Who decided which direction to drive.

[Unheard]

Different strokes for different folks, I know, but I am wondering why the US drives one way, and other parts of the world drive another. Who decided this?

EDIT: The rest of the world copied the US.

 

[blackdogdeek]

do you mean on the right-hand side of the road? if so, i think the left-hand side drivers are in the minority.

 

[nageov3t]

isn't it like only Great Britain and non-Canadian English colonies that drive on the left?

first google result:

http://users.telenet.be/worldstandards/driving%20on%20the%20left.htm

About a quarter of the world drives on the left, and the countries that do are mostly old British colonies. This strange quirk perplexes the rest of the world; but there is a perfectly good reason.

In the past, almost everybody travelled on the left side of the road because that was the most sensible option for feudal, violent societies. Since most people are right-handed, swordsmen preferred to keep to the left in order to have their right arm nearer to an opponent and their scabbard further from him. Moreover, it reduced the chance of the scabbard (worn on the left) hitting other people.

Furthermore, a right-handed person finds it easier to mount a horse from the left side of the horse, and it would be very difficult to do otherwise if wearing a sword (which would be worn on the left). It is safer to mount and dismount towards the side of the road, rather than in the middle of traffic, so if one mounts on the left, then the horse should be ridden on the left side of the road.

In the late 1700s, however, teamsters in France and the United States began hauling farm products in big wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. These wagons had no driver's seat; instead the driver sat on the left rear horse, so he could keep his right arm free to lash the team. Since he was sitting on the left, he naturally wanted everybody to pass on the left so he could look down and make sure he kept clear of the oncoming wagon’s wheels. Therefore he kept to the right side of the road.

In addition, the French Revolution of 1789 gave a huge impetus to right-hand travel in Europe. The fact is, before the Revolution, the aristocracy travelled on the left of the road, forcing the peasantry over to the right, but after the storming of the Bastille and the subsequent events, aristocrats preferred to keep a low profile and joined the peasants on the right. An official keep-right rule was introduced in Paris in 1794, more or less parallel to Denmark, where driving on the right had been made compulsory in 1793.

 

[acheron]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffic

It's basically just the UK and Ireland, south Africa, India, and some Pacific countries that drive on the left.

 

[Joemonkey]

I remember reading something somewhere that when we were trying to assert our independence from the British that they paraded their horses around in a clockwise fashion, so to be different we started parading ours around counterclockwise, and that turned into the way roads and cars were driven as well

 

[Veliko]

I was hoping that this was going to be about Dumb and Dumber.

 

[nageov3t]

it must be weird to live on the border of one of those African countries where you drive on the right in one town, but cross the border to go grocery shopping and have to drive on the left.

 

[SKORPI0]

I am wondering why the US drives one way, most part the rest of the world drives another.

:hmm: OP fail. Check your facts first.

 

[acheron]

it must be weird to live on the border of one of those African countries where you drive on the right in one town, but cross the border to go grocery shopping and have to drive on the left.

That used to happen between Sweden and Norway. They had whole complicated switchovers at the border. Sweden finally switched over to right-hand in the 70s I think.

 

[kami333]

Still happens between Hong Kong and China, Hong Kong drives on the left and China on the right.

A Dutch firm came up with a pretty neat bridge idea.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.aspx?AR=250560

 

[skyking]

It's a problem in the UK with the trucks from the continent. The roundabouts are designed so that a driver really needs to be on the right side to make the merge safely.
The European drivers are on the left with no window and only mirrors, and they cause many failure to yield wrecks.

 

[her209]

Here's my guess:

We put the driver side on the left side of the car because its easier to shift the gears with your right hand. Because the driver is on the left, its easier for drivers to see traffic when merging left than merging right. Because of this, the only way you can merge left into traffic is to drive on the right.

 

[gorcorps]

I always thought that it would be safer to keep the driver further away from oncoming traffic, so it's always bothered me that while we got it right driving on the right side of the road we fucked up by changing the drivers side.

 

[gorcorps]

Still happens between Hong Kong and China, Hong Kong drives on the right and China on the left.

A Dutch firm came up with a pretty neat bridge idea.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.aspx?AR=250560

You sure? That map says China drives on the right.

 

[Unheard]

:hmm: OP fail. Check your facts first.

I edited the OP.

 

[BurnItDwn]

The English are backwards. Most car accidents in the USA are caused by English blood in a person causing them to drive the wrong way on the road!

 

[Minjin]

What direction do we drive? We drive TOWARDS our destination. I don't know who came up with it but it's definitely brilliant.

 

[tk149]

You sure? That map says China drives on the right.

China definitely drives on the right. If my memory is correct, Hong Kong (former British possession) drives on the left.

 

[kami333]

You sure? That map says China drives on the right.

My mistake. I got driving on the right/left mixed with RHD/LHD.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

I always thought that it would be safer to keep the driver further away from oncoming traffic, so it's always bothered me that while we got it right driving on the right side of the road we fucked up by changing the drivers side.

Also a lot handier to just step out onto the sidewalk, instead of into oncoming traffic. A friend of mine bought an old USPS jeep scout, great for mail delivery, and pick-up, atm's, and fast food drive through, not so much.
Some early American cars were right hand drive. My dad's 1911 EMF, was right hand drive, but the 1909 model T was left, go figure.

 

[rh71]

it's just amazing that if you go to a country where they drive on the other side, while crossing the street and you look your usual way first (left), you can nearly lose your life if you don't think about it. Kind of a big deal.

 

[gorcorps]

it's just amazing that if you go to a country where they drive on the other side, while crossing the street and you look your usual way first (left), you can nearly lose your life if you don't think about it. Kind of a big deal.

Uh... if you don't look both ways before crossing the street then you deserve to get hit. Isn't this kind of stuff taught to kids anymore? Every single adult would always tell us the same thing when leaving the house.

LOOK BOTH WAYS WHEN CROSSING THE STREET

 

[nageov3t]

Uh... if you don't look both ways before crossing the street then you deserve to get hit. Isn't this kind of stuff taught to kids anymore? Every single adult would always tell us the same thing when leaving the house.

LOOK BOTH WAYS WHEN CROSSING THE STREET

I live on a 1-way street and I still look both ways when crossing.

stranger things have happened than a drunk driving the wrong way down a 1-way street or some jackass deciding it's a good idea to go in reverse down half the block just to avoid having to drive the long way around.