h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

After travelling through time, and passing some of my youth in mid-evil France, in the years of Joanne d'Arcquette, i have your little answer to this mind-bonding question.

People used to walk on the streets, from the days of the first streets ever, way back in the Roman Empire.
People used to carry swords and other cuttlery tools with them, because some of the not-so-fortunate used to close streets and rob.

So, people walked (or rided horses) in the middle of the narrow roads, and whenever someone passed by, they faced him with the right side, so it could be easier to draw the sword (or other cuttlery tool) to defend oneself.

After His Royal Higness, the King of France, cleared the streets from robbers, he gave a Royal Order, that his subject will from this point on use the right side of the roads, because the streets are now safe and free for everyone.
Also, its now illegal for anyone not in the King's Army (or being a professional butcher) to carry cuttlery tools.

The Brits, however, needed to point out there independence from France opposed this rule and where walking on the left side of the roads, creating a major problem for GM-Opel, who need to produce silly cars with the driving weel on the wrong side, calling them Vauxhalls.

Wait a minute. It's not only in Britain where you drive on the left. I know for a fact that in Cyprus you drive on the left, and I think that in a good number of the following countries it is also still the custom: India, South Africa, Pakistan, some South-East Asian Islands. Can anyone help out with more exact information?

AUSTRALIA and nearly every single other normal country drives on the left!!!!!! What ois wrong with you people!
America is not normal!

Several countries left-side driving can probably be explained by past British rulership.

The little cross-over system from Spain to Gibraltar is quite interesting!

Could you tell us more about the Gibraltar/Spain exchange system as I have never been there.

I don't remember it too well now, only that a lot of it involved driving across a runway. I think that's where you change sides as well.

I have now found a site which gives a list of countries which drive on the left. As I learned in a pub quiz recently, it is about a quarter of the world's countries which drive on the left.

http://www.2pass.co.uk/goodluck.htm

I have now found a site which gives a list of countries which drive on the left. As I learned in a pub quiz recently, it is about a quarter of the world's countries which drive on the left.

http://www.2pass.co.uk/goodluck.htm

It also gives an explanation which I prefer to the one in the entry and to the one given by xtreme above. Although they may all be true, and may all apply in equal parts.

So it *is* to do with sword arms after all.

I like the horseman's whip theory better, but there we go.

kinky!

Easy, girl!

Tut-tut.

I thought so...

http://www.budgetrentacar.gi/faq.html

Which side of the road do you drive on?
You drive on the right-hand side of the road both in Gibraltar and Spain.


six7's
*the memory still works - just*

I believe the truth lies in a certain Frenchman.

As has been said in the guide entry, the cart drivers carried the whips with their right hand to avoid the risk of removing a young urchins ear or whatever. It was also because the army, cavalry, knights etc were predominantly right handed so when approaching any oncoming attacker/enemy etc their weapon could be drawn to face that side.

Napoleon however, was left handed and made the entire of his empire dress to the left, so to speak.

I have a theory on why others drive on the right. I believe it's because Henry Ford's Model T had the steering wheel on the left. Again the question is, why do British drive on the left?

The answer is given in the entry, and many other interesting comments are made in the other threads attached to the entry. Enjoy!

But, I believe the explanation in the article only works if the steering wheel of the Model T was on the right. And, if the explanation is true, the same thing should've happened in the US. All of you have made me very confused, and possibly hungry

????

The entry does not mention Henry Ford. A395426

As I previously stated, the Model T was probably designed to drive on the right. Henry Ford created the Model T and so I mentioned Henry Ford.

There is a new explaination here ~ A20080955.