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If there were no England, there would be no right-hand drive. The legitimacy of this statement has been debated in automotive circles for decades.

AiF.ru tried to figure out why the left-hand traffic pattern took root in Great Britain and how this affected other countries of the world.

Why is it common to drive on the left side of the road in England?

The rule of driving on the left side of the road was legislated by the English authorities in 1756. For violation of the bill there was an impressive fine - a pound of silver.

There are two main versions that explain why in the middle of the 18th century England chose to drive on the left.

• Roman version

In Ancient Rome, people drove on the left. This approach was explained by the fact that the legionnaires held weapons in their right hands. And therefore, in the event of an unexpected meeting with the enemy, it was more profitable for them to be on the left side of the road. The enemy thus fell directly into the chopping hand. After the Romans conquered the British Isles in 45 AD, "leftism" may have spread to England. This version is supported by the results of archaeological expeditions. In 1998, a Roman quarry was excavated in Wiltshire in southwest England, near which the left track was broken more than the right.

• Marine version

Previously, the British could only get to Europe by water. Therefore, maritime traditions have become firmly entrenched in the culture of this people. In the old days, English ships had to pass on the left side of an oncoming ship. Subsequently, this custom could spread to roads.

Modern international shipping rules stipulate right-hand traffic.

Photo: Shutterstock.com

How did English “leftism” spread throughout the world?

Most left-hand drive countries have chosen this particular driving pattern due to the following circumstances:

• Colonial factor.

Even in the middle of the last century, Great Britain was an empire on which the sun never set. Most of the former colonies scattered around the world decided to continue driving on the left after gaining independence.

• Political factor.

During the Great French Revolution, a decree was issued which ordered all residents of the republic to move on the “common” right side of the road. When did he come to power? Napoleon Bonaparte, the traffic pattern became a policy argument. In those states that supported Napoleon - Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain - right-hand traffic was established. On the other hand, those who opposed France: Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, Portugal turned out to be “leftists”. Subsequently, left-hand traffic in these three countries was preserved only in the United Kingdom.

Political friendship with Great Britain contributed to the introduction of “leftism” on the roads in Japan: in 1859 Queen Victoria's Ambassador Sir Rutherford Alcock convinced the authorities of the island state to accept driving on the left.

When did right-hand traffic become established in Russia?

In Russia, the norms for right-hand traffic developed back in the Middle Ages. Danish envoy to Peter I Just Yul in 1709 he wrote that “in the Russian Empire, it is customary everywhere for carts and sleighs, when meeting each other, to pass each other, keeping to the right side.” In 1752 Empress Elizaveta Petrovna enshrined this norm in law by issuing a decree on the introduction of right-hand traffic for carriages and cab drivers on the streets of the empire’s cities.

Countries that changed traffic

History knows many examples when countries switched from one traffic pattern to another. States did this for the following reasons:

• “To spite yesterday’s occupiers”

The US switched to driving on the right side of the road after declaring independence from Great Britain in 1776.

Korea switched to driving on the right after the end of the Japanese occupation in 1946.

• Geographical feasibility

Many former British colonies in Africa switched to driving on the right in the mid-1960s and early 1970s. Sierra Leone, Gambia, Nigeria and Ghana did this for convenience: they were surrounded by “right-riding” former French colonies.

Sweden was the last country in Europe to change direction. In 1967, the so-called H-Day took place there, when all the cars in the kingdom changed lanes. The reason for the transition to “law” lay not only in geography, but also in economics. Most of the countries where Swedish-made cars were sold used left-hand drive.

Swedish "H" day. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

In 2009, Samoa switched to driving on the left. This was due to the large number of used right-hand drive cars being imported into the country from Australia and New Zealand.

"Left" exceptions

In right-leaning countries there is room for left-wing exceptions. So, on the small street of General Lemonnier (350 meters long) in Paris, people move on the left side. There are small areas with left-hand traffic in Odessa (Vysoky Lane), in Moscow (passage on Leskova Street), in St. Petersburg (embankment of the Fontanka River) and in Vladivostok (Semyonovskaya Street in the section from Aleutskaya Street to the intersection with Okeansky Prospekt, as well as on Mordovtseva street).

Which movement is safer?

According to experts, which side you drive on does not affect the degree of traffic safety - it is just a matter of habit.

Countries with left-hand traffic

The global ratio of right-hand to left-hand roads is 72% and 28%, with 66% of the world's drivers driving on the right side and 34% driving on the left.

North America

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Jamaica

South America

• Guyana
• Suriname

• United Kingdom
• Ireland
• Malta

• Bangladesh
• Brunei
• Butane
• East Timor
• Hong Kong
• India
• Indonesia
• Macau
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Sri Lanka
• Japan

• Botswana
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Seychelles
• Swaziland
• Tanzania
• Uganda

• Australia
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Samoa
• Tonga
• Fiji

Even before the invention of the automobile, man noticed that following the general agreement to drive on one side of the road helps reduce vehicle collisions and traffic jams. After driving became common, most governments adopted an agreement that drivers drive on the right side of the road. However, some states, due to various characteristics, preferred driving on the left. More details about how many countries have made this decision and why can be found in our review material.

What influences the choice of destination in different countries

Today, a third of the world's population drives on the left, and almost as many of the world's highways are left-hand drive. Thus, driving on the right is used much more often. This is explained by historical traditions and the fact that most people on the planet are right-handed. Thus, when traveling in a horse-drawn carriage, the rider could quickly maneuver to the right (to, for example, avoid a collision with another carriage or a traveler on a narrow road) than to the left, since it is the right hand that is stronger and better developed.
Later, when horseless carriages operated by levers appeared, drivers also had to make considerable efforts to control them. It was better to control with my right hand. Most likely, it was this physiological feature that served as the reason for the fact that right-hand driving became traditional, and later standardized.

Important! Despite the assurances of right-hand drive supporters that driving on the left is safer, experts argue that the direction of movement in no way affects the number of accidents. Safety on highways can only be ensured by proper transport and strict adherence to traffic rules.

However, there are other versions that claim that moving along the left edge of the road appeared earlier (in particular, this is how people moved in the Roman Empire). And the first documented law that ordered citizens of the country to stick to the left was the bill passed in England in 1756. It talked about the norm of moving this way across London Bridge. The law also established a fine for violation - a pound of silver.
A quarter of a century later, in Britain, at the legislative level, it was prescribed to drive on the left side of all roads in the country. Later, since Great Britain became a colonial power, all its colonies also had to obey this law and switch to driving on the left. Thus, the tradition of such riding came to India, Pakistan and Australia, where the influence of England was very high.

If we talk about the factors that influenced the choice of direction of movement in Europe and the USA, then historians argue that France and its authority among the world community during the Napoleonic era played a huge role here. Thus, countries that supported the policy of the French emperor (in particular, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain) followed the French and legalized right-hand driving.

Those who did not share it and were in opposition to the head of France preferred to move to the left. We are talking about countries such as the UK already mentioned above, as well as Austria-Hungary and Portugal.
Historical traditions to influence the choice of direction of movement did not stop at the above countries. Next in line was Japan - the land of the rising sun. According to historians, samurai fastened their sword on their left side. And so as not to touch each other when racing on horses, they separated, turning to the right. The national rule of driving on the left was formed in the 18th century. And the Japanese finally approved it at the legislative level in 1927.

An interesting fact is that America was at first a supporter of “leftism,” but under the influence of the French general Marie-Joseph Lafayette in the 18th century, it preferred right-hand driving.

There are also a number of countries that, over time and probably under the influence of neighboring powers in the 20th century, replaced driving on the left with driving on the right. These include, in particular, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Korea, Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone.
The reverse transition - from left-hand drive to right-hand drive - was made by only 2 countries: Samoa and Mozambique. The first is because a significant number of used cars intended for right-hand driving were brought into the state. The second is under the influence of neighboring powers.

Did you know? The Swedes have been preparing to switch to driving on the right for 4 years. On September 3, 1967, at 4:50 a.m., traffic stopped, and from 5 a.m. all drivers moved to the other side of the highway. In Swedish history, this date is called “N-Day”: from Swedish.« högertrafik» - « right-hand traffic» .

How the direction influenced vehicle design

At the dawn of the automobile industry, there was no clear placement of the steering wheel on the left or right - cars were produced with different placements. However, over time, the tradition of placing the steering wheel on the left became entrenched - it was more convenient to disembark taxi passengers when driving on the right and more comfortable to see when overtaking. In addition to the actual placement of the steering wheel and driver's seat, there are other structural differences in cars that are influenced by this fact. Thus, the design of the wipers responsible for cleaning the windshield is different. In left-hand drive cars, at rest they are folded to the right, in right-hand drive cars - to the left. The wiper switch on left-hand drive vehicles is located on the right side of the steering column.

As for the turn switches, today they are located the same in all cars (although until recently there were models where they were on the left).

It should be noted that manufacturers of modern cars for the mass consumer do not follow the lead of drivers who are accustomed to driving on the left, and to save car costs they produce models with only one difference - the location of the driver's seat.
The remaining parameters for left-hand drive and right-hand drive cars are usually the same (with the exception of certain brands).

Did you know? The sports car manufacturer McLaren in 1992-1998 produced a model called the McLaren F1, in which the steering wheel and driver's seat were located in the center of the cabin. From 1993 to 2005 it was the fastest car in the world.

List of countries with left-hand traffic, current for 2018

Below is a current list of countries where only left-hand traffic is legal.
Countries marked in green on the map - with right-hand traffic, yellow - with left-hand traffic

Europe

Among European states there are only 4 ardent representatives left with legalized left-hand driving:

• United Kingdom;
• Malta;
• Ireland;
• Cyprus.

Asia

There are quite a few countries in Asia where people drive on the left side of roads. These include:

• Bangladesh;
• Brunei;
• India;
• Indonesia
• Japan;
• Malaysia;
• Maldives;
• Nepal;
• Pakistan;
• Singapore;
• Thailand;
• Sri Lanka;
• East Timor.

Africa

On the African continent, as well as in Asia, there are 13 powers and island states that adhere to the “leftism” when traveling by car.
Among them are:

• Botswana;
• Kenya;
• Lesotho;
• Mauritius;
• Mozambique;
• Namibia;
• Seychelles;
• Republic of South Africa;
• Swaziland;
• Tanzania;
• Uganda;
• Zambia;
• Zimbabwe.

South America

On the South American continent, the vast majority of countries have rules requiring people to stay on the right side when driving cars.
And only 2 countries prefer to drive on the left side of the road:

• Suriname.

Important! If a person going on a trip plans to travel to other countries in his own car or rent a car, then he needs to first become familiar with the direction of travel in the areas he is going to visit.

Oceania

Among the states and islands of Oceania, the left side is followed when driving on highways:

• Australia;
• Fiji;
• Republic of Kiribati;
• Republic of Nauru;
• New Zealand;
• Papua New Guinea;
• Samoa;
• Solomon Islands;
• Kingdom of Tonga;
• Tuvalu.

In addition, people drive on the left edge of the road in the Bahamas, the Lesser Antilles: Antigua, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent, as well as in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Virgin Islands, Saint Lucia and Jamaica.
Thus, various historical reasons influenced which half of the road people travel along in a particular country in the world. Residents of 53 countries stick to the left side of traffic on roads. Driving on the right is considered traditional. Accordingly, much more left-hand drive cars are produced. If a person is planning to travel to another state by car, then he definitely needs to familiarize himself with the traffic rules in force on his territory. Switching to the “opposite” steering wheel is not easy - you also need to change the road signs.

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If we paint countries with left-hand and right-hand traffic on a world map with different colors, we will see that there are much more of the latter. Statistics speak about this: 66% of the population travels on the right side of the road, while the remaining 34% travel on the left.

It is interesting that in ancient times the situation was the opposite: left-hand traffic was mainly observed. It is known that throughout the Roman Empire, left-hand traffic was used, for which a lot of evidence has been found, ranging from ancient Roman images to studies of the ruts of ancient Roman roads. This can be explained by the fact that most people are right-handed, which means that, having caught up with a stranger on the road, in case of danger it was more convenient to grab a weapon with your right hand and immediately be ready for a skirmish. Probably, this rule, adopted for the movement of Roman troops, was soon taken up by other citizens of the empire. Imitating the Romans, driving on the left was used in most ancient states.

The modern division of the world into left-hand traffic (blue) and right-hand traffic

After the fall of the Roman Empire, some general norms that had previously regulated movement over a vast territory ceased to exist, so the physiological characteristics of a person came to the fore: for charioteers, most of whom were right-handed, it was more convenient to drive on the right side, so that on narrow roads When passing oncoming traffic, you can more confidently control horses with a strong hand, directing them to the side. Over the centuries, this habit has become established as a norm of social movement in many countries.

In 1776, the first traffic regulations were issued in Europe. The country that accepted it was Britain, which established on its territory... left-hand traffic. Historians are still arguing about what exactly caused this decision. Perhaps this was done in order to “separate” from the rest of the right-wing Europe, with the leading countries of which Britain was in confrontation. Or, perhaps, officials simply adopted the law from the army naval admiralty, which ordered oncoming ships of the English crown to diverge to starboard.

The introduction of left-hand traffic in a geographically small metropolis affected vast areas of the colonies of the British Empire, as well as allied countries. First of all, these are the territories of what is now India, Australia and Pakistan, where, by analogy with Britain, left-hand traffic is still used to this day.

September 3, 1962 - Sweden switched to right-hand traffic. On that day, terrible confusion arose on the streets of Swedish cities.

On the other side was France with its allies, who began to use right-hand traffic. Legislatively in many European countries it was established during the time of Napoleon. As usual, the colonies of European states followed their center, which divided the world into two camps, the echoes of which we see to this day.

In Russia and neighboring countries, the rule of right-hand traffic developed spontaneously, and, interestingly, the country adopted the law on right-hand traffic earlier than European states - in 1756 during the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

Illustration: depositphotos | lunamarina

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This question is, of course, a burning one. It becomes especially relevant when, after a short stay in Japan, you suddenly catch yourself thinking that you just can’t break up with the Japanese out of the blue - you constantly clash. Moving through Japanese streets on a bicycle, you feel an internal need to “take the right”. Over time, this sad habit goes away, but sometimes at the most inopportune moment it makes itself felt. Sometimes this leads to sad consequences; Personally, I was almost hit by a car once in Kyoto.

I began to dig into the issue of Japanese leftism gradually, without fanaticism; word by word - we gradually managed to piece together something. Asking the Japanese themselves is a bad idea. Firstly, it does not occur to most of their nation that in other countries they can drive on the right side of the road. You tell them, they open their eyes and nod their heads with a zero expression on their faces.

A friend of mine, once arriving in Japan on business, was sitting in a bar with a Japanese friend. Out of curiosity, he asks: where did you come to Japan from? Ours answers him, they say, from the country closest to you (this is happening in Sapporo - the main city of the northernmost island - Hokkaido). The Japanese thought for a long time, looked at the Russian for a long time, then said: “From Korea?” This is the kind of good knowledge about the outside world that most Japanese people are famous for. Let's return to our sheep.

The history of accepting the left side of the road as the main one is a strange story. Its roots go back to Japanese antiquity, when samurai rode across the mountainous Japanese terrain on fast horses with swords on their left sides. No one wore a katana (Japanese sword) in a sling; it was tucked into the belt, so that it stuck out from the left side, protruding about half a meter. Apparently, fearing that their swords would get caught and thus provoke a fight, the samurai began to use the principle of left-hand movement. They were generally nervous people who didn’t understand jokes.

It is rational to assume that in addition to the samurai warriors, whose heroic images are pathetically glorified in modern Japanese cinema by director Takeshi Kitano, there were also ordinary people: peasants, artisans, merchants. How should they walk? These people did not carry swords and quite calmly used any side of the road. The main joy was to move away from the approaching samurai in time. The latter could easily kill a tradesman for a sidelong glance or for some other “disrespectful” act.

At the beginning of the Edo period (1603-1867), a tradition had already been established instructing anyone heading towards the capital (Tokyo was called Edo at that time) to keep to the left. It seems that this system has become ingrained with the Japanese and gradually began to spread throughout the country. It is safe to say that by the end of the 18th century, the custom of driving on the left side of the road had already emerged as a general rule for moving around Japan.

In the mid-19th century, Japan was almost forced to open up to the world by storm. Then the Japanese realized the power of Western technology and decided to borrow everything completely. Many Japanese teenagers were sent to study their wits at Western universities; most of them went to England. By the way, they also drive on the left side there.

Probably, the Japanese would still start driving on the right side if the Americans or the French had won the tenders for the construction of the first railways on the islands of the Japanese archipelago. But the British were ahead of them. The first train was launched in 1872, and, sadly, the locomotives stuck to left-hand traffic.

Further - more. The first horse-drawn trams also ran on the left side of the road. How can we explain such an organization? Probably, the sight of steam locomotives made such an indelible impression on the Japanese that they simply could not imagine any other way of road traffic. At the beginning of the twentieth century, horses were replaced with an electric drive, and the movement schedule was not changed - traditionalists, after all!

The most interesting thing is that in fifty years no one has bothered to legislate which side of the road one should stay on. The most that the police department in Tokyo did was to issue an order that horses and cars should stick to the left, and when meeting with military detachments, to the right. The Japanese army - a special case - walked on the right side of the road until 1924.

The authorities of the city of Osaka, without thinking twice, ordered all horse and car vehicles to move on the right side of the road. Osaka is the second largest city in Japan, whose authorities showed enviable independence in resolving their issues. Ordinary Japanese probably “liked” this state of affairs even more. In Tokyo - on the left side of the road, in Osaka - on the right, you won’t get bored.

In 1907, a pedestrian was crushed to death by a car for the first time in Japan. It took the authorities almost another 20 years to legislate driving on the left and put an end to the confusion. Although in Japan no one ever gets confused about anything, the culture and its customs very strictly regulate every point of social activity and behavior of a person in a group.

It is clear that any foreigner does not care much about the cultural realities of Japan, unless he is a professional researcher. But for us Russians, it is extremely important to quickly figure out which side of the road we should drive on. There are plenty of funny stories about driving on the left. There are many tales about how Russians drove onto a highway without cars, drove on the right side, and then began honking at cars driving towards them, cursing loudly when they did not immediately figure out which nation was driving. Basically, these tales are in the style of “Peculiarities of the National Hunt.”

However, here is a real-life practice for you. When there is an accident without casualties, the Japanese prefer to sort it out themselves and not interfere with the traffic police. They usually quickly exchange business cards and go about their business. It’s difficult to say why they do this - anyone who speaks the language and has lived in Japan for quite a long time, I think, can explain it. The Japanese have great confidence in what is written on paper and only after exchanging business cards do they begin to perceive the interlocutor and behave with him according to his rank.

Japan is a mysterious land, and amazingly beautiful, and the cars they make there are simply amazing!