Which movement on the cube is right-handed or left-handed? Which countries drive on the left side of the road: let's figure it out together

Even before the invention of the automobile, man noticed that following the general agreement to drive on one side of the road helps reduce vehicle collisions and traffic jams. After driving became common, most governments adopted an agreement that drivers drive on the right side of the road. However, some states, due to various characteristics, preferred driving on the left. More details about how many countries have made this decision and why can be found in our review material.

What influences the choice of destination in different countries

Today, a third of the world's population drives on the left, and almost as many of the world's highways are left-hand drive. Thus, driving on the right is used much more often. This is explained by historical traditions and the fact that most people on the planet are right-handed. Thus, when traveling in horse-drawn carriages, the rider could quickly carry out the maneuver of turning to the right side (in order, for example, to avoid a collision with another carriage or a traveler on a narrow road) than to the left, since it is right hand stronger and better developed.
Later, when horseless carriages operated by levers appeared, drivers also had to make considerable efforts to control them. It was better to control with my right hand. Most likely, it was this physiological feature that served as the reason for the fact that right-hand driving became traditional, and later standardized.

Important! Despite the assurances of right-hand drive supporters that driving on the left is safer, experts argue that the direction of movement in no way affects the number of accidents. Safety on highways can only be ensured by proper transport and strict adherence to traffic rules.

However, there are other versions that claim that moving along the left edge of the road appeared earlier (in particular, this is how people moved in the Roman Empire). And the first documented law that ordered citizens of the country to stick to the left was the bill passed in England in 1756. It talked about the norm of moving this way across London Bridge. The law also established a fine for violation - a pound of silver.
A quarter of a century later, in Britain, at the legislative level, it was prescribed to drive on the left side of all roads in the country. Later, since Great Britain became a colonial power, all its colonies also had to obey this law and switch to driving on the left. Thus, the tradition of such riding came to India, Pakistan and Australia, where the influence of England was very high.

If we talk about the factors that influenced the choice of direction of movement in Europe and the USA, then historians argue that France and its authority among the world community during the Napoleonic era played a huge role here. Thus, countries that supported the policy of the French emperor (in particular, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain) followed the French and legalized right-hand driving.

Those who did not share it and were in opposition to the head of France preferred to move to the left. We are talking about countries such as the UK already mentioned above, as well as Austria-Hungary and Portugal.
Historical traditions to influence the choice of direction of movement did not stop at the above countries. Next in line was Japan - the land of the rising sun. According to historians, samurai fastened their sword on their left side. And so as not to touch each other when racing on horses, they separated, turning to the right. The national rule for driving on the left was formed in XVIII century. And the Japanese finally approved it at the legislative level in 1927.

An interesting fact is that America was at first a supporter of “leftism,” but under the influence of the French general Marie-Joseph Lafayette in the 18th century, it preferred right-hand driving.

There are also a number of countries that, over time and probably under the influence of neighboring powers in the 20th century, replaced driving on the left with driving on the right. These include, in particular, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Korea, Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone.
The reverse transition - from left-hand drive to right-hand drive - was made by only 2 countries: Samoa and Mozambique. The first is because a significant number of used cars intended for right-hand driving were brought into the state. The second is under the influence of neighboring powers.

Did you know? The Swedes have been preparing to switch to driving on the right for 4 years. On September 3, 1967, at 4:50 a.m., traffic stopped, and from 5 a.m. all drivers moved to the other side of the highway. In Swedish history, this date is called “N-Day”: from Swedish.« högertrafik» - « right-hand traffic» .

How the direction influenced vehicle design

At the dawn of the automobile industry, there was no clear placement of the steering wheel on the left or right - cars were produced with different placements. However, over time, the tradition of placing the steering wheel on the left became entrenched - it was more convenient to disembark taxi passengers when driving on the right and more comfortable to see when overtaking. In addition to the actual placement of the steering wheel and driver's seat, there are other structural differences in cars that are influenced by this fact. Thus, the design of the wipers responsible for cleaning the windshield is different. In left-hand drive cars, at rest they are folded to the right, in right-hand drive cars - to the left. The wiper switch on left-hand drive vehicles is located on the right side of the steering column.

As for the turn switches, today they are located the same in all cars (although until recently there were models where they were on the left).

It should be noted that manufacturers of modern cars for the mass consumer do not follow the lead of drivers who are accustomed to driving on the left, and in order to save costs, cars produce models with only one difference - the location of the driver's seat.
The remaining parameters for left-hand drive and right-hand drive cars are usually the same (with the exception of certain brands).

Did you know? Sports car manufacturer McLaren in 1992-1998 produced a model called McLaren F1, in which the steering wheel and driver's seat were located in the center of the cabin. From 1993 to 2005 it was the fastest car in the world.

List of countries with left-hand traffic, current for 2018

Below is a current list of powers where only Left side traffic.
Countries marked in green on the map - with right-hand traffic, yellow - with left-hand traffic

Europe

Among European states there are only 4 ardent representatives left with legalized left-hand driving:

Great Britain;
Malta;
Ireland;
Cyprus.

Asia

There are quite a few countries in Asia where people drive on the left side of roads. These include:

Bangladesh;
Brunei;
India;
Indonesia
Japan;
Malaysia;
Maldives;
Nepal;
Pakistan;
Singapore;
Thailand;
Sri Lanka;
East Timor.

Africa

On African continent Just like in Asia, there are 13 powers and island states that adhere to the “leftism” when traveling by car.
Among them are:

Botswana;
Kenya;
Lesotho;
Mauritius;
Mozambique;
Namibia;
Seychelles;
Republic of South Africa;
Swaziland;
Tanzania;
Uganda;
Zambia;
Zimbabwe.

South America

On the South American continent, the vast majority of countries have rules requiring people to stay on the right side when driving cars.
And only 2 countries prefer to drive on the left side of the road:

Suriname.

Important! If a person going on a trip plans to travel to other countries in his own car or rent a car, then he needs to first become familiar with the direction of travel in the areas he is going to visit.

Oceania

Among the states and islands of Oceania, the left side is followed when driving on highways:

Australia;
Fiji;
Republic of Kiribati;
Republic of Nauru;
New Zealand;
Papua New Guinea;
Samoa;
Solomon islands;
Kingdom of Tonga;
Tuvalu.

In addition, people drive on the left edge of the road in the Bahamas, the Lesser Antilles: Antigua, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent, as well as in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, on Virgin Islands, Saint Lucia and Jamaica.
Thus, various historical reasons influenced which half of the road people travel along in a particular country in the world. Left side traffic on highways ah adhere to residents of 53 countries. Driving on the right is considered traditional. Accordingly, much more left-hand drive cars are produced. If a person plans to travel to another state by car, then he definitely needs to familiarize himself with the traffic rules in force on his territory. Switching to the “opposite” steering wheel is not easy - you also need to change the road signs.

Subscribe to our feeds at

The short answer is that it’s not scary, and those who have never driven in countries with left-hand traffic don’t need to be afraid. It all depends on your experience and desire. Anyone with normal driving experience can get used to changing direction.

At the same time, you shouldn’t relax too much, especially at first. You must always remember that the direction of movement has changed and control your actions.

Rule #1

When driving on the left:

when turning left, do not cross the oncoming lane (as when driving on the right, we turn right)
when turning right, we cross the oncoming lane (as when driving on the right, we turn left)

It all seems banal and obvious; even after a couple of weeks behind the wheel, from time to time there was a desire to turn into the wrong lane when turning at intersections. In both cases, the main thing to remember is that if when driving on the right, when turning right, you do not need to cross the oncoming lane, then when driving on the left, it’s exactly the opposite. You turn left without crossing the oncoming traffic, but when turning right, you cross.

There is another very important nuance with the car - this is the feeling of the dimensions of the car relative to the driver. When you change from a car with a left-hand drive to a car with a right-hand drive, the sensations change. I'll explain in more detail. When driving on the right, you sit on the left and are already accustomed to the fact that there is no space on your left, but on the right there is a passenger seat, creating a space of about a meter from the driver to the edge of the car. And while driving: leaving the parking lot. When driving along a lane or changing lanes, you already subconsciously remember this and leave a margin of distance between the right edge of the car and objects on the road. When you change into a right-handed car in a country with left-hand traffic, the space you are accustomed to being on your right turns out to be on your left. At the same time, you get the feeling that the left edge of the car is to your left. But that’s not true, there’s now a passenger on your left!

And you should always remember this and not forget until you get used to this change. In my case, this led to the fact that when driving along the lane, I often pressed too hard either to the side of the road in the case of one lane in the direction or to the adjacent lane if there were two or three of them. Also, when leaving the parking lot along the road, if there was a car in front, sometimes there was catastrophically little space left between my hood on the left side and its rear fender. I almost struck it several times. When driving a scooter or motorcycle, this feature does not arise, since the distribution of vehicle dimensions relative to the driver does not change.

This time, there was a small road incident that cost the left mirror on our iron horse torn off.

This was partly led to by what I described above, but probably excessive self-confidence played a big role. In the city limits, with heavy traffic, I made maneuvers at speed. The quieter you go, the further you'll get.)

All this happens because you forget that the distribution of car dimensions relative to the driver has changed. It takes from several days to a couple of weeks to get used to, depending on the frequency of driving and the experience of the driver. All this time you need to remember this and mentally control it until it is deposited in the subconscious. When returning to the usual right-hand traffic, it also takes time to get used to, but in this case it happens much faster.

Another point is that this is not the usual arrangement of car controls.

In right-handed cars, control of light, headlights and turn signals is located on the right side of the steering wheel, control of wipers and windshield washer is located on the left. In the usual left-handed cars, the opposite is true. In practice, when changing the location of the steering wheel, this leads to the fact that before or during a maneuver, turning or changing lanes, you want to turn on the turn signal, but the wipers turn on. When you want to blink your high beams, the windshield washer turns on.

And vice versa, if you want to turn on the windows, turn on the washer or wipers, then the lighting elements, headlights, turn signals, etc. are activated.

These are perhaps the main points; I didn’t notice any other nuances or things that you have to get used to when changing from right-hand traffic to left-hand traffic.

If you have questions about driving a car or motorcycle in countries with left-hand traffic, feel free to ask in the comments.

For the first time in England

Essentially, there is not much difference between right- and left-handed. Left-hand traffic first began in England (in many European countries, on the contrary, right-hand traffic is accepted). And so it happened that in the former English colonies the left-handedness was preserved, since the change required reformatting the psychology of the inhabitants and was also quite expensive!

Also the railway traffic. In Argentina - left-hand drive, and in many European countries, although cars obey right-hand drive! This is how it happened, this is the tradition.

Countries where cars drive on the left

The majority of the world's inhabitants are right-handed. Therefore, the expediency of mostly right-hand traffic is beyond doubt. But it turns out that there are not so few countries in which driving on the left is legal. 28% of all roads on the planet are left-hand drive. 34% of the entire earth's population travel on the left side, and this is not so little. As already mentioned, the main reason for this was colonial policy in England. Driving on the left has spread to former British colonies and territories once dependent on Great Britain.

Here are the European countries where cars drive on the left: Great Britain, Malta, Ireland, Cyprus. In Asia, these are Japan, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Macau, Pakistan, Thailand, Nepal, Hong Kong, Singapore and some others. As you can see, there are quite a lot of them! In Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Zealand. In Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique. IN Latin America: Jamaica, Bahamas, Barbados, Suriname. Driving on the left side of the road in Japan. You can list and list!

A little history

There were even precedents in history when entire states switched from left-leaning to right-leaning and vice versa. The country of Sweden replaced left-hand traffic with right-hand traffic within one day. This happened in 1967. America, in an effort to disown its “English dependence,” made it simpler - not like in England. Namely, this country has made an undeniable contribution to the development of the global automotive industry. And many countries on the planet took their example from her!

Let us add that in modern cars the driver’s seat is located closer to the side of oncoming traffic: on the right in places with left-hand traffic, on the left in countries with right-hand traffic, respectively. This creates additional comfort for the driver, expands the field of view and gives the ability to react faster.

And one more thing from history: in Russia in the Middle Ages, the rules of traffic (right-hand drive) developed by themselves and were observed as the most natural. And back in 1752, Empress Elizabeth issued a decree on right-hand traffic on the streets of Russian cities for cab drivers and carriages.

And in the West, the first law that would regulate traffic on the streets was the English bill of 1756, in which traffic had to be carried out on the left side.

Prerequisites

Walking is on the right side. Apparently, most people (unarmed) walk to the right.

Leading a horse and pulling a cart is right-handed. In this case, it is more convenient for a person to be on the side of oncoming traffic than on the side of the road - on the one hand, this allows him to avoid a collision, on the other hand, he can stop and talk with the oncoming person.

After they stopped driving on the roads with weapons and suspecting everyone was an enemy, right-hand traffic spontaneously began to develop on the roads, which was mainly due to human physiology, a significant difference in strength and dexterity different hands in the techniques of driving heavy horse-drawn carriages drawn by several horses. The peculiarity of man affected that most people are right-handed. When traveling on a narrow road, it was easier to direct the carriage to the right to the side of the road or the edge of the road, pulling on the reins with the right hand, that is, with the strongest hand, holding the horses. It is probably for this simple reason that the tradition and then the norm of passing on the roads arose first. This norm eventually became established as the norm for driving on the right.

In Russia, back in the Middle Ages, the rule of right-hand traffic developed spontaneously and was observed as natural human behavior. The Danish envoy to Peter I, Just Yul, wrote in 1709 that “in Russia everywhere it is customary for carts and sleighs, when meeting each other, to pass each other, keeping to the right side.” In 1752, the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna issued a decree introducing right-hand traffic for carriages and cab drivers on the streets of Russian cities.

In the West, the first law regulating left- or right-hand traffic was the English Bill of 1756, according to which traffic on London Bridge had to be on the left side. Violation of this rule was subject to an impressive fine - a pound of silver. And 20 years later, the historical “Road Act” was published in England, which introduced left-hand traffic on all roads in the country. The same left-hand traffic was adopted on railway. In 1830, traffic on the first Manchester-Liverpool railway line was on the left.

There is another theory about the appearance of initially left-hand traffic. Some historians suggest that it was more convenient to ride on the left side in the days when horse-drawn teams appeared, where the coachmen sat on top. So, when they were driving the horses, the whip of the right-handed coachman could accidentally hit passers-by who were walking along the sidewalk. That is why horse-drawn carriages often drove on the left.

Great Britain is considered the main “culprit” of “leftism”, which then influenced many countries of the world. According to one version, she introduced the same order on her roads from maritime rules, that is, at sea, an oncoming ship allowed another one to pass, which was approaching from the right.

The influence of Great Britain affected the order of traffic in its colonies, therefore, in particular, in countries such as India, Pakistan, Australia, left-hand traffic was adopted. In 1859, Queen Victoria's ambassador, Sir R. Alcock, persuaded the Tokyo authorities to also accept driving on the left.

Driving on the right is often associated with France, with its influence on many other countries. During the French Revolution of 1789, a decree issued in Paris ordered that people move along the “common” right side. A little later, Napoleon consolidated this position by ordering the military to keep to the right, so that anyone who met the French army would give way to it. Further, this order of movement, oddly enough, was associated with big politics in early XIX centuries. Those who supported Napoleon - Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain. On the other hand, those who opposed Napoleonic army: Britain, Austria-Hungary, Portugal - turned out to be “leftists”. The influence of France was so great that it influenced many countries in Europe, and they switched to driving on the right. However, in England, Portugal, Sweden and some other countries, traffic remains on the left. In Austria, a curious situation has developed. In some provinces, traffic was on the left, while in others it was on the right. It was only after the Anschluss in the 1930s by Germany that the entire country switched to right-hand drive.

At first, there was left-hand traffic in the USA. But by the end of the 18th century there was a gradual transition to right-hand traffic. It is believed that the Americans were “convinced” to switch to driving on the right by the French general Marie-Joseph Lafayette, who made a significant contribution to the fight for independence from the British crown. At the same time, in a number of Canadian provinces, left-hand traffic remained until the 1920s.

IN different time In many countries, driving on the left was adopted, but they switched to new rules. For example, due to the proximity to countries that were former French colonies and drive on the right, the rules were changed by the former British colonies in Africa. In Czechoslovakia (formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), left-hand traffic was maintained until 1938. North Korea and South Korea switched from driving on the left to driving on the right in 1946, after the end of the Japanese occupation.

One of the last countries to switch from driving on the left to driving on the right was Sweden. This happened in 1967. Preparations for reform began back in 1963, when the Swedish parliament formed State Commission on the transition to right-hand traffic, which was supposed to develop and implement a set of measures to ensure such a transition. On September 3, 1967, at 4:50 a.m., all vehicles were required to stop, change sides of the road, and continue driving at 5:00 a.m. For the first time after the transition, a special speed limit mode was installed.

After the advent of cars in Europe, real leapfrog was happening. Most countries drove on the right side - this custom has been imposed since the time of Napoleon. However, in England, Sweden and even part of Austria-Hungary, driving on the left reigned. And in Italy, different cities generally had different rules!

As for the location of the steering wheel, on the first cars in most cases it was on the “wrong” right side for us. Moreover, regardless of which side the cars were driving on. This was done so that the driver could better see the car being overtaken. In addition, with this steering wheel arrangement, the driver could get out of the car directly onto the sidewalk, and not onto the roadway.

The first mass-produced car with a “correct” steering wheel was the Ford T.

Countries that changed the movement

At various times, many countries adopted left-hand traffic, but due to the inconvenience associated with the fact that the neighbors of these countries had right-hand traffic, they switched to right-hand traffic. The most famous day in history was H-Day in Sweden, when the country switched from driving on the left to driving on the right.

The former British colonies in Africa Sierra Leone, Gambia, Nigeria and Ghana also changed their left-hand drive to right-hand drive due to their proximity to former French colonies that drive on the right. Conversely, the former Portuguese colony of Mozambique changed from right-hand drive to left-hand drive due to its proximity to former British colonies. North Korea and South Korea switched from driving on the left to driving on the right in 1946, after the end of the Japanese occupation.

Countries with left-hand traffic

Changing sides at the border

At the borders of countries with different directions of traffic, road junctions are built, sometimes quite impressive.

Special cases

First cars

On cars produced at the beginning of the 20th century, the location of the steering wheel had not yet been completely determined: often the driver’s seat was made from the sidewalk (that is, they made the steering wheel right-handed when driving on the right and the steering wheel on the left when driving on the left). Later, the standard became the location of the steering wheel on the side opposite the sidewalk - this ensures best review when overtaking; In addition, when using the car as a taxi, it makes boarding and disembarking passengers more convenient and safe.

Postal cars

Cars for collecting mail are often made with an “incorrect” steering wheel position (for example, such an IZH van was produced in the USSR). This is done for the convenience of the driver, who can now go directly onto the sidewalk and not be exposed to unnecessary danger.

Bahamas

Historically, the Bahamas drives on the left side of the road, but most cars drive on the islands on the left hand drive due to the proximity of the United States, from where such cars are constantly imported.

Russia - East

Regardless of the position of the driver's seat, the headlights are adjusted so that the light is directed slightly towards the side of the road - in order to illuminate pedestrians and not blind oncoming drivers.

However, the Vienna Convention on traffic says that a car temporarily entering a country must comply with the technical standards of the country in which it is being driven registered.

Other types of transport

Aircraft

For a number of reasons (imperfect ignition systems and carburetors, which often caused engine stalls, strict weight restrictions), aircraft of the First World War had exclusively rotary engines - the engine star rotates with the propeller, and the fuel-oil mixture is supplied through a hollow, stationary crankshaft. In such engines, the heavy crankcase played the role of a flywheel. The screw, as a rule, was used on the right, rotating clockwise. Due to the large mass of the engine, a reverse torque arose, tending to create a left bank for the aircraft, so turns to the left were performed more energetically. Because of this, many aviation maneuvers were based on left turns - hence the left seat of the pilot.

With the improvement of ignition systems, rotary engines gave way to two-row and star-shaped ones, in which the reverse torque is many times less. The pilots (already peaceful) navigated along the existing roads (and in desert areas where there were no roads, they made furrows). When planes (with an established left seat) flying along the road towards each other needed to miss each other, the pilots turned to the right - hence right-hand traffic with the left seat of the main pilot.

There is another reason related to anatomy: the pilot holds the control stick with his right hand in front of him at chest level, left hand- below, approximately at the level of the armrest, controls the engine using the throttle. In this position, it is more convenient to look down from the left side, since the right hand extended in front of you prevents you from leaning to the right.

Helicopters and ships

Almost everywhere (except for inland rivers) driving is on the left with the seat on the right. This allows you to see traffic on the starboard side (which should be skipped).

The chief pilot's seat on the only production tiltrotor V-22 Osprey is on the right, “helicopter-style.”

Railroad and metro

The pioneer of railway transport is Great Britain, which imposed left-hand railway traffic on many countries (France, Israel, Russia). Later, Russia switched to right-hand drive, but even now some of the old Russian lines are left-hand drive. In Germany, railway traffic has historically been on the right. That's why in Alsace-Lorraine (which belonged to Germany before the First World War), trains still travel on the right.

It is not uncommon for escalators to move on the left side in order to reduce the intersection of human flows, or for the convenience of organizing the upper lobby.