Why Do We Drive On The Right? WheelHouse Donut Media
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Date: 2019-10-24
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Comments and reviews: 10
shoutinghorse
The French were driving on the right long before Napoleon, they mounted and drove their horses as you have said from the left and moved over to the right when passing so as to keep an eye on the wheels to make sure there were no collisions on narrow lanes. The British drove carts whilst sitting on the cart and not the horse and stayed driving on the left, where Napoleon conquered so people were forced to do as the French did. Norway drove on the left until WW2 when the invading Germans forced them to change, Portugal changed over from left to right in 1975 although not all of their colonies followed suit, Mozambique & Macau for example. China also drove on the left due to British influence and changed in the mid '70's. After the return of Hong Kong in 1997 and Macau from Portugal in 1999 (who drive on the left) China became the only country in the world where they officially drive on both sides. As for America the reasons are far more nuanced than you suggest, it depended on which part of the Americas had been influenced by, for example, Spanish south and west (Texas, New Mex. & California) and French south and mid states (Louisiana & Missouri) would have driven horses and carts on the right, the eastern states however being influenced by Britain drove on the left, the exception to this was New York via it's Dutch heritage. Early American cars got their chassis imported from (among others Wolseley motor co. 1901 Austin 1904) Britain, the big industrial powerhouse at that time which came as right hand drive standard. Whan Henry Ford started mass producing the Model T he asked his friend Herbert Austin of Birmingham England to supply the chassis' Austin didn't have the capacity and referred Ford to the Daimler bros. of Germany, they made the chassis' with the steering column and pedal holes on the left hand side by mistake and Ford just rejigged his plant to suit. If Austin had supplied them they would have been right hand drive chassis' and America would now be driving on the left. America drive on the right due to an engineering mistake.
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The French were driving on the right long before Napoleon, they mounted and drove their horses as you have said from the left and moved over to the right when passing so as to keep an eye on the wheels to make sure there were no collisions on narrow lanes. The British drove carts whilst sitting on the cart and not the horse and stayed driving on the left, where Napoleon conquered so people were forced to do as the French did. Norway drove on the left until WW2 when the invading Germans forced them to change, Portugal changed over from left to right in 1975 although not all of their colonies followed suit, Mozambique & Macau for example. China also drove on the left due to British influence and changed in the mid '70's. After the return of Hong Kong in 1997 and Macau from Portugal in 1999 (who drive on the left) China became the only country in the world where they officially drive on both sides. As for America the reasons are far more nuanced than you suggest, it depended on which part of the Americas had been influenced by, for example, Spanish south and west (Texas, New Mex. & California) and French south and mid states (Louisiana & Missouri) would have driven horses and carts on the right, the eastern states however being influenced by Britain drove on the left, the exception to this was New York via it's Dutch heritage. Early American cars got their chassis imported from (among others Wolseley motor co. 1901 Austin 1904) Britain, the big industrial powerhouse at that time which came as right hand drive standard. Whan Henry Ford started mass producing the Model T he asked his friend Herbert Austin of Birmingham England to supply the chassis' Austin didn't have the capacity and referred Ford to the Daimler bros. of Germany, they made the chassis' with the steering column and pedal holes on the left hand side by mistake and Ford just rejigged his plant to suit. If Austin had supplied them they would have been right hand drive chassis' and America would now be driving on the left. America drive on the right due to an engineering mistake.
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discodavid26
Adding to my last comment is because most of the world+America drives on the right it maybe makes English cars with steering on the right a shade more expensive so that maybe that counts slightly against us( and most yanks and Europeans comment that they consider us to drive on the wrong side of the road ) but what you have done a great job of showing in this video is really no one side is better then the other but in all cases the reason and location that leads to the side of the road a nation picks is always correct What USA has for sure better then U. K. Is on two lane motorways with medium levels of traffic your traffic flows much better because you all have auto transmissions with cruise control while in England as we mostly have manuals with drivers who constantly change lanes and needlessly overtake causing more needless traffic for those behind manuals are better on the open road and on big hills but other then somebody who either has a dodgy left leg and/or lives in the middle of a gridlocked city it's the only time automatic cars are better although with electric cars and cvt gearboxes this will gradually change.
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Adding to my last comment is because most of the world+America drives on the right it maybe makes English cars with steering on the right a shade more expensive so that maybe that counts slightly against us( and most yanks and Europeans comment that they consider us to drive on the wrong side of the road ) but what you have done a great job of showing in this video is really no one side is better then the other but in all cases the reason and location that leads to the side of the road a nation picks is always correct What USA has for sure better then U. K. Is on two lane motorways with medium levels of traffic your traffic flows much better because you all have auto transmissions with cruise control while in England as we mostly have manuals with drivers who constantly change lanes and needlessly overtake causing more needless traffic for those behind manuals are better on the open road and on big hills but other then somebody who either has a dodgy left leg and/or lives in the middle of a gridlocked city it's the only time automatic cars are better although with electric cars and cvt gearboxes this will gradually change.
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Anthony R.
still wonder why a european country (UK, the inventor of Eurogroup activist) are Left driving. Why they just dont adapt to right like the rest of us here in europe adapt to their useless culture? .and why their money still be pounds when everyone are using Euro in Europe? - money witch we hardly had to adapt- And after over 3 decades of breacking our balls for a Europen Union, now they decide a brexit. What a confusing people are thoose US discovers -USA make right decision not to trust in such unstable culture and ride in the right side like EVEBODY IN THE WORLD. (sorry my bad handwritting - I try to adapat my iberian culture (once again) to thoose lazy and confusing english people tryin writting in english for them. because they just dont understand no other languish but them ridiculous.
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still wonder why a european country (UK, the inventor of Eurogroup activist) are Left driving. Why they just dont adapt to right like the rest of us here in europe adapt to their useless culture? .and why their money still be pounds when everyone are using Euro in Europe? - money witch we hardly had to adapt- And after over 3 decades of breacking our balls for a Europen Union, now they decide a brexit. What a confusing people are thoose US discovers -USA make right decision not to trust in such unstable culture and ride in the right side like EVEBODY IN THE WORLD. (sorry my bad handwritting - I try to adapat my iberian culture (once again) to thoose lazy and confusing english people tryin writting in english for them. because they just dont understand no other languish but them ridiculous.
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Hinata Hyuga
I actually like my RHD Cabrio on Right Drive Roads (Germany) so much, that I ordered my new Car as a Right Hand Drive too. There are more Advantages, than disadvantages. You Can overtake normally (sometimes even better as you peekright next to your victimxd, get out on the Walkway, can rest your hand on the door with open window, cause left hand steers better, shifting is easier if you got into it. Only disadvantages are overtaking a big truck on a reaaaally straight road. doesnt happen too often that a road is that long and straight in Germany tho. What some would consider a disadvantage, is kinda fun for me. Going into a drive in backwards.
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I actually like my RHD Cabrio on Right Drive Roads (Germany) so much, that I ordered my new Car as a Right Hand Drive too. There are more Advantages, than disadvantages. You Can overtake normally (sometimes even better as you peekright next to your victimxd, get out on the Walkway, can rest your hand on the door with open window, cause left hand steers better, shifting is easier if you got into it. Only disadvantages are overtaking a big truck on a reaaaally straight road. doesnt happen too often that a road is that long and straight in Germany tho. What some would consider a disadvantage, is kinda fun for me. Going into a drive in backwards.
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Pug Boy
It's a non question because roads are designed for the vehicle either left or right? in that country all those bends differ to where you are situated either left or right its the actual vehicle be it left or right that is the question personally im right handed drive in uk your description doesn't make any sense with the horses because the wheel needs to be in your right hand (if your Right handed) for control which you need all the time? your left is for other activities like radio gears change etc so by definition you are left handed country nothing wrong with that it's just as it is (where just right lol) only kidding; )
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It's a non question because roads are designed for the vehicle either left or right? in that country all those bends differ to where you are situated either left or right its the actual vehicle be it left or right that is the question personally im right handed drive in uk your description doesn't make any sense with the horses because the wheel needs to be in your right hand (if your Right handed) for control which you need all the time? your left is for other activities like radio gears change etc so by definition you are left handed country nothing wrong with that it's just as it is (where just right lol) only kidding; )
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Sonny Zehm
It doesn't matter what side of the car the steering wheel is on they both Drive the same way the gas pedal and the brake and clutch if it's a stick are all in the same position left or right doesn't matter what does matter is what side of the road do you drive on take for example if you are in the UK you're going to drive on the left if you are in the u. s. you're going to drive on the right as far as the steering wheel position the throttle position the brake and the clutch if you drive a stick shift they are all in the same order left or right doesn't matter
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It doesn't matter what side of the car the steering wheel is on they both Drive the same way the gas pedal and the brake and clutch if it's a stick are all in the same position left or right doesn't matter what does matter is what side of the road do you drive on take for example if you are in the UK you're going to drive on the left if you are in the u. s. you're going to drive on the right as far as the steering wheel position the throttle position the brake and the clutch if you drive a stick shift they are all in the same order left or right doesn't matter
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Ian Purkis
It also is because of medieval streets in the uk, google The Shambles York uk and take a look at the buildings, the gent would walk on the street on the right of the lady, again, leaving the sword hand free, but also so the lady didnt get covered in human waste when folk threw out their chamber pots through the bed room window that over hung the street. This was in the days when there was open sewers running down the street,
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It also is because of medieval streets in the uk, google The Shambles York uk and take a look at the buildings, the gent would walk on the street on the right of the lady, again, leaving the sword hand free, but also so the lady didnt get covered in human waste when folk threw out their chamber pots through the bed room window that over hung the street. This was in the days when there was open sewers running down the street,
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Michael Fisher
In left-hand drive vehicles (for right driving, the accelerator is to the right of the brake pedal. One uses the right foot for both accelerating and braking. Question: in right-hand drive vehicles (for left driving, is the accelerator to the right or left of the brake pedal? Which foot is used for accelerating and braking?
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In left-hand drive vehicles (for right driving, the accelerator is to the right of the brake pedal. One uses the right foot for both accelerating and braking. Question: in right-hand drive vehicles (for left driving, is the accelerator to the right or left of the brake pedal? Which foot is used for accelerating and braking?
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Aussie offy
This is why driving on the left is correct Most people are right handed and if you drive on the left your steering wheel is on the right so you have your good (right) hand on the wheel and your bad(left) hand on the shifter because steering is more important and must be more precise Thankyou for your time #move to aus
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This is why driving on the left is correct Most people are right handed and if you drive on the left your steering wheel is on the right so you have your good (right) hand on the wheel and your bad(left) hand on the shifter because steering is more important and must be more precise Thankyou for your time #move to aus
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Roland Lawrence
napoleon was a leftie. also what was good enough for napoleon was in his eyes good enough for everyone else. as for the uk driving on the left. earliest records are to do with road works on london bridge in the 1600s stating to pass riding on the left side of the road. also canada switched sides of the road
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napoleon was a leftie. also what was good enough for napoleon was in his eyes good enough for everyone else. as for the uk driving on the left. earliest records are to do with road works on london bridge in the 1600s stating to pass riding on the left side of the road. also canada switched sides of the road
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