In different countries of the world, why do people follow the right and sometimes the left for driving and traveling on the road? For example, in Bangladesh and India, it is on the left, but in America and Europe, cars are driven on the right side of the road. Why such variation, and how did this rule come about?
These territories, including India, Bangladesh, were once part of British colonies. The British ruled these areas for over 200 years. Most of the countries that now drive on the left were part of the British Empire.
Road rules start –
Road rules started at different times in all countries of the world, but in ancient times most countries of the world had a tradition of walking on the left side of the road, and the tradition of walking on the right began in the early 18th century.
The first real archaeological evidence for street walking rules comes from the Roman Empire. A study of this evidence shows that citizens of the Roman Empire drove on the left side of the road. There is no clear evidence as to why people in the Roman Empire drove on the left side of the road, but walking on the left side of the road was common throughout the medieval period.
In medieval times, it was not always safe for travelers to walk the streets. Also the enemies coming from the other side of the road could be avoided. Since most people were right-handed, swordsmen carried a sword in their right hand and could easily attack enemies while walking on the left side of the street. In addition to this, people walking on the left side of the road were facilitated to easily greet the best friends they found on the road with their right hand.
In 1300 AD, Pope Boniface VIII decreed that people coming to Rome from around the world must follow the rule of walking on the left side of the road when they travel. After that, by the end of the seventeenth century, the rules of the road were followed in almost all Western countries.
“Teamsters” originated in the United States in the 18th century. It was a huge wagon, with a team of horses. These wagons did not have seats for the drivers. The rider sat on the left and controlled all the horses with the right hand whip. But because of this, the American people had to change the rule of walking on the left side of the road and they started following the rule of walking on the right side of the road.
The main reason for this change is that it is easier to keep an eye on wagons approaching from behind or in front, with the leftmost horse riding on the right side of the road. In 1792, the first right-of-way law was enacted in Pennsylvania, United States, and by the end of the 18th century, the law was followed throughout the United States and Canada.
European countries have introduced rules in the right direction
In European countries, the right-way rule was first enforced on this road in France, but the exact reasons why this rule was enforced in France are not available. Some people say that the French revolutionaries did not want to follow the Pope’s order, so they followed this rule. There is also a belief that the French did not want to follow the rules used by the British. Also some people believe that Napoleon started the rule of walking on the right side of the road.
Napoleon later spread this system to all the countries he conquered. Even after Napoleon was defeated, most of the countries he conquered decided to continue the right-of-way system. The most important of these countries was Germany, which implemented right-of-way systems in many European countries in the 20th century.
In India and Bangladesh followed the rule of walking on the left side of the road.
Unlike in America, horse-drawn wagons were never used in England, as they could not be pulled on the narrow streets of London and other British cities. Also, neither Napoleon nor Germany could ever conquer England, so German culture and laws could not be imposed on England.
This is why the rule of walking on the left side of the road is always followed in England and it was formalized as official law in England. In other words, England also followed the orders given by the Pope.
Now as the British Empire expanded across the world, the rule of walking on the left was followed in all British-ruled countries.
Right-Left Driving has been modified for over 100 years among Europeans. Today, only four European countries still drive Left-Hand, these are the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta. Since most of the world was ruled by the British, this rule still remains in most of the world.
When the British rule ended in America, they were very independent minded, they chose to overturn all the laws given by the British. They made their cars with steering on the left and drove on the right side of the road. Americans even made their electrical switches differently. It was designed separately for that. Press up to switch on and down to switch off. So this is a great example.