Why are steering wheels on the right side in England?

Answer 1

It originates from horse-drawn wagons. In America and continental Europe, teams of 6-12 horses would be used to pull huge wagon loads. The horses would be arranged in pairs and the driver would sit on the left horse on the back row. This way he could whip the horses (holding the whip in his right hand). When a cart came the other way, he would pass on the right hand side. This way he could make sure the carts didn't scrape.

On the small island of Great Britain, monster-sized carts were never needed. Instead, the driver would sit on the cart. He would also sit on the right hand side, so he could whip the horses without hitting the cart with the whip.

Answer 2

English custom continued the earlier Roman and Greek practice of driving on the left side of the road. Europe changed to riding/driving on the right side mainly in the 19th century, partly due to Napoleon. It became logical for all road systems of continental Europe to have a common practice, with Portugal and Italy changing in the 1920's and Sweden only in 1967.

The practice of walking/riding to the left had several reasons, one being the practice of mounting a horse from the left side. Most people are right handed, and it is also impossible to mount from the right while wearing a sword, which hangs down on one's left side.

Similarly, on roads infested with bandits and other enemies, it was safest to pass oncoming traffic on the side which enabled one to wield a weapon in defense.

Reasons for Change to the Right

As long as traffic moves on the left-hand side of the road, drivers of coaches and wagons will sit on the right-hand side, so as to be able to watch their wheels and make sure they do not tangle with those of the oncoming traffic.

In a small country like England, coaches and wagons can be comparatively small, and passing each other starboard to starboard, so to speak, is the most practical way. However, in larger land masses, with longer distances to cover, there are economies of scale to be had in using larger conveyances. These need more horses, and large numbers of horses are difficult to control from the box of a wagon. Large conveyances can be better controlled by postillions, mounted on one of the horses.

Imagine, then, a big wagon pulled by six horses. The postillion mounts (from the left, naturally), one of the horses - usually the nearside wheeler, that is, the back left-hand one. But how can he watch the wheels of his wagon when he meets another? He's on the wrong side. The answer, of course, is to pass port to port, moving over to the right-hand side of the road for the purpose.

In America, which thought big in vehicles from the start, travelling on the right with teamster wagons very quickly became normal practice. And Napoleon, moving vast armies with vast carts and vast guns over vast distances, enforced the change in mainland Europe.

Answer 3

We drive on the left hand side of the road, well because that's the way we've always driven. It originates from the Romans who invaded England many years ago. They use to drive on the left so we still drive on the left. Most countries which used to belong to the British Empire e.g India, New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan, Fiji, etc all, as I know of, drive the left hand side of the road.

Answer 4

The custom of keeping to the left originated from the use of the horse (mounting easier for right hand person on the left) and the wearing of swords (keeps the scabbard from clashing as you pass and the sword away from your enemy). The UK drives on the left as does about a third of the World (most being ex British Colonies with the major exception of Japan). It uses right hand drive vehicles which places the driver in the middle of the road and giving the best view for overtaking.

Answer 5

Well it's one of those trivia questions that can really nag at you until you find an answer, I did some research and discovered the following:

In days of old logic dictated that when people passed each other on the road they should be in the best possible position to use their sword to protect themselves. As most people are right handed they therefore keep to their left. This practice was formalised in a Papal Edict by Pope Benefice around 1300AD who told all his pilgrims to keep to the left.

Nothing much changed until 1773 when an increase in horse traffic forced the UK Government to introduce the General Highways Act of 1773 which contained a keep left recommendation. This became a law as part of the Highways Bill in 1835.

Reasons to travel on the right are less clear but the generally accepted version of history is as follows: The French, being Catholics, followed Pope Boneface's edict but in the build up to the French Revolution in 1790 the French Aristocracy drove their carriages at great speed on the left hand side of the road, forcing the peasantry over to the right side for their own safety. Come the Revolution, instincts of self preservation resulted in the remains of the Aristocracy joining the peasants on the right hand side of the road. The first official record of this was a keep right rule introduced in Paris in 1794

OK, that explains the UK and France but what about the rest of the world ?

Britain's imperial expansion (all of the pink bits on old maps) spread the keep left rule far and wide. This included India, Australasia and much of Africa (Although many African countries changed to the right later when they became independent).

France also had quite an empire after the revolutionary wars and the keep right rule spread through much of modern day Europe and to colonies such as Egypt. The connection with the USA is thought to be General Lafayette who recommended a keep right rule as part of the help that he gave the Americans in the build up to the war of Independence. The first reference to keep right in USA law is in a rule covering the Lancaster to Philadelphia turnpike in 1792.

But what about Japan ? well in the 1850's Gunboat diplomacy forced the Japanese to open their ports to the British and Sir Rutherford Alcock, who was Queen Victoria's man in the Japanese court persuaded them to adopt the keep left rule.

Answer 6

Just a custom really. If you drive on the righthand side of the road, the driver sits on the left to watch for oncoming traffic. Vice-verso: Drive on left side of road - driver on the right.

In England we drive on the left. We want our steering wheels nearer the middle of the road. If you are from a right side driving country you will find that the steering wheels on the left nearer the middle of the road.

Just tradition, for they and much of the old Brit Empire drive on the left of the road.

Of similar importance, the TURN indicator stalk on the column should be on the opposite side of the column to that where the gearshift is.

Manufacturers often get lazy and don't change this with LH and RH models. It should be so that you are indicating with a different hand to the gear shift.

Answer 7

Yes.