just curious if anyone knows why US cars are left hand drive and cars everywhere else are right hand drive? Why did this happen? Does anyone know a good source for the history behind the split?

Originally posted by pmacwill
.... and cars everywhere else are right hand drive?

Huh? :)

it appears the UK legislated for travelling on the left hand side of the road in 1756 for two reasons as with most people being right handed, it gave quick access to swords (which people wore on the left) in the event of 'unpleasantness', the same reason the Romans adopted it thousands of years earlier.

Apparently the US driving on the right relates to the type of horse and cart used where it was easier for the driver to control the layout of three horses they were using.

lmfao... no. seriously? anyone?

i am serious. at least that is what i found from my initial research. i will look further.

You'll find plenty of different answers depending on where you look. A google for "why do the british drive on the left" should find plenty of info...

This one looks pretty good:

http://www.travel-library.com/general/driving/drive_which_side.html

see, that's what i said: swords and carts(or wagons) ;)

Originally posted by pmacwill
... and cars everywhere else are right hand drive?

Originally posted by druck
Back in the days of horses and carridges everyone used to drive on the left, which meant you passed opposing traffic on the right - your sword hand side incase anyone tried it on (dangerous times back then, worse than LA). However when Napolean was marching accross Europe, he objected to anyone on a horse and cart lopping of the heads of his infantry as they rode along, so decreeded everyone should drive on the other side of the road, so they couldn't use their swords - except the miget himself who was a left hander. So the French started this nonsense about driving on the wrong side, leaving only the decent parts of the world (good old former British Empire) doing the correct thing. You Americans with your indepenance nonsense decided to be contrary, as usual

Originally posted by JohnnyCumLately
That's close to what I read, but you skipped the French Revolution. Peasants used to walk on the right so they could see the carriages coming before they were mown down. After the revolution they continued on this side even when they started to get carts of their own, and any aristocracy wishing to keep their heads found it safest to do the same. Napolean extended use of the right (i.e. wrong) side of the road when marched into Prussia etc. and another troublemaking shortarse extended it further in the middle of the last century. The states, i think, chose to drive on the right mainly because we use the left. Elsewhere the side of the road used reflects the current or historical influence of empires. Iraq, I imagine, drives on the left at the moment.

I don't know how you missed this. It was clearly posted on the "How to shift" thread.

everywhere else, to me (in this context), means britain, japan and australia.

Here's another piece of trivia in a related vein. If you visit a few European castles and check out the spiral staircases in the towers, you'll notice that they generally spiral in the same direction - around to the right as you ascend.

This was apparently to give the defenders more freedom of movement with their swords - while the poor attackers would be banging their arms into the central pillar.

I love a bit of clever design. :)

cause the toilet water flushes counter clockwise on the other side of the world...wait, i think thats just australia...

Originally posted by lurcher
Here's another piece of trivia in a related vein. If you visit a few European castles and check out the spiral staircases in the towers, you'll notice that they generally spiral in the same direction - around to the right as you ascend.

This was apparently to give the defenders more freedom of movement with their swords - while the poor attackers would be banging their arms into the central pillar.

I love a bit of clever design. :)


You'll also find the stairs very uneven. Defenders know which steps are higher and which are lower. 'twas very dark in those spiral staircases and attackers had a very hard time fighting up them.

Why we drive on the left has been already stated. Its so we can use our right hand to shoot people out of the window as we drive. That and collect drive through food without using our left hand. The left hand is the work of the debil and is denied by law to exist.