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This is the Conversation Forum for Why the British Drive on the Left << Americans on the right? why do men button-up left over right? >> Subject: The silliest reason Posted Nov 26, 2000 by Inkwash   Posting 1 I don't remember where I heard this one, but it goes as follows. The British habit of driving on the left dates back to medieval jousting competitions where the lance was held in the right hand and so the opponent was passed by on the left. Clearly ridiculous as not only did other European countries have jousting competitions, but also these were held in wide open fields surrounded by tents and had nothing to do with the roads. Read the First Reply to this Posting Subject: The silliest reason Posted Nov 27, 2000 by You can call me TC - Ready for Reims - June 15th? Pas de panique! A87780612 A33659210 This is a reply to this Posting   Posting 2 I watched a jousting competition in Germany once and they were on the other side. It looked most odd. The explanation was that if you hold the lance at an angle, which right-handed "knights" of course, would have to, it is less likely to dislocate your shoulder on impact. I had always assumed you went down the left side and took it for granted that this was the reason you drove on the left in Britain, etc., etc. If not to have your lance hand free, it was to have a sword or other weapon away from the side of the road and ready to face any oncoming enemy. (Perhaps they ought to take down the crash barrier and try this on the M25 to keep the traffic jam blues away) Please excuse me, I learnt to drive in England but left immediately I passed my test and have lived in Germany ever since. While I can't see any reason for driving on one side of the road or the other, I prefer not to get behind the wheel when in Britain. Read the First Reply to this Posting Subject: The silliest reason Posted Nov 28, 2000 by Inkwash This is a reply to this Posting   Posting 3 Very understandable safety concerns there. The thought of riding down the M25 on a barded charger wielding a lance is a bizarre one- reminds me of that real-life American cop show where they're after that guy who's riding round a housing estate in a tank! Subject: Jousting on the M25 Posted Apr 7, 2001 by Geezah This is a reply to this Posting   Posting 4 I'd like to start up a petition to get Jousting started on the M25. Lets get back to the good old days. Instead of a horse though (got to be kind to animals these days) how about a Transit Van. You could lean out of the drivers side, with a scaffold pole for a lance. So what about it then? Whose going to join this petition. Conversation list Conversation list

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