Left-hand traffic in different countries

Left-hand traffic or right-hand traffic ... How to navigate, which is better, more convenient, what is more rational in operation, finally?

For the first time in England

In fact, there is not much difference between right and left. Left-hand traffic first began to take place in England (in many European countries, on the contrary, it is right-handed). So it went that in the former English colonies left-handed, as the change required the reformatting of the psychology of the inhabitants and was also quite expensive!

Also the railway traffic. In Argentina - the left-hand, and in many countries of Europe, although the cars obey the right-hand! It so happened, this is the tradition.

Countries where the car is left-sided

Most of the world's inhabitants are right-handed people. Therefore, the expediency of the most part of the right-wing movement is not in doubt. But the countries, in which the left-hand movement is legalized, it turns out, is not so little. 28% of all roads on the planet are left-handed. On the left side, 34% of the world's population travel, and this is not so little. As already mentioned, the main reason for this was the colonial policy in England. Left-hand traffic spread in the former British colonies and territories, once dependent on Britain.

Here are the countries of Europe, where the car is left-sided: Great Britain, Malta, Ireland, Cyprus. In Asia they are Japan, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Macau, Pakistan, Thailand, Nepal, Hong Kong, Singapore and some others. As you can see, there are quite a few of them! In Oceania: Australia, Fiji, New Guinea, New Zealand. In Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique. In Latin America: Jamaica, Bahamas, Barbados, Suriname. Still left-hand traffic in Japan. You can list and transfer!

A bit of history

In history there were even precedents, when whole states changed from left-hand to right-handed and vice versa. The country Sweden for one day replaced the left-hand traffic of cars to the right-hand one. This happened in 1967. America, trying to disown its "Anglo-Dependency", made it easier - not the same as in England. Namely, this country has made an indisputable contribution to the development of the world automotive industry. And many countries of the world took an example from it!

Let's add that in modern cars the driver's seat is closer to the side of the oncoming traffic flow: on the right in the left-hand, on the left in the countries with right-hand traffic, respectively. This creates additional convenience for the driver, broadens the field of view and gives the ability to respond faster.

And more from history: in Russia in the Middle Ages, the rules of the movement (right-handed) formed by themselves and were observed as the most natural. And the Empress Elizabeth in the distant 1752, issued a decree on the right-hand traffic on the streets of Russian cities for cabmen and carriages.

And in the west, the first law that would regulate traffic through the streets was the English Bill of 1756, in which the movement along the London Bridge was to be carried out on the left side.