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In which countries do cars drive on the left? Countries with cars driving on the left. For the first time in England

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 a horse-drawn carriage, the rider could quickly perform the maneuver of turning to the right (to, for example, avoid a collision with another carriage or a traveler on a narrow road) than to the left, since it is the right hand that is 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.

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.

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 of driving on the left was formed in the 18th 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.

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

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).

Find out what to do if your turn signals stop working.

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 to save car costs they 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? The 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 countries where only left-hand traffic is legally fixed.

Countries marked in green on the map - with right-hand traffic, yellow - with left-hand traffic

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

Great Britain; Malta; Ireland; Cyprus.

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

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

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.

Thus, various historical reasons influenced which half of the road people travel along in a particular country in the world. Residents of 53 countries stick to the left side of traffic on roads. 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.

Cross to the right side of the road...

When visiting a country for the first time where drivers drive on the opposite side of the road from ours, a person, whether he wants it or not, falls into a stupor. It not only looks and feels strange, but at first it seems that the whole world has turned upside down and you have found yourself through the looking glass, the difference is so great.

Have you ever wondered why this happened? How did it happen historically that some countries (the majority) adopted a right-hand model for themselves, while the remaining states built roads and drew markings according to the left-hand model? The answers to these questions will take us back to the distant past and they will probably really shock you when it turns out that modern motorists owe their travel patterns to whips, ancient military tactics and sailors.

Today, about 66% of the world's population moves on the right side of the road, while 72% of all roads have a right-hand traffic pattern, 28%, respectively, a left-hand traffic pattern. It is interesting that in the modern world the evolution of road traffic rules is still ongoing. Preference for driving is given to the right side of the road. Thus, in 2009, the Pacific island state of Samoa switched to driving on the left, and 187 thousand people were added to the regiment of right-hand drive adherents. Rumor has it that the authorities had to do this because of the large number of used right-hand drive cars. The New York Times wrote that in order for people to get used to the changes in the country, a two-day holiday was declared.

Previously, other countries also switched en masse to the other side of the road, mainly to the right-hand drive.

The most famous historical transition took place in Sweden. Once upon a time, on the roads of this Scandinavian country, strangely enough, people drove on the left side. But due to the fact that all the neighbors had diametrically opposed views on which side of the road to drive on, the Swedes had to capitulate and accept new rules of the game. The transition was carried out on September 3, 1967. This day went down in history as “H-Day.”

Some other countries have made the switch to driving on the right or vice versa to driving on the left for the same reasons, mainly due to the inconvenience of communicating with neighboring countries.

But when and how did the traditions of moving along the road exactly as people do now begin? It all started in the days of foot travelers and chariots. There are many reasons, theories and real prerequisites for this. From the assumption that people on the road, when traveling with nobles on horseback, pressed to the left so as not to fall under the blow of a whip, to purely physiological premises related to the fact that most people are right-handed and even political reasons.

Right-handed people rule the world. The right-hand theory states that driving on the right came about because right-handed people found it easier to control with their right hand, and it was safer to use a whip when driving on the right side of the road. And the peasants always pressed to the left of a rushing carriage or a man on a horse, so that it would be more difficult to hit them with a whip, if something happened. For the same reason, knightly tournaments were held according to the rules of right-hand traffic.

In many countries, right-hand traffic developed spontaneously and was eventually enshrined in legislation. In the Russian Empire under Elizabeth I, driving on the right was officially legalized. However, earlier in Russia, when two horse-drawn carriages passed each other, they pressed against the right side of the road.

In England, a little later, its own law “Road Act” was adopted, with which its own type of traffic was introduced - left-hand traffic. Following the mistress of the seas, all her colonies and the lands subject to them became left-handed on the roads. Great Britain had a major influence on the popularization of driving on the left.

England itself was probably influenced in antiquity by the Ancient Roman Empire. After the conquest of Foggy Albion, the Romans, who had a custom of driving on the left side of the road, spread this tradition throughout the conquered territory.

Spread of right-hand traffic historically attributed to Napoleon and his military expansion in Europe. The political factor played a role. The countries that supported the Emperor of France: Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Holland, Switzerland, began to drive on the right side of the road. Those countries that were their political opponents, England, Austria-Hungary, Portugal, remained on the left side.

Political factors also played a role in the case of the newly independent United States of America. After gaining independence from Great Britain, Americans rushed to switch to driving on the right so that nothing would remind them of the past.

The same thing was done in Korea after the end of the Japanese occupation in 1946.

Speaking of Japan. Not everything is so simple with this island state either. There are two theories about how the Japanese started driving on the left. The first, historical: samurai fastened scabbards and swords on the left side, so when moving, so as not to touch random passers-by, they moved on the left side of the road. The second theory is political: supposedly in 1859, the British ambassador convinced the Tokyo authorities to accept driving on the left.

These historical facts told us an interesting story about the origins of different traffic on the roads of the world.

An article about left-hand traffic: countries with this type of traffic, features, interesting facts. At the end of the article there is a video about right-hand and left-hand traffic.

The content of the article:

Nowadays, in most countries, traffic is on the right, and this applies not only to road transport, but also to railway transport. However, the rules of some countries, for one reason or another and internal features, provide for the use of left-hand traffic.

What kind of countries are these and why did they prefer to drive on the left side of the road?

A little history

For many, it may be a revelation that for the predominant part of their history, people used left-hand traffic. And only a few centuries ago the situation changed radically, and right-hand traffic began to prevail.

Historians claim that the inhabitants of the Roman Empire were among the first to introduce traffic rules, and they used driving forward on the left side of the road.

Proof of this is the Roman denarius, on one side of which a pair of riders is depicted riding on the left side, as well as traces of carts found in the quarries, which on the left (when viewed from the quarry) had a more distinct trace.

In addition, driving on the left at that time was facilitated by the fact that most of the population were (and remain) right-handed, including horsemen, who needed to hold a weapon in their right hand.

The popularization of the movement on the right side in European countries is attributed to France, in particular to Napoleon, who approved it and spread it not only in France, but also in all the territories of the conquered states, which subsequently decided not to change anything.

At the same time, the popularization of left-hand traffic in a number of Asian countries and Australia is attributed to Great Britain - Britain had many colonies in different parts of the world, the lives of which it seriously influenced.

In the photo: countries with left-hand traffic

There are currently 46 countries in the world where driving on the left is used. The most significant of them are presented below.

Great Britain

In Britain, the first legislative document obliging the population of the country to drive on the left was a bill dated 1756. In it, the authorities obliged everyone to use the right side of the road when moving across London Bridge. And 20 years later, this rule spread to the entire country, which is still relevant today.

Australia

Australia inherited the left-hand drive rule from England. Australia was a British colony from 1770 to 1901, after which it was a dominion of the United Kingdom until 1931. In 1931, Australia received the status of an independent state, although its head (like the head of other countries of the British Commonwealth) formally remains the Queen of Great Britain.

India

As in the case of Australia, driving on the left in India appeared under the influence of the mother country. It is interesting that almost every city has unique traffic features, and the rules for traveling on roads in one locality may not apply in a neighboring one.

In addition, in this country there is complete chaos on the roads, which can cause genuine amazement even among experienced motorists.

New Zealand

Another country that inherited left-hand traffic from England. It is also worth mentioning the fact that in terms of the number of cars per unit of population, New Zealand is among the TOP 10 countries in the world - its indicator is 7 cars per 10 people.

At the same time, control over compliance with traffic rules is entrusted to surveillance cameras, which are equipped on all roads without exception.

Ireland

Ireland is located in close proximity to Britain, which has no doubt had a direct impact on the direction of traffic in the country.

One of the distinctive features of the country is that travel on most roads, tunnels and bridges here is paid, and not everywhere it is possible to pay in cash.

In addition, Ireland has extremely high fines for traffic violations. Thus, for attempting to pass as a “hare” on a toll highway, the violator faces a fine of more than 1,200 euros.

Singapore

A small country located in southeast Asia, where driving on the left is also common.

One of the key features of this country is that owning your own car is very, very expensive. In addition, the Singapore authorities, in order to combat traffic jams, closely monitor the number of cars - according to local rules, the annual increase in the number of vehicles in the country should not exceed 3%.

Japan

The history of the emergence of left-hand traffic in Japan has two opinions. According to the first, Japanese samurai carried their swords on the left side, therefore, in order not to catch each other while riding horses, they adhered to the left-hand movement.

The second suggests that driving on the left side in Japan was facilitated by the country’s close trade relations with the same Great Britain.

Be that as it may, the national decree on driving on the left in Japan was adopted in the 18th century, and was finally approved only in 1927.

Pictured: traffic in Sweden

In the United States, until the end of the 18th century, people drove on the left, until charioteers switched to carts drawn by a large number of horses. The fact is that such carts were not equipped with a special place for the “driver”, so he had to sit on the very rear left horse so that his right hand, which is often much stronger than his left, would be more convenient to control the entire team. In such a situation, it is much more comfortable and safer to move on the right side.

The same principle was taken as a basis by Henry Ford when designing his first car, the steering wheel of which was located on the left side.

Sweden became the last country in continental Europe to switch from driving on the left to driving on the right. The fact is that all neighboring countries used right-hand traffic, and this created a lot of problems when motorists crossed the border. In addition, the predominant number of cars produced were left-hand drive.

It is curious that Swedish residents have been preparing for the transition to right-hand traffic for 4 years. The transition itself took place on September 3, 1967 - at exactly 04:50 all traffic on the streets was stopped, and from 05:00 it was resumed, but according to the rules of right-hand traffic. In Swedish history, this day is referred to as “H-Day,” where “H” is an abbreviation of the Swedish word “h?gertrafik,” which literally translates as “right-hand traffic.”

Currently, there are a sufficient number of cities in the world where there are streets with both left-hand and right-hand traffic. These include, for example, Odessa and St. Petersburg.

At the dawn of the automobile industry, the direction of movement had virtually no effect on the design of vehicles, but over time, certain peculiarities:

On cars designed for left-hand traffic, the steering wheel is located on the right, while for cars designed for right-hand traffic, it is on the left. This way the driver has better visibility when overtaking, and it is much safer and more convenient for passengers to get off the sidewalk.
The situation is similar with wipers located at the base of the windshield. So, in left-hand drive cars, when idle, they are folded to the right, and in right-hand drive cars, they are folded to the left.
One cannot help but recall the gearbox, which is located to the right of the driver in left-hand drive cars, and to the left of him in right-hand drive cars.

Conclusion

About 33% of all roads in the world are right-hand drive, which is not a small number. Therefore, just in case, before traveling abroad by car, it is better to study the specifics of the traffic rules of the countries whose territory you are going to visit.

Video about right-hand and left-hand traffic:

What influences the choice of destination in different countries

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.

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 of driving on the left was formed in the 18th century. And the Japanese finally approved it at the legislative level in 1927.

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 to save car costs they 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 countries where only left-hand traffic is legal.
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 the African continent, as well as 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 that require keeping to the right 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. Residents of 53 countries stick to the left side of traffic on roads. 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.

All over the world, even before the invention of the first car, it was customary to stick to one side of the road to avoid a collision. The clear majority chose the right side, and about 34% - the left. We will explain further where this difference comes from and what is connected with it.

What influences the choice of destination in different countries

In fact, the choice of one side of the road or another does not in any way affect the convenience of driving and, therefore, it can only be explained by historically established traditions.

Many have tried to figure out why some countries drive on the left and have proposed several theories. First of all, they remembered the Roman Empire, where exactly this order of movement was in place, and expressed the opinion that after its collapse, the former provinces continued to observe the usual rules. However, this does not apply to all of Europe: in England, driving on the left is entrenched, and in France, driving on the right.

There is also a theory that driving on the right is more logical since most people have a dominant right hand, but some countries have changed the driving order to spite others. A striking example of such an act is the United States, which first took the example of Great Britain, and then switched to the rules adopted in France and began to stick to the right side of the road.

Now almost all former British colonies practice driving on the left, except for those countries where the giants of the global automobile industry massively supply cars with left-hand drive, which is why there are exceptions with right-hand drive.

In Russia, the demarcation of oncoming flows with a direction to the right was recorded under Elizaveta Petrovna, a little earlier than it happened in Great Britain. Why this choice was made is unknown.

The main differences between right- and left-hand traffic

The most important difference is that when driving on the right, the driver must stick to the right side of the road, and when driving on the left, the driver must stick to the left. Cars are designed accordingly: for right-hand drive cars, the driver's seat and steering wheel are on the left, and for left-hand drive cars, on the right. The gear selector, pedals and other controls are located in the same order for both types of machines.

At the same time, living in a country where it is customary to drive on the right side, no one forbids using a car with a reverse steering wheel. It takes some skill to get used to the controls, but then it doesn't affect it in any way.

List of countries with left-hand traffic

Let's take a closer look at which countries drive on the left and how such a tradition developed in the world.

Countries of Europe

There are not many countries in Europe that drive on the left. These include:

United Kingdom;
Malta;
Ireland;
Cyprus.

It is believed that all countries adopted the tradition of sticking to the left side of the road from Great Britain. There it was enshrined in law from the middle of the 18th century, but it is not known why in England it was considered convenient to drive on the left. In addition to the version imitating the Romans, there is a theory that road traffic was regulated by the same rules as maritime traffic. English ships bypassed each other, guided by the logic of left-hand traffic.

As for Cyprus, it was also occupied by British troops in the middle of the 19th century and was under their rule for quite a long time - more than 80 years. That is why in Cyprus, driving on the left is also accepted, although in Crete and neighboring Greece it is on the right.

For some reason, not all countries in Europe followed the lead of Great Britain - some took the example of France, which was also an influential power in those days when traffic rules were legislated. Most likely, this is due to the active foreign policy of those years, the formation of military alliances and the redistribution of colonies. For example, in Italy there was no uniform order; each city had its own rules of movement, but with the entry into the Triple Alliance, initiated by Germany, the Italian government legalized right-hand traffic.

Asian countries

There are many more countries in Asia that drive on the left side of the road than in Europe. These are states such as:

Bangladesh;
India;
Hong Kong;
Japan;
FDRN;
Dhivehi Rajje;
Pakistan;
Timor-Leste;
Sri Lanka;
Indonesia;
Singapore;
Thailand;
Malaysia;
Brunei Darussalam.

Many of these countries were colonies and borrowed travel rules from their former mother countries. The Japanese samurai themselves decided to stay on the left side of the road. They wore the nihonto on their left side, and the weapon could inadvertently hit an oncoming traveler, which is why left-hand traffic is established in Japan.

In the Far East, due to its proximity to Japan, there are a lot of cars in which the steering wheel is located on the right, despite the fact that in Russia it is customary to drive on the right. Some Russian cities have also introduced left-hand traffic on certain streets to reduce the load on the roads.

As for Thailand, it has always been an independent state, but still adopted left-hand traffic from its neighbors. History is silent about what exactly this is connected with; apparently, mutual migration and trade with neighboring countries require uniform rules.

In the PRC, despite the influence of neighboring and European states, traffic is oriented to the right: in China such a system developed a very long time ago, they did not even hesitate which direction to choose - right-hand or left-hand.

Vietnamese roads shock travelers with the ability to drive in any direction: because of this, at first glance it is not clear what kind of traffic is accepted in Vietnam, but still it is on the right. The driver may not be driving in his own lane, but then he is obliged to give way to those moving towards him. Fortunately, wide concrete shoulders provide...

The DPRK and South Korea used to stick to the left side of the road, but in the mid-20th century they changed the rules and switched to driving on the right.

India and Pakistan were under British rule for so long that they managed to get used to driving on the left and did not change it, freeing themselves from the “suzerain”.

African countries

In African countries, driving on the left is also common, in particular in:

Kenya;
Botswana;
Tanzania;
Lesotho;
Mauritius;
Seychelles;
Northern and Southern Rhodesia;
Swaziland;
Uganda;
Mozambique;
Namibia.

Here, “drive on the left” also developed under the influence of the British colonialists.

Americas

Countries in North and South America mostly prefer driving on the right, except:

Guyana;
Suriname.

In the USA, driving on the left was legalized for some time, but then an active struggle began in America with the British government with the support of France and other powers. Lafayette, who led the allied forces, proposed his right-hand traffic control system. Canada, on the other hand, was a French colony and initially adhered to the approach adopted in the metropolis.

Oceania countries

The following countries drive on the left in this region:

Australia;
Tuvalu;
Fiji;
Line, Sporades and Gilbert Islands;
Samoa;
Nauru;
Tonga;
New Zealand;
Papua New Guinea;
Melanesia.

Disadvantages and advantages of driving on the left

Driving on the left does not have any significant advantages or disadvantages. They are noticed only by those who previously drove on the right. At first they are lost in an unfamiliar environment, but then they get used to it.

How the direction influenced vehicle design

At first, car designers did not place the steering wheel in accordance with the orientation of the road, but then they began to pay attention to this. The windshield wipers were also positioned differently: for left-hand drive cars they were deployed to the right, and for right-hand drive cars - to the left. Now the difference is only in the location of the steering wheel and.