Why We Drive Where We Drive

Ever wonder why Malaysian drive at the left of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the car?

_{^{Left Hand Drive Country VS Right Hand Drive Country}}

Turns out to be we are driving at the wrong side of the road. About 35% or 2.6 billion of the world population drive on the left side. Which consist of 44% of the world countries.

THE HISTORY

But enough of the metric system and standards and finds out the history behind this.

The story begins long before any cars, when the Egyptian constructed the 1st paved road, but it was the Roman Empire, which by 200 AD ruled the whole Europe and England, build the biggest road network. And since they build the roads and most people are right-handed, swordsmen preferred to keep to the left in order to have their right arm nearer to an opponent and their scabbard further from him.

_{^{Medieval Scabbard}}

Also, it is easier to mount a horse from the left side, so it becomes the law of the land that people will ride on the left side of the road.

_{^{French Revolution}}

Because of Rome, for 1800 years, most of Europe travels on the left. So when does it change?

During the French Revolution in a bid to turn absolutely everything on its antithesis, the driving laws were changed to "keep right." Napoleon quickly adopted the right-hand rule as law for two reasons--a display of absolute power in even the minutest of details, and the singular fact that the emperor was left-handed-- according to Ed Wright's "A Left Handed History of the World."

_{^{Napoleon Bonaparte}}

The one place Napoleon cannot get his influence get through was England. And because of the Napoleon Complex, the Brits come out with a guideline in 1773 and made it official with the Highway Act of 1835.

When the British and French were busy colonizing the world, the brought their customs with them. That’s why most often a French Colony like Vietnam or Morocco, they drive on the right. And if they are a British colony like Australia and Malaysia like us, we will drive on the left.

THE AMERICAN WAY

There was one British colony did follow the rules, the land of the great. Yes, the Americans. Why? Back during the Wild West days or American frontier period of the Western United States in the 19th century, the explorer has to transport a lot of stuff over a great distances. So they needed more horses to be mounted on their wagon more horse power. So, a 4, 6 or 8 horse’s team was a norm.

So you get yourself a wagon with 6 horses mounted, where are you going to sit? Naturally, you will be sitting on the left rear of the horse. This makes it easier to whip all the animals with your right hand.

_{^{Riding on the rear left}}

And because you are sitting on the left, you are going to drive on the right to make sure you don’t crash into oncoming traffic.

_{^{Watch out!! Head on collision}}

In the mid-1800, the American start paving their roads and starting digging deep drainage ditches on each side. The wagon riders didn’t want to risk falling into the ditch, so they started to sitting on the right.

_{^{Right Side of the road with ditch}}

So now they are driving on the right and sitting on the right. When the first cars came along, they didn’t think of that any differently.

_{^{Ford Model S}}

The first American cars were all right-hand drive. Even Henry Ford’s first car, the model A in 1903, had its steering wheel on the right hand side.

_{^{Ford Model A}}

By the time Ford designed the Model T, there were enough cars on the road that how close you were on to oncoming traffic was more important than how close you were to the edge of the road. So on the Model T, Ford moved the steering wheel to the left. Ford sold nearly 15 million Model T’s in 18 years, so everybody else started to do it too.

SO WHAT ABOUT JAPAN?

_{^{Land of the Rising Sun}}

Japan was never colonised by the British nor the French. Like the Roman and for similar reasons, the Japanese historically travelled on the left. The origin of this habit goes back to the Edo period (1603-1868), it wasn’t until 1872 that this unwritten rule became more or less official. That was the year when Japan’s first railway was introduced, built with technical aid from the British. Gradually, a massive network of railways and tram tracks was built, and of course all trains and trams drove on the left-hand side. Still, it took another half century till in 1924 left-side driving was clearly written in a law.

So that’s why we drive where we drive. It really has very little to do with cars. It’s a combination of a lot things: timing, convenience or someone wanting to leave a legacy.