Why do the french drive on the right?

Answer 1

To clarify your question, most countries in Europe DO NOT drive on the left. It's pretty much only the UK. If you look at history, the majorities of the countries that drive on the left now were prior British colonies or influenced by the British.

Answer 2

generally speaking. the British drive on the left, and they exported this to their Empire. It is noteworthy, too, that the British invented railways, and all over the world, trains run on the left.

But why the left? And why do other Europeans, and Americans, drive on the right?

Let's take the first question first. Assuming you're right-handed, try mounting a horse while wearing a sword. The sword hangs down on your left-hand side, so you have to mount the horse on the left to avoid doing yourself a mischief. Having mounted on the left, you continue on the left; which has the added advantage of putting your sword arm on the same side as oncoming traffic, in case of trouble.

Once the rule of driving on the left is established, coachmen and the drivers of carts sit on the right-hand side of thir vehicles, so that they can watch the wheels when negotiating their way past oncoming traffic.

this works fine in a small country like Britain, where distances are short and loads can be small, because the really big or long-distance stuff is moved by sea or river. Six horses are the most that can be controlled by a driver sitting on the coach, but six is enough to pull the loads in question. Indeed, four was usually the maximum.

BUT, in a bigger country, where heavy loads have to go long distances by road because large areas are far from the sea, six horses are not enough. With more than six horses, the driving is done by postillions, who sit, not on the cart, but on the horses. Naturally, being armed, they mount on the left-hand horses, and when they meet oncoming traffic and have to watch the wheels, they need to drive on the right.

So they do. Big countries on the right, small island countries on the left. Proof is that Japan drives on the left, though never subject to British influence.

Answer 3

New Zealand drives on the left side of the road largely due to its British heritage.