Driving on the Left 1

[friartuck]

I often wonder why we in the UK and our friends in Australia and New Zealand drive on the left and the rest of the World drive on the right.

Does anyone know why this came to be?

Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[crossframe]

I really doubt it's "Engineering" history, but this is what I've heard. Take it for what it's worth.

The British drive on the left and sit on the right because that's the way they did it in horse-drawn wagons. The reason they drove on the left and sat on the right in horse-drawn wagons was because most people are right-handed, and this allowed the driver's "sword hand" (and later, pistol hand) free to fend off attackers. This likely started when ye olde English knights did battle on horseback, they probably passed on the left for the same reason.

I've also noted from watching American Westerns that most people sit on the right when driving a wagon. In this case, it seems to be because the brake was located outside the wagon frame and was operated with the arm or leg. Again, you'd want to use your strong side.

This brings to mind the question of why fixed-wing pilots sit on the left, but helicopter pilots sit on the right. Nobody I've asked, even helicopter pilots themselves, seems to know. Where do these guys sit in Britain?

Oh by the way, they drive on the left and sit on the right in Australia because they used to be British!

 

[IRstuff]

However, you may recall that in jousting, they pass on the right, since the shield arm is the left arm and the lance is carried by the right hand, but points to the left.

TTFN

 

[macmil]

I believe that this was discussed in an earlier thread. napoleon was involved ( in the history, not in the thread !)

 

[friartuck]

So lets recap...

I need my right hand to be able to either:-

a. Stab someone
b. Shoot them
c. use a hand brake (by using my right arm which is generally the strongest)
d. napoleon learned to drive in a left hand drive car.

(just jesting.....or should that be jousting)

By this thinking then, the whole World should be driving on the left and having a steering wheel on the right.

If its natural to sit on the right of the stage coach, then surely it would be logical to progress to sitting in a car in the same position.

I would guess that the whole thing came about by accident than by design??

Anyone else got any clues....



Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[BJC]

This guy place has lots of clues

http://users.pandora.be/worldstandards/driving on the left.htm

 

[TheTick]

Japan also is a left-side-drive nation.

Perhaps it is an imperialist mindset thing?

 

[GregLocock]

Oh, Napoleon wasn't an imperialist?

Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[davidbeach]

It's an island thing. On islands, people drive on the left, on continents they drive on the right.

 

[GregLocock]

Oh that's easy then, it must be the Coriolis effect.

Perhaps it has to do with the original human invasion route taken?

Let's see, North America via Alaska, down the west coast, so that's driving on the right.

Genhkis Khan etc invaded Europe from the North East, so again they were driving on the right.

The Uk was probably settled via land bridge from France, and they'd have been inclined to go westawrds to stay with the good weather, so that's driving on the left.

In Australia they'd have landed somewhere near the middle of the top, and spread out in all the equally inhospitable directions, so they'd drive any old side of the road.

Well, it works in 4 out of 4 cases, so it must be right!



Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[TheTick]

Good theory, Greg. Now all taht's left is to use the theory to predict future behavior, and you're up for the Nobel!

 

[notnats]

I read somewhere that tornados might be triggered in the US by the turbulence caused by vehicles passing each other "port to port" and the coriolus rotation around a low pressure is anticlockwise.

So why don't we get tornados down under where we pass "starboard to starboard" and the coriolus rotation is clockwise?

Jeff

 

[ScottyUK]

"Perhaps it is an imperialist mindset thing?"

When is the US changing? Someone should ask Bush...



----------------------------------

If we learn from our mistakes,
I'm getting a great education!

 

[friartuck]

Now I'm confused.
This has left me with more questions than answers...


The Japenese who were assisted in their economic recovery by the Americans drive on the left.???

And what exactly is the coriolis effect?

With regards to Tornados..surely if the Northern Hemisphere drives on the left and the Southern drives on the right, then they would cancel out and there would be no more Tornados.

Or is the effect more localised, i.e. do we need to drive on the left on alternate days?

What sort of car did Genghis Khan drive?

All countries must be islandsof one form or another no matter how big (or small). Have you ever tried to walk from America to England.

The thread goes on.......



Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[rhodie]

And what exactly is the coriolis effect?

It's why your toliet swirls one way in the Northern Hemisphere, and why it swirls the opposite way in the Southern Hemisphere.

 

[IRstuff]

http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/coriolis_effect.html

TTFN

 

[friartuck]

merci beaucoup

Friar Tuck of Sherwood

 

[IRstuff]

btw... the toilet swirl is supposedly an urban myth:

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_161.html

TTFN

 

[gearguru]

There were more countries with left-hand driving in the Europe; Sweden changed - I believe - sometimes in fifties.
And for at least one country I know how easy and fast it was to switch from left to right: When Germany occupied and divided Czechoslovakia in 1939 (as a result of the treaty from Munich, where Mr. Chamberlain and Daladier saved the peace for the generations letting Hitler do it), the Germans had problems with the left-driving in Czechoslovakia. They were "right drivers". Therefore they announced a day when everybody will drive (even walk on the walkways) on the right. They put their soldiers to enforce it, after a week the soldiers left and since then everybody drove on the right side. Simple and effective solution...

 

[friartuck]

Its funny you should mention the coriolis effect. That explains why my wife keeps swerving across the road. (although it seems to be random rather than always to the left??)..

Friar Tuck of Sherwood