Roads & Road Control

• About 30% of all countries drive on the left, including:
  
  
• The island countries of Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and the UK (the only four EU countries that in 2009 still drive on the left) and Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the US Virgin Islands.
  
  
• Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa, Suriname and Thailand.
  
  
• Up to the late 18th century, when horses were the main mode of transport, most people travelled on the left side of the road.
  
  
• It is commonly believed that the left side became the preferred side by swordsmen when riding horses.
  
  
• A person wearing a sword on their left side found it much easier to mount a horse from the horse’s left.
  
  
• Mounted from the “pavement” side of the road and on the horse’s left side, the horse would then move forward on what would be the left side of the road.
  
  
• In addition, because most people are right handed, swordsmen preferred to keep to the left so that their right hand bearing the sword was nearer to an opponent. 
  
  
• Note: Today practically all people still mount a horse from its left side.
  
  
• In the latter part of the 18th century large wagons pulled by several horses started to be used in the USA to move farm products.
  
  
• These wagons had no seat for the driver and consequently he sat on the left rear horse so that he could keep his right arm free to lash the team.
  
  
• Because the driver was sitting on the left he wanted everybody to pass on that side so he see how close he was to the oncoming wagon’s wheels. He therefore kept to the right side of the road.
  
  
• The first keep-right law in the United States was passed in 1792.
  
  
• An official keep-right rule was introduced in Paris in 1794 and in Denmark in 1793. Why did France and Denmark decide to drive on the right hand side of the road?
  
  
• During the early part of the 19th century, due mainly to Napoleon's conquests, driving on the right spread to Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Russia and many parts of Spain and Italy.