The Historical Reason The British Drive On The Left (And Why Most People Don’t)
A relic from a bygone era
Anyone who has traveled to a country where they drive on the left hand side of the road is familiar with the frustration of constantly turning on their windshield wiper instead of their blinker. This is the result of everything being reversed inside of a left handed vehicle.
Most countries in the world drive on the right. According to the United Nations, 141 nations drive on the right compared to just 54 that drive on the left. Many nations, such as India and Australia, inherited left handed traffic from the British Empire. The British were the earliest pioneers of left handed driving, leaving many to wonder why. Why does Britain drive on the left?
Contrary to popular belief, the decision to drive on the left, as opposed to the right, is not an arbitrary one. There was a very good reason that the British started traveling on the left instead of the right, and it has to do with how people used to travel on horseback rather than on foot or by car.
