How did it start that some countries drive on the left side, while the United States drives on the right?

elizabethmc

I've heard it dates back to when we used horses to get around, and the horseman would have his sword in his right hand. He would drive on the left side of the road so his right arm with the sword would be in the middle of the road. Most countries drive on the right so that drivers use their right hand for the gear stick as more people are right handed. This website explains it better than I did! http://www.i18nguy.com/driver-side.html Feb 11 05, 8:33 AM

Baloo55th

Actually, the gear change business works the other way. On early cars, the gear change was heavy and was often mounted outside the bodywork, so lots of cars in drive on the right places had right-hand drive so that people could use the right hand for changing gear. Left-hand drive only became universal in drive on the right places when central gear shifts were introduced, and made much lighter to use. Drive (or ride) on the left was standard until Napoleon introduced the change in conquered Europe. Feb 11 05, 2:11 PM