you just remember that the driver of the car is the one closest to the centre line of the road. Easy peasy.

[@karazor-el9596]

the weird thing is been on the wrong side of the car

[@patriciadavison1486]

I’m English and moved to the States in 1973. I Learned to drive in the USA and it was a weird sensation…but even worse when I returned home 13 years later and took my test at home and then drove on the Left. It was quite disconcerting on lonely country roads at nighttime and I often felt freaked out that I was going to have a head on crash because it felt so wrong!

[@mirandahotspring4019]

Other European countries drive on the right. I have heard that it goes back to the days of horse and carriage. In England with narrow country lanes the driver sat on the right so when passing another carriage it was easier to judge the distance between you and an oncoming carriage if the driver drove to the left. In the USA and other countries with wider open space they drove longer distances and when they came to town they drove on the right so the driver could step down onto the sidewalk and avoid getting off in the muddy street. Check every western and see what side the driver of a carriage or stage coach sits on. That's right, the right hand side! When the first cars were made in the USA some were right hand drive, some left hand drive, and some with a central driving position. When Henry Ford set up mass production he decided on the left and so it stuck.

[@pabmusic1]

Being on the left also means that your dominant eye (usually the right eye for 80% of people) is nearer the centre of the road, making judging passing distances more accurate,

[@punkpopnotdead]

maybe your dominant eye would be better looking for pedestrians just a thought

[@johnwilliams575]

@@punkpopnotdead maybe pedestrians should use their dominant eye to watch out for cars etc rather than step out into the road without any thought?

[@nac5901]

Also, at least before automatic transmissions were commonplace, you could drive around with your dominant right hand on the steering wheel and your left on the gear stick; safer than the opposite.

[@Roz-y2d]

@@punkpopnotdeadThat’s a silly comment.

[@frankanderson5012]

@@punkpopnotdeadAnd of all the kilometres of roads in the world, how many actually have pedestrians? All have other cars without exception.

[@PUTDEVICE]

I'm old enough to remember when we switched to right-lane traffic in Sweden. can't remember the time but all the cars stopped at like 11:55 on the left side and when it was 12:00 they turned over to the right side.

[@quarkcypher]

I prefer driving on the left because it just makes sense. Most people are right handed , which means the strong hand stays on the steering wheel when changing gears in a manual or shifting down in an automatic. Of course I live in Australia and I have only ever driven in countries that drive on the left. The right side of the road is the wrong side for me. Cheers.

[@trevordance5181]

Here's an interesting fact. Parts of Spain also used to drive on the left. When the first section of the Madrid Metro opened in 1919 the trains had left hand running, unlike the rest of Spanish railways that have right hand running, because they copied the road traffic in the streets above which ran at that time on the left. Although Spain has long since switched to driving on the right the Madrid Metro stuck with left hand running even though over the years it has increased in size to the massive underground railway system it is today.

[@Mediawatcher2023]

In Australia, We drive on the left for one reason and one reason only: Britain told us to. No, really. As a British colony up until we became a federation in 1901, Australia readily adopted left-hand traffic, no doubt because it made both cultural and economic sense to do so.

[@alistairthorn1122]

And you didnt even send us the Ute in return. I'd love an old FJ Ute, converted to a modern hotrod with a modern engine, brakes and suspension.

[@babalonkie]

Well at least for the last 123 years you chose to drive on the original designated side...

[@Mediawatcher2023]

@@babalonkie the decent side

[@babalonkie]

@@Mediawatcher2023 Hey... left... right... it's just a side of the road lol. However left came first and Britain just stuck with it lol

[@_Mentat]

LOL! Britain didn't "tell" Australia to drive on the left. British people arrived and kept doing what they were used to doing.

[@Murvelhund]

When I lived in New Zealand I found it very easy to change to driving on the left side but coming home to Sweden and having to start to drive on the right again was tricky, so don't be afraid off left side drivning😊. Wouldn't mind switching to left side driving.

[@themachineandeye]

When I moved to Poland from the UK I took my right hand drive car with me as well as my left hand drive mini bus, adapting to driving on the right was a lot easier in the bus, driving on the right in my car was often hillarious though because my dog liked to sit upright in the passenger seat, seeing the expressions on the faces of passing motorists when they thought that she was driving was priceless 🤣

[@wildwine6400]

If memory serves me, Argentinas trains operate on the left as British companies played a big part in setting up the countries rail system in the late 1800s. Their cars also used to drive on left due to this but was changed around WW2 to drive on the right

[@clinging54321]

Unfortunately the British also taught the Argentines how to play football as well...

[@ddboland1]

It goes back to the Knights on horses in UK - the weapon (the lance) was usually held in the right hand.

[@barrygentry5364]

I am British and learned to drive in the UK, but now live in Spain. You get used to being able to drive on both sides of the road but you can lapse into forgetting where you are. I once picked my son up, in the UK, drove away only for him to say “We drive on the left here, Dad”.

[@mzaliwa]

It's pretty clear that loads of countries changed from left to right as Napoleon's armies took over. I was always told (with no source) that right hand driving was introduced in republican France before Napoleon took over. Incidentally in Sweden before the switch Swedish cars had the driver's seat on the left which made the swap a lot easier than it would be in England

[@ffotograffydd]

The French changed a lot of things after the French Revolution… ‘just because’! Some things fell by the wayside quite quickly, including 10 day weeks, but driving on the right remained.

[@andyt8216]

She’s right that at one time half of Europe drove the same as us. Sweden and Iceland being the latest countries to change over in the 1960s. The reason former Dutch colony Indonesia drives on the left is because the Netherlands used to, the same with Macao being a former Portuguese colony.

[@kirsteneklund2509]

kzbin.info8yBJUQrwXj4

[@martinwebb1681]

Yes, Portugal of course drove on the left up until 1928.

[@grantmason740]

I suspect the reason in the late 60's the UK looked at changing over was in part because we were attempting to join the EEC, the forerunner to the EU. The cost proved to be prohibitive. Just like the cost of changing our road signs over to Metric Kilometers. Despite formally adopting the Metric System, or SI, our roads are still measured in miles and speeds in miles per hour.

[@markduggan3451]

In the UK, we just drive on what's left of the road( there are so many potholes). I've driven in France and, apart from one mistake in a small village, found it easy to drive on the opposite side of the road.

[@DaveBartlett]

I was quite surprised when you said that US Mail delivery vehicles have the driving position on the right, even though they also drive on the right. But then I realised that it all makes sense: they need to have immediate access to the kerb (US:curb?) so having a driving position on the right is practical. In the days of milk deliveries in the UK (still there but disappearing as we speak,) the milk floats drove (drive!) on the left hand side of the street, but still had (have!) the steering position on the left.

[@KeithFLOOK-wd3uw]

Driving on either side of the road is, and should not be, a problem for any drivers. I am from the UK and learned to drive a manual car but now prefer an automatic and have driven my own vehicle in some European countries as well as driving left hand drive vehicles in Europe, the USA and lately the Philippines. Driving in the Philippines would give a lot of drivers a heart attack with people in vehicles, trikes, scooters overtaking anywhere and pulling out of side roads in front of you .. but you just have to be aware of everything around you and be patient with others.

[@sigurdivar4227]

I owned for a couple of years a car with the steering wheel on the rignt side, so when I came to Britain and should drive there it wasn't that hard. It took about three days, but in the beginning it was rather adventurous. An experience that has served me well for a long time afterwards.

[@dominique8233]

Really interesting video. I have driven on both sides of the road and find the switch quite easy. Its easier if you have a car that has the steering wheel on the side of the car that the country you are in normally does. Its more challenging when you drive a car with the steering wheel on the opposite side.

[@jhdix6731]

To be frank, I had some trouble adopting to driving in Britain the first time, not for shifting gears with the "wrong" hand, or remembering what lane to drive on, but rather with judging the distance to the curbside or parked cars.

[@lindafordyce2122]

I caught a boarded a car ferry to France in a UK right hand drive car and drove from Northern France to southern France then back again. I found it easier than driving a left hand drive car through Albania and Kosovo where they drive on the right. I found I had to concentrate more on changing gear with my right hand, rather than my left ... so personally I'd choose drive a UK right hand drive in other countries - it allowed me to concentrate on the road and other cars rather than having to remember that everything on the inside of the car was the opposite way around - but I guess that might just be my own preference 😁

[@juliaw151]

Yeah it's not hard at all. I've driven in the USA with ease

[@merhaba8]

I spent a number of years in the 90s driving trucks from the UK to Eastern European in a RHD truck and found it safer than a LHD truck because if someone was going to hit you from the other direction they would normally hit the “drivers” side. Also I could get closer to the outside edge of the road.

[@philipgardner7360]

In London in the early 1800's had a chaotic mess with people with horses and carts, taxis all tried to go down the city streets without a system it would have ground to a halt and then they decided to bring left hand drive..

[@jarsenaultj]

Canadian here (right side driving) but I lived in New Zealand for two years (left side driving). I didn't have any issues with driving because I would be paying attention. The two scenarios where I did have issues were as a passenger (not paying attention, and get startled when the driver turns into the 'wrong' lane). Other is as a pedestrian. I spent my whole life looking to the left as I stepped off the curb (or kerb as they say in NZ). In NZ that's a good way to get hit by a car from my right. Also, I did read something about Halifax (in Canada) used to drive on the left (oddly enough on a 'fun historic facts' poster in a pedway crossing over Barrington Street, downtown).

[@raylewis395]

Interestingly she didn’t mention Japan - definitely never a British possession, but always drove in the left.

[@martinmowbray4304]

Same with Thailand.

[@neilmcdonald9164]

2 exceptions to the "ruled by Britain" rule...interestingly both in Eastern Asia 🎩

[@raylewis395]

@@neilmcdonald9164 True - and then there's the US Virgin Islands, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Surinam - three other oddities.

[@dave_h_8742]

When they imported experts to modernise the country they got the best at that time and they were Scottish and British. They rebuild the country from the ground up. Also they use swords in the right hand so always travelled on the left. ​@@neilmcdonald9164

[@terryhunt2659]

Not a British possession, but influential when Japan modernised in the Meiji period: it was mostly British engineers that the Japanese Government contracted to design and supervise the building of Japan's first railways, and British manufacturers who supplied their locomotives and other equipment, for example. Trains in Britain also drive on the left.

[@skipper409]

There’s a very interesting vid about Sweden - they swapped to the right literally overnight in the 60’s, and the most significant downside was that they had to sell off all their old buses to avoid passengers leaving via doors that now faced out into the traffic

[@lindafordyce2122]

I'm from Scotland. I now live in England so have always driven on the left. I have driven in the USA and in Europe. Switching sides was a little strange at first, but I was surprised how quickly I adapted. I imagined it would be harder than it actually was. Going through junctions/roundabouts when driving on the right definitely took more concentration but after a couple of times it was fine 😁xx

[@andrewnelson47]

Agree about roundabouts. I'd been in the USA for 6 months and came back to the UK. Got a hire car and leaving the parking area was immediately confronted by a roundabout which confused the heck out of me. Generally, as long as I'm driving a car set up with the steering wheel on the side relevant to the conditions, I don't have a problem.

[@geoffpriestley7310]

When you get in the car and there's no steering wheel 😅😅

[@RedwoodsAndRain]

I wish there was a video game to practice driving on the left for those of us who drive on the right before traveling.

[@dabrab]

@@geoffpriestley7310 I've done that dozens of times when based in Germany with the military and we had a mixed fleet of left-hand and right-hand drive vehicles to confuse the issue!

[@ruthletts9752]

The advice I got given to adapt was keep your passenger near the side of the road. That really helped me transition, of course this only works when driving a car suitable for that country

[@carolineskipper6976]

I would disagree with that......much easier for the driver to align themelves in relation to the centre line on the road, as that's where they are positioned in the car. Much harder to judge the positioning of the other side of the car in relation to the side of the carriageway.

[@ruthletts9752]

@@carolineskipper6976 I thought about that but where I live in rural area we don’t have white lines down centre of the roads for drivers to align themselves to

[@whattiler5102]

A factor for Britain is that it is an island, which means it has no land borders with countries where people drive on the right. Therefore there are no complicated land crossing points where both streams of traffic have to be switched from one side of the road to the other. Vehicles either arrive by 'roll on roll off' ferries and are directed to the left, or via the Eurotunnel on a train where, again, they are directed to the left, on embarkation.

[@vicnatoli3869]

I'm from Australia and the first time I jumped into a car in Europe, it really felt weird and the wife needed to remind me ever few minutes that I was drifting to the left. The first day was definitely "exciting", especially since we were in the middle of Catania in Sicily (not recommended for a newbie given Italian traffic, Italian drivers and the narrow streets). By the end of the first day I was only moderately dangerous on the road and within a few days it almost felt normal, but I still needed to concentrate at intersections and roundabouts. I've now clocked up many months of driving in Europe over several years and in fact I'm currently in northern Norway (yes ladies, I still watch your videos, even when on holiday overseas!). Jumped straight into the car when I arrived and it felt pretty normal. So it really doesn't take that long to get used to changing sides.

[@dracula5487]

I'm from the UK and tried driving on the right here. I was amazed at how many motorists got angry at me. I blamed it on watching American TV shows...............😜

[@TheRealRodent]

Same as castles always have the spiral staircases that go clockwise when going upwards, it makes the right handed use of a weapon easier for the defender who would usually be facing downwards.

[@timnewman7591]

In this case it's because of the shield on the left arm. The person upwards has their's between their body and the enemy climbing up, a good defensive position; the person coming up is going to be in a very awkward position if they want to keep their shield between them and the opponent.

[@skasteve6528]

There are many castle towers with anti clockwise stair, for instance, the White Tower is one of three at Tower of London, two of Norwich castle's towers, Clifford tower in York, Caernarfon has four. There are many other examples throught the British Isles & France.

[@bobjeffray]

As a brit, I have driven in many countries around the world, including the USA, and have no difficulty in driving on the left or the right, I also have no difficulty in driving left or right hand drive vehicles. Maybe I'm just lucky I guess.

[@kenhorlor5674]

Off the top of my head (without completing the watch), it relates to where the driver of a horse and cart would be seated. Reins men generally sat of the right, and the driver sits next to the middle of the road. In the early days, the US kept to the left, but mysteriously switched to the right (I read this somewhere). The British Empire imposed the left on its territories, for the most part, and Japan copied Britain. When they chose the left they were copying everything British, the Royal Navy being most significant. Little known fact: recently Samoa switched to the left. The former German colony used to drive on the right, but they found that by driving on the left they could easily import RHD cars from Japan, hence the switch. Another little known fact: the only part of New Zealand that drives on the right is in Antarctica, as the nearby US base at McMurdo Station drives on the right and Americans are incapable of switching to the left when they enter NZ's Scott Base.

[@paulhooton6261]

I have heard that, if faced with a possible collision ahead, your brain tends to want to pull you to the left to avoid a crash. So if you are driving on the left, you would pull off of the road. If you are driving on the right, then pulling to the left would take you into the on-coming traffic. If that is true, driving on the left would seem to be safer.

[@ElGordo1959]

11:40 Self sourcing Napoleon pastry followed by a beef with Wellington! I thank you. I'm here all week! 🙃

[@jenniferjames69]

The Duke of Wellington was at an embassy function. The French in the room turned their back on him. The lady hosting apologised , however Wellington said " not to worry I've seen their backs before."

[@mobilesamsung533]

Burma drove on the left until 1970, when either President Ne Win had a dream that they should change sides or his wife's astrologer advised it. Whichever, he immediately ordered the switch with zero preparation, causing problems which exist to this day. Most cars still have the steering wheel on the right, and many road signs, traffic lights, bus stops etc. are incorrectly positioned.

[@sianneish]

I'm from the UK and my first experience driving on the 'wrong side' was in Lanzarote. It took some getting used to, I would try to put the handbrake on but would find a door in the way. But the actual driving on the right I got used to quite quickly which surprised me. Also the roads that I was on were quite quiet, not much traffic which I think helped at least to begin with.

[@davidbrown9015]

As mentioned....on September 7, 2009, Samoa became the first country in more than 40 years to switch the side of the road upon which its vehicles are driven (from driving on the right to driving on the left). One major reason that I heard was that, at the time, second hand vehicles imported from Australia and Japan were cheaper and, of course, all right hand drive.

[@mirandahotspring4019]

I learned to drive on the left and when I went to Europe I had very little trouble adapting to driving on the right. But when I went home I was living in a rural area with no centre road markings on the road and a few times I remember repeating the mantra "Driver sits in the middle" when faced with oncoming traffic.

[@alanlofus3100]

It is for a similar reason that 99% of English spiral staircases ( predominately in castles and church towers ) rotate clockwise, when viewed from above, so that you can draw your sword with your right hand to defend yourself much better when enemies are coming up :)

[@eyeofthetiger6002]

The only exception is Gibraltar which despite being a British overseas territory drives on the right because it shares a land border with Spain.

[@Judge_Dredd]

BTW, in the UK at a Roman Stone Quarry, the ruts show that unladen carts entered on the left, and left when fully laden on the left, so the passing on the Left or Right in Roman Times was different in different parts of the World.

[@Peterraymond67]

Hello Ladies. I learned to drive in South Wales in the late 60’s. In 1994 I went to work in New York for a 6 month secondment. That drive from Newark Airport to Staten Island was my first driving experience on the left hand side. It was also dark, snowy and icy. I didn’t know where I was going, just had to follow my boss in his car. It was relatively easy, no problem adjusting.

[@Deano-Dron81]

Respectively, I think it’s because they don’t have to do a lot to obtain a license in the US, at least compared to other countries standards. So they may have to start paying attention more and looking at road signs more often, when starting the drive on the left if they ever have to when abroad. That’s why it may be harder for them to adjust, who knows.

[@braces2]

English man here. I've driven in France many times and found it pretty straight forward. However, my wife and I had a mantra we said out loud every time we set off or came to a roundabout or big junction. We would say, "Keep Right, Look Left!" This kept us safe.

[@gracesprocket7340]

If you want a consistent description of sidedness of road and vehicle controls... use nearside and offside - the same descriptions then work mirrored for both left and right hand lane systems, and when the vehicle is backwards. So the US Postal trucks are driven with other traffic, but from a nearside driver's seat, so they can more easily embark and disembark without needing to negotiate traffic.

[@limpetcarre1139]

As Jersey is a British island we drive on the left. Being that the island is only 15 miles off the coast of France and is only an hour's ferry ride to France I have often taken a car across to France. I would say the first time I drove in France it took me about 30 minutes to get used to driving on the right and this is with a car that has its steering wheel on the right side of the car.

[@robertfeeley8269]

I've driven in California, Arizona, still can't get my head round turning left or the 4 way cross roads, just take it easy and smile was the advice someone gave me which I do. What's noticeable over the years is how many roundabouts are appearing

[@vanessacare2615]

Great video ladies. I didn't know any of this

[@Jean-MarcBordeaux]

In School its correct Nepoleon did changed everything to the opposite way what the English did including the horse riding for the cannons. I have a imported car from UK and drive on the right the stick shift on the left. When I visit UK I go back to driving on the left with the same car. Merci. Jean-Marc

[@GaryNoone-jz3mq]

Unlike most Americans think, the model T was not the first car to be produced. Cars had been produced in Europe and even in the USA. The model T was the first car car to be mass-produced.

[@rockprincess7864]

When driving on the left with the steering wheel on the right -hand side, keep the line in the middle of the road on your right-hand side. When driving on the right with the steering wheel on the left-hand side, keep the line in the middle of the road on your left-hand side. Coming back to the UK from France late at night, I left the ferry terminal and drove anti-clockwise round the first roundabout I encountered. Luckily there were no cars around at the time...

[@gregrtodd]

I've lived in both types of countries. It takes only minutes to switch. But when you comes and visit Australia or NZ, be careful at times when there is little traffic (early mornings etc) That's the only time I turned out of a car park onto the wrong side of the street. Right turns will be as tricky as left turns are in the States. The weirdest country I've been to was Myanmar, which decided to change the side they drove on when they broke away from the UK. They just changed to right overnight, but all of the cars were still right-hand drive. So if you catch an old bus in Myanmar, the door opens into the middle of the street.

[@SteveBagnall-gh1fu]

It's all down to the government of the country I am in England so drive on the left,when we go into Europe we drive on the right, first ten minutes can be a little difficult but all is fine thereafter. Napoleon changed so much in such a short time in power that still lasts to this day. Interesting subject, thanks for posting ladies.

[@Peterraymond67]

I remember when in 1967 decided to change from the left to the right. It was very expensive and for a weekend it was illegal to be out on the road. It was not surprising, all their neighbours were already driving on the right.

[@cadifan]

The US while always travelled on the right, built their first cars RHD, all of them. That was until the Ford Model T as mentioned in the video. This was because Henry Ford thought it was safer for passengers to enter and exit the car from the right as doing it from the left with all other cars meant they had to do it standing in traffic. All the other auto manufacturers in the US eventually followed suit, as did Canada, as she mentioned. Incidentally I'm in New Zealand where we drive on the left but I've owned and driven American LHD cars since the late 80s. Samoa shifted from right to left side of the road because they import a lot of second hand cars from NZ.

[@hushus10021971]

As an educated truckdriver in Denmark I have driven in England with flowers. It's easy to convert to the lefthand driving and back

[@fishtigua]

Interesting factoid. British motorcycles used have the gear-change on the right footpeg and clutch on the left handlebar. If you march/walk you always swing your left arm as you place your right foot forward. Just try walking left/left, it looks and feels all wrong. Today's bikes all have left/left clutch and g/boxes for some reason.

[@ChrisGBusby]

Driving on the correct side of the road is not a problem usually. There is so much traffic around that it would be VERY hard to be on the wrong side! And once you are there it only takes a couple of minutes to get used to it. I live in the UK but have driven all over mainland Europe and never had an issue.

[@zenith18m]

I’ve driven in the USA, doesn’t take long to adapt to the other side of the road, frankly I was more scared of the cops over there lol.

[@charleshedley4381]

I visited Myanmar just before Covid. It's formerly British but became independent after the war. I was not surprised to get in my taxi and see the steering wheel on the right. But they drive on the right too, which produces an enormous blind spot when overtaking. The reason the steering wheels are on the right is that nearly every car was second-hand and imported from Japan.

[@SteveRGash]

I got off the North Sea ferry some years ago. I remembered to drive on the right in Norway but immediately there was a right handed double roundabout. I had to wait for a local car to come and I followed it.

[@chriscalkin1735]

As a UK veteran, who spent years stationed overseas, I became entirely used to switching between driving on the left and driving on the right. Just as importantly, I got used to driving vehicles with the steering wheel either on the left or the right.

[@Russ_Keith]

For a while I drove a european car in the UK. My major problem was that I couldn't see the side of the road easily so difficult to keep straight and a proper distance from the roadside. I eventually worked out that if I kept the yellow line at the side of the road aligned with a particular point on the dashboard which I could see it was much easier. I still haven't driven a right hand drive on the right side so no idea how difficult it would be to switch but I imagine it would not take too long to change. Incidentaly, Alanna, who moved to Britain in her early twenties, has numerous videos about comparing living in England to Canada. It's interesting to see the views about the differences in culture and architecture between the 2 from someone who has lived for years in both. This video was indicative of her style of presentation which goes between whimsical and factual. I think you might find her videos interesting and informative, perhaps useful if (when?) you eventually get here.

[@martintabony611]

I used to drive a tank in Germany. There are a few stories of vehicles coming of the training area, straight on to the left hand side of the road! I can only imagine he look on the face of the driver coming towards you😀

[@stevedickson5853]

..🤣.. 💩

[@rachelsirett8809]

I am British, i dont drive. But yes I can see why we do drive on the left. As yes lots of people are right handed

[@bobbralee1019]

The hardest was while serving in Germany with the RAF and we had right hand drive cars while driving on the right side of the road. We also had pool cars which were Left hand drive so you had a mix. You get it over time but you do have a few scary moments.

[@judithrichardson3684]

I've never had a problem driving on either side of the road ( I'm a Brit who lived in the US for three years) as providing that you're driving a car that's set up for the road layout it comes pretty naturally (because you're sat on the appropriate side of the car). I've also driven on mainland Europe in a British car and although it's more awkward (because sightlines etc are not clear) it's certainly not difficult to adapt.

[@user-Auscat]

When we went to the USA we hired an RV to get around. It was very strange driving on the wrong side of the road. In particular first thing in the morning and when you are tired you have to be really careful and remind yourself to keep right or you will revert back to what you are used to.

[@MichaEl-rh1kv]

There are some other possible reasons beyond weapons (by the way: in the middle ages most people were not allowed any "real" weapons like swords - rebellic farmers e.g. mostly used their everyday tools as weapons, like axes, scythes and flails). Horse-drawn carts and coaches for example had their brakes mostly mounted to one side, and because for most carters their right hand was their strong arm, they were mounted to the right, therefore the drivers sat on the right of the coach and tended to drive on the left side of the road. Another explanation refers to knights (who were a small, but powerful minority): Most would mount their horse from the left side, especially because right-handed knights wore their sword normally on the left side; therefore they mounted from the left side of the road and stayed on that side. Continental Europe switched to the right side by French order during Napoleon's time. After Napoleon's defeat only Austria switched back to driving on the left, except for the "crown lands" of Tyrol (incl. Vorarlberg), which was the western-most part of the Habsburg empire, Dalmatia (now in Croatia), Carniola (now part of Slovenia) and the Austrian Littoral (split between Italy and Slovenia). During WW I Austria decreed in 1915 driving on the left also in those parts, but the population protested; since Vorarlberg was connected to Austria only by two mountain passes, it was in 1921 allowed to return to driving on the right. After a recommendation by the League of Nations to unify driving sides in continental Europe in 1927, the Austrian government decided to switch to driving on the right, but only in 1938 that became the rule in all of Austria. In France Robespierre had introduced driving on the right during the French revolution. The US followed the French example, starting with 1792 in Philadelphia, allegedly because France had supported them in the war of independence. Sweden decreed at first driving to the right in 1718, but switched to driving at the left by another decree in 1734. Since however all neighboring countries drove to the right, it switched at Sunday, 3 September 1967, back to driving at the right. Island followed one year later.

[@Gary85Paul]

I'm from the UK and have driven to France only once which was on a day trip. I found switching sides to be exhausting and mentally taxing. Everything is in reverse. The direction the traffic approaches at junctions. Roundabout traffic flow. I managed to drive the wrong way into a car park at the sea life centre in Boulogne. At the end of the day before driving back, I approached a junction and couldn't figure out which direction I was meant to be going. My other half refused to drive in France and hated driving my car, but I had to insist as I was just exhausted when back in the UK. I had been concentrating so hard the whole time, I did something I never do - feel asleep in the car whilst she drove from the channel tunnel to my home in west London. It's also the local traffic laws in France such as priority at roundabouts except for where you see a diamond sign which reverses the priority. You have to remember lots of new things. I could obviously get used to it, but yes, it does take getting used to.

[@dcallan812]

I got a hire car in NYC and drove to PA for a weeks holiday. I did open the passenger door once or twice as the drive. But only once turning left on to the road, went into the wrong lane. It was rural PA at night with NO one else about. The rest of the time I was fine even driving in NYC

[@rosmear7871]

Very interesting presentation. I was typing the comments at the end of this comment during the presentation, there might me some additional facts here. My interest is due to a long interest in the motor industry. In answer to your question at the end; as a Brit, the UK did not change due to the shear cost. The difference in driving side is why the channel tunnel is rail only to ensure that people had to stop driving before changing side. As a Brit who lives in FRance I have driven LH & RH drive vehicles in both countrie, the most difficult situation is when, after driving a vehicle with the "wrong" side controls you return to the country where the controls are correct. I once drove for 4 miles on the wrong side of a winding road in the UK with my family on board only realising my error when arriving at a main road and finding all the signage to be "wrong"!! The other problem is after performing a 'U' turn, it is easy to just continue on what now seems to be the correct side. It would be more interesting to know why the USA drives on the right, was it because the US decided to use English as the official language and as a sop to the powerful German community it was agreed to drive on the right ? Most of Europe drove on the left until the 1930s, Germany being an exception (note that Napoleon did not sucessfully invade Germany and that, to my knowledge, the Prussians drove on the right) Hitler then enforced RH driving on Austria & Norway after invesions, Norway simply continuing the practice after the war. In the ealy days of motor manufacture in France, the cars whilst driving on the right (reason not clearly established, thought to be Napoleon) the cars had their steering wheels on the right in line with carriage driving where, even today, all horse drawn vehicles have the postillion sitting on the right (even in the USA), the whip-hand being the right one and storage of the whip was, and still is on the right. Sweden changed from driving on the left to the right in 1967 due to a high proportion of road accidents occuring on the land border with Norway. all vehicles had to be converted at a cost to the taxpayers; This chage has resulted in the practicality of a bridge link to Denmark. Africa is complex as the driving side is largely a function of the colonial power. The country that intruiges me and for which I have not found the answer is China, is it because the communist party wished to emulate the USSR. Which side did they drive on before 1948? Note that French surface railways still drive on the left whilst the metro drives on the right. Similarly in Belgium as the British rebuilt the rail network after the war starting from the French border. The trains switch from LH to RH driving at the first dutch station where the overhead electrical system also changes (this does nor apply to the TGV that simply swith sides close to the border.

[@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095]

And a gentleman walked on the outside next to the road to protect his lady from mud splashes with his body and defend her from ne'er do wells with his sword. {:o:O:}

[@marquonuk]

It probably is something that goes back to the very first vehicles: horses. It was probably a way to prevent (sometimes skittish) horses from crashing into each other and causing injuries to horses and riders. It being left may simply have been a completely arbitrary choice by the first person who suggested it! The only thing I can relate to regarding left and right is while walking, and I remember as a child my mother explaining (in a tongue in cheek way, I'm sure) that if walking with another person the tradition was that a man should always walk on the right in order to keep his "sword arm free". As most people were (are?) right-handed, the sword arm would be on the right. However, you can imagine that, as the sword is drawn from the scabbard (on the left), if there was someone walking on the swordsperson's left, they might easily get injured by the sword being drawn in haste in the event of being attacked by thieves! So that doesn't seem to be logical. The other thing with roads and vehicles is how hard it is to drive a left-hand drive vehicle on the left side of the road, because the driver's sitting near the pavement/sidewalk and not the middle of the road. It's a lot harder than the driver sitting near the middle of the road as your field of view is reduced and it's therefore harder to maintain a central position on your side of the road. I wonder how it's managed at borders between countries who drive on different sides? If there's a checkpoint, people stop, so it's likely that the crossing can be managed so that people are reminded and directed to go the new way by the road layout. I don't think left or right actually matters in the least, as long as people are very clear on what they're supposed to be doing in any given location! An interesting question. :-)

[@The_Gratnak]

With reference to the Romans, in the late 90's archaeologists found evidence at a roman quarry at Brunsdon Ridge near Swindon, Wiltshire, England, that the Romans would keep to the left. This was from the ruts in the road being deeper on lefthand side, where they were leaving with a heavy load.

[@stevewesley3841]

I'm a Brit and I've travelled a lot in Europe on my motorcycle. It just takes a few minutes to adjust. Thinking about it, unlike a car, you don't have to get used to being in a different position on the road, and if you hire a vehicle you don't have to get used to the controls being on the wrong side. Obviously that proves that motorcycles are better 😅

[@pamelamitchell8789]

When driving a horse drawn vehicle ( engines only used in the last 150 ish years ) the whip hand is the right, and they didn't want to hit pedestrians and overhanging bushes and trees , so the right side of the vehicle/ wagon was nearer the centre of the road!

[@cbjones82]

A number of times I've driven my British car onto a ferry from the left of the road and driven off in France on the right. Aside from needing to put some reflector stickers on the headlights, you can immediately adapt to driving on the other side in your own vehicle. However, on the occasions you hire a car in Europe with the steering wheel on the other side, I have reached for the gearstick in the driver's door, but that's about it.

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

In aviation the pilot in charge (captain) in a fixed wing plane flies the left seat but it's opposite for helicopters. Right hand control on the cyclic I guess. There is a funny analogy about how pilots have to jump between left and right seats "w@nking with the wrong hand". It's so accurate.

[@matthewwalker5430]

Your question about driving from 1 country on the left into another on the right and how fast do you acclimatise - within about 30 sec. I used to drive off the ferry at Calais and it is very common for people to exit on the wrong side of the road. Luckily, the roads are not busy and there are LOADS of signs telling you to get on the 'right' side. Once you correct (if you actually were the muppet who forgot) it's pretty straight-forward. The weirdest thing is having the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car - if you hire a car with the steering wheel on the opposite side to what you're used to you normally adjust VERY quickly if you're driving on the side of the road that that car is made for. It just feels natural for the driver side to be toward the centre of the road. However, if your vehicle is on the side of the road it was not built to drive on, that does take a little getting used to but usually you can adjust pretty quickly, particularly when there is other traffic around

[@davidtulloch5650]

30 yrs ago I did an attachment in Cyprus (I am Brit) and didn't know which side of the road to drive on. I asked a Cypriot and his response was "the shady side!"

[@frdml01]

When in the UK I prefer to drive a car with the steering wheel on the right. Shifting with your left hand takes some time to get used to, but driving on the left side simply comes natural more easily in a right side driven car.. So I usually rent a car there, rather than go there with my own, left side driven car.

[@stephendyer47]

As a professional Driver I drove both on the left in the UK and the right in Europe. The first roundabout at the entrance to Calais docks needed most concentration but after that it just fell into place. Also men were expected to walk on the road side with the woman on the left so that they could draw their sword to protect them.

[@zinnia2980]

I can't imagine driving anywhere but on the left. It would be weird driving on the wrong side of the road.

[@davehogg63]

When I first drove in the US, I very quickly adjusted to driving on the right. On return to the UK, a friend speculated that as I had grown up watching US movies and viewing vehicles from the drivers point of view I had absorbed some of the idea of driving on the right.

[@YAMR1M]

driven in the USA a bit, 5000 miles on our road trip in 2022 as well as in Canada for 3 weeks. Driven and ridden motorcycles in Europe quite a few times too.. As long as you remember you sit in the middle of the road and the passenger side is on the kerb side it is easy...The only problem comes when you have different laws like turning right at traffic lights in the USA being seen as a stop sign and you can turn even on a red light. In the UK and Europe red just means stop so no turning right (in Europe) or turning left (in the UK) on a red light at all. The hardest thing is when you get into the car and pull away remembering its the other side of the road for that first few seconds as your natural reaction is to pull onto the side of the road you are used to driving. But that goes away after a couple of days and it becomes second nature.

[@conallmclaughlin4545]

Having your dominant hand (the right for most people) on the wheel, while keeping your other hand for the gears seems to make more sense to me. The hardest part of driving on the other side on holidays for me is remembering to get in the drivers door 😂

[@Janet0764]

I don't drive myself, thankfully UK has a wonderful public transport system. I have visted the USA with my parents and an Aunt. My Aunt and Dad always did the driving in the USA. It usually took a day for them to translate driving on the right. My Mum refused to try as she felt it would be to confusing. My sister did a school transfer and lived in the USA for a year. She learnt to drive over there. When she came back it took her a couple of days to translate to driving on the left. She also had to take her UK driving test as well. Though the USA driving licence in those days allowed her to drive in the UK for about a month before she had to take the UK test.

[@pjmoseley243]

I believe we drive on the left due to military requirements for driving artillery on the battlefield but there is a fuller explairnation than that. Nothing to do with the video you are watching.

[@raylewis395]

I was actually in Sweden on the day they changed sides in 1967! I would have been five years old, and we were there visiting family. I remember seeing "Keep Right" signs that had recently been converted from "Keep Left" signs - they had literally moved the arrow - and I remember my Great Uncle complaining that about the change while he was driving. All recent Swedish cars were LHD (i.e. steering wheel on the left) for som time - so preparations had clearly been made for a while.

[@knowledgeisgood9645]

The cars were LHD because those were cheaper to buy (more of them were being made). So, since most Swedes had LHD cars driving on the left was not ideal, and the switch was simpler. Also, the number of accidents dropped - unlike what the Brits supposed. I wonder what will happen if fewer cars are built in the UK, and buying them from "abroad" becomes more common. Selling your car would also be at a better price if you could do it anywhere rather than only in the UK. Sweden had to convince many the switch was good - it took years. But no one regretted it once it was done.

[@raylewis395]

@@knowledgeisgood9645 a great number of imported cars in Britain- including second-hand cars are from Japan - and Japan drives on the left. But then manufacturers all over the world make both RHD and LHD versions of most models.

[@nickgrazier3373]

The big question really is how easy is it to drive a car with the steering wheel and the peddles moved to the other side in the car. If you take your own car with you to a country with the cars driving on the other side your driving position will mean you are near the curb and not the centre of the road. This means you can’t see what is coming when you are behind the traffic in the now your lane!!!! As a British veteran I drove a lot in Germany I had to get used to that little blip in driving perception because I wasn’t going to buy a car just Germany so I had to drive my own can which had the steering on the right, figure that one out?

[@normanfairbrass7275]

The chap who mentioned the dominant eye has a point. Also the most dangerous part about driving is what's going on behind. I used to drive a motorcycle so you have to turn your head (and shoulders) to really se what's coming up behind. On holiday touring France it was quite hard to get a good view as you have to turn your head leftwards (try it). All this assumes you are right handed.