SAGA — Doing things properly

Have you ever wondered why us Brits drive on the left hand side of the road when our European and American cousins drive on the right?

Road safety

Well, up until the late 1700s, everyone travelled on the left hand side of the road, simply because it was the most sensible option in feudal or violent times. The reason being that most people were right-handed and if you passed a stranger on the road, it made perfect sense to make sure your protective sword arm was between you and him. Saving you a rather nasty mauling if the stranger wasn’t the friendly type. Possibly, one the earliest forms of road safety.

A tale of two Empires

Napoleon, however, had other ideas. France switched from travelling on the left to travelling on the right, across the entirety of continental Europe. The reason why? Simply because Napoleon himself was left-handed and being the Emperor, he dictated that his armies march on the right, so he could keep his sword arm between himself and his enemies.

At the same time, the British Empire also had quite a firm grasp on the world with its colonies and outposts. This set a divide, which meant what side of the road you travelled on, depended upon where in the world you were. A divide that still exists today in many ex-colonial countries. For example, Australia drives on the left, as does Hong Kong, The Falkland Islands and Barbados.

The move to Independence

America was mainly colonised by European countries. France in the south and along the Canadian east coast, the Dutch in New York, while the Spanish and Portuguese colonised the southern Americas. This meant that Britain had little to do with shaping the direction of traffic.

After the American War of Independence (1775-1783), America was keen to shake off all links with its colonial past, so quickly adopted a blanket policy to travel on the right.

European but not unity

Today, the European Union would very much like the United Kingdom to switch to driving on the right, so as to comply with the rest of Europe. But this is completely unfeasible. The move would cost billions and cause chaos.

However, having said that, the last European country that switched to driving on the right was Sweden, in 1967. Whilst drivers were getting used to the new system, they took more care and paid more attention, which meant the accident rate actually dropped – something that pleased the car insurance companies no end.