All traffic remains to the right and passing is from the left and oncoming traffic comes from the left. For cars in britain and japan, because the standard in the uk, and some other former british colonies is to drive on the left side of the road, the passenger sits on the left side, and the driver along with all the driving controls is on the right. He would also want to walk between the horse and oncoming traffic, which automatically shifted the horse to the lhs of the road. This world map shows which side of the road traffic drives on. Nowadays, its known as righthand driving, where the steering wheel is placed on the right side of the car. Lhd cars left hand drive cars in left hand drive countries, the traffic if on the right side but the driver sits is on the left.
Whats the reason behind righthand driving in some countries. Oct 16, 2015 standard design for vehicles in countries that require driving on the lefthand side is to have the drivers seat located on the right side of the vehicle, and vice versa for countries where you drive on the righthand side. Why do different countries drive on different sides of the road. But did you know that there are countries that allow drivers the option of using either a right or lefthand vehicle. That puts the right eye, which tends to be stronger, in a better position to see oncoming traffic. Mar 18, 2015 the driver s seat is always on the same side of the car as the steering wheel. In asia bangladesh bhutan brunei east timor hong kong india indonesia japan macau malaysia maldives nepal pakistan singapore sri lank. Jun 25, 2010 interestingly, in dualcontrol airplanes, the captain always sits on the left side of the plane as you might expect, but in helicopters, the captain sits on the right hand side. One central characteristic of the model t now generally forgotten is that it was the first car of consequence to put the drivers seat on the lefthand side. Why do different countries drive on different sides of the.
Is the passenger side of a veichle the right side or left. According to national geographic, this influenced a change in many countries. What this means for vehicles imported from these parts of the world to australia is that the driver s seat is on the wrong side. Gradually, car manufactures began putting the seat on one side or the other. This is a summary of countries who drive on the left side of the road. May 15, 2017 when henry ford unveiled his model t in 1908, the drivers seat was on the left, meaning that cars would have to drive on the right hand side of the road to allow front and back passengers to exit the car onto the curb. Many early cars had the drivers seat in the center of the car rather than on one side or the other. A righthanded man walking and leading a horse naturally walks on the rhs of the horses head, holding the bridle in his left hand. How countries decided which side of the road to drive on. British horseback riders used to ride on the left hand side of the road.
Have lived at least one year in 2 left side drive countries and 2 right side drive countries. The latter consideration won out, and resulted in the drivers seat being installed on the right in cars in leftside driving countries such as the uk. Rht is used in 165 countries and territories, with the remaining 75 countries. Interestingly, the philippines was once a lefthand driving country under american rule.
A fundamental element to traffic flow, it is sometimes referred to as the rule of the road. Guide to which countries drive on the left left hand. Almost always, in countries where one drives on the righthand side of the road, the cars are built so that the driver sits on the lefthand side of the car. Interestingly, in dualcontrol airplanes, the captain always sits on the left side of the plane as you might expect, but in helicopters, the captain sits on the right hand side.
Today i found out why some countries drive on the right and some countries drive on the left. Left hand drive vehicle vs right hand drive vehicle. Why do some countries drive on the left and others on the. Most of the world drives on the right side of the road, including the united states of america, europe and the united kingdom. Why some countries drive on the right and some countries. Road signs and rules follow international standards, and most signs on major roads are in japanese and english. Car rental driver seat left side anguilla forum tripadvisor. Driving in other parts of europe most countries in europe that became part of the british empire used the keepleft rule, but over time many have converted to the right. Why do some countries drive on the left and others on the right. Famously, cars in the uk and ireland drive on the left hand side of the road, with the drivers seat situated in the right. Used cars for sale right steering 43,284 results 15 cars 24 cars 48 cars 96 cars.
A photo of a highway in england, showing traffic driving on the left hand side. Why americans and brits drive on opposite sides readers digest. Thus, most american cars produced before 1910 were made with rightside driver seating, although intended for rightside driving. I know that japan, uk and australia have right side 04 09 prius driver seats with height adjust. These early wagons had no drivers seat, so a person would sit on the left rear horse, which allowed them to whip the horses with their right hand. Aug 30, 2018 since these vehicles often didnt have a drivers seat, drivers tended to ride on the left rear horse to more easily control their animal team with their right hand. Standard design for vehicles in countries that require driving on the lefthand side is to have the drivers seat located on the right side of the vehicle, and vice versa for countries where you drive on the righthand side. The position behind the drivers seat is still more exposed to impacts than the position behind the passengers seat. Programable interior heating, heated front seats heat protected side and rear windows central locking with radio remote control, interior controls, without safelock. In countries where you drive on the left such as the uk and japan, the drivers sit on the right. Canada used to drive on the left but changed to the right to make border crossings with the usa more manageable. Will not go forward or back, right side seems to be answered by a verified mercedes mechanic. In both cases, the seat positions the driver close to the middle of the road for better visibility. In which countries are vehicles drivers seats on the.
In which countries are vehicles drivers seats on the right side. After world war i, more countries were driving on the right hand side. Jun 26, 2010 cars are always made with the driver s side the side closest to the center of the road, so that the driver can see the cars that are going in the opposite direction. Esham via wikimedia the map above shows which countries drive on the wrong side of the road. Cars are always made with the drivers side the side closest to the center of the road, so that the driver can see the cars that are going in the opposite direction. That puts the driver nearest the centerline of the roadway. Since he was sitting on the left, he naturally wanted everybody to pass on the left so he could look down and make sure he kept clear of the oncoming wagons wheels. The tradition has been maintained to this day, with the copilot on the right hand side. Many of the island nations are former british colonies and drive on the left, including jamaica, antigua and. Why north americans and brits drive on opposite sides. May, 2020 almost always, in countries where one drives on the righthand side of the road, the cars are built so that the driver sits on the lefthand side of the car. It is britain that has right hand drive, and they drive on the left side of the road. Conversely, driving on the lefthand side of the road usually implies that the drivers seat is on the righthand side of the car. Lefthand driving, on the other hand, is where the steering wheel is placed on the left side of the vehicle.
Since he was sitting on the left, he wanted other wagons to pass on his left, so he kept to the right side of the road. When seated in this position, right side driving made more sense, as it allowed the driver to easily monitor oncoming traffic, and ensure they did not hit the wheels of vehicles coming from the. In right hand drive countries, the traffic is on left side but driver sits on the right side. In asia bangladesh bhutan brunei east timor hong kong india. Uk, australia, ireland, japan, india, thailand, new zealand, south africa, jamaica, hong kong, malta, kenia, malaysia, cyprus, singapore a. So my driver side seat belt has rolled all the way out and is no longer retracting back into the side panel. The other two thirds of the countries in the world drive on the right including the usa, china and russia.
The driver seat is on the right side in countries or regions that drive on the left of the road. Please note in anguilla they drive on the left, as in england most of the rental cars in anguilla are designed for countries driving on the right, with the steering wheel on the left hand side. Many early cars had the driver s seat in the center of the car rather than on one side or the other. We drive on the left hand side of the road and our vehicles seat the driver on the right.
Apr 29, 2015 the map above shows which countries drive on the wrong side of the road. Lefthand traffic lht and righthand traffic rht are the practice, in bidirectional. In the absence of a drivers seat inside the wagon, the driver sat on the rear left horse, with his right arm free to use his whip to keep the horses moving. Previously, nearly all manufacturers placed the driver on the outer, curbside of the car so that an alighting driver could step out onto a grassy verge or. Such vehicles remained in common use until 1915, and the 1908 model t was the first of fords cars to feature a leftside driving position. Lefthand traffic lht and right hand traffic rht are the practice, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. Curious any foreign countries with left hand driver seat.
Heres how to drive a righthand drive nissan skyline gtr. Where is the gas and brake pedal location in european cars. Typically, a righthand drive vehicle drives on the left side of the road, or left hand traffic lht. The situation is the same for countries where travel direction is different, because the drivers seat is swapped as well. Countries that drive on the left 2020 world population. Although the majority drive on the right, there is no global standard driving system which causes some. On the right side of the road general highway history.
Cars drive on the left side of the road and have the driver s seat and steering wheel on their right side. The captain or pilot in command sits in the left seat, so that they can operate the throttles and other pedestal instruments with their right hand. Always drive on the left hand side of the road in new zealand. The driver ends up sitting on the kerbside, not in the centre of the road, which is not best situation but doable. A fundamental element to traffic flow, it is sometimes referred to as the rule of the road rht is used in 165 countries and territories, with the remaining 75 countries and territories using lht. Why the driver seat is in the left side in some countries and. In which countries are vehicles drivers seats on the right. Jul 30, 2008 a right handed man walking and leading a horse naturally walks on the rhs of the horses head, holding the bridle in his left hand. Europe generally drives on the right hand side apart from cyprus, ireland, malta and the united kingdom. Except for some helicopters, the right seat in the cockpit of an aircraft is the seat used by the copilot. Throughout the world, countries observe either lefthand traffic lht or right hand traffic rht. Guide to which countries drive on the left left hand drive cars.
The drivers seat is always on the same side of the car as the steering wheel. Now the question becomes, why do some cars have their steering wheels on the left or right side of the car. Why is the drivers seat on the right side in europe. Thus, most american cars produced before 1910 were made with right side driver seating, although intended for right side driving. May 31, 20 that is, if youre from the roughly 75 percent of countries that drive on the right side of the road. List of territories and countries that follow lefthand traffic laws. Apr 12, 2020 in countries with right side driving, the driver s seat is on the left, while left hand countries have drivers seats on the right.
Why the driver seat is in the left side in some countries. Obviously none of the previous answers were given by people who really looked it up, or ever lived in europe. Those marked in red drive on the right and those in blue drive on the left. In most countries, cars are set up to put the drivers seat in the centre of the road, to give them improved visibility. Nearly 75% of countries in the world require drivers to drive on the right side of traffic. Guyana and suriname are the only countries in south america to drive on the left. Your opinion about which is the correct side to drive on, likely depends on where you live. Dec 28, 2019 most of the rental cars in anguilla are designed for countries driving on the right, with the steering wheel on the left hand side. So when you get in a righthand drive car, you instinctively start to do the very same thing. It has always been a mystery why the world seemed to be divided when it comes to the location of their cars steering wheel. Around 66% of the worlds nations are right hand traffic countries and 34% are lefthand traffic countries.
Lhd cars left hand drive cars left hand cars germany. This frees his right hand to hold a tool or at need a weapon. Drivers seat not driving on the right side, left side. Heres how to drive a righthand drive nissan skyline gtr in. Cars on the continent drive on the right side, and have left hand drive, exactly the same as in north america.
When henry ford unveiled his model t in 1908, the drivers seat was on the left, meaning that cars would have to drive on the right hand side of the road to allow front and back passengers to exit the car onto the curb. Uk, australia, usa, costa rica now, no matter where i travel to in the world, nor after how long the intervening period, it takes me nothing more than 25 minutes to completely swap mentally into the correct driving mode. Apr 07, 2020 the other two thirds of the countries in the world drive on the right including the usa, china and russia. No matter what side of the road one drives on, in most countries, cars are specifically engineered to drive on a specific side of the road. Relevant new arrivals car price low to high car price high to low delivery price low to high delivery price high to low year new to old year old to new mileage low to high mileage high to low engine high to low engine low to high discount % high to low discount.
I have rented cars with the steering wheel on the right hand, from highway rentals, highway. Why do cars in some countries outside the us have the. Apr 20, 2017 on the other hand, a lefthand drive vehicle drives on the right side of the road, or right hand traffic rht. Jan 19, 2019 the latter consideration won out, and resulted in the driver s seat being installed on the right in cars in left side driving countries such as the uk. Conversely, driving on the lefthand side of the road usually implies that the driver s seat is on the right hand side of the car. When cars were invented, henry ford was a big influence in american driving customs as he built his model t with the driver on the left side of the car, meaning drivers would have to drive on the right side of the road so their passengers could exit the car on the curb and. Why do some countries drive on the left side of the road. But today majority of traffic in the world drives on the righthand side of the road. That is, if youre from the roughly 75 percent of countries that drive on the right side of the road. In most countries, cars are set up to put the driver s seat in the centre of the road, to give them improved visibility.
Ive noticed that carsautomobiles manufactured for countries with righthand traffic where vehicles drive on the right hand side of the road place the drivers seat on the left hand side of the car from the drivers perspective, and carsautomobiles manufactured for countries with lefthand traffic where vehicles drive on the left hand side of the road place the drivers seat on the right. European foot controls are identical to north american foot controls except for the british isles, which drive on the wrong side of the road. Almost always, in countries where one drives on the right hand side of the road, the cars are built so that the driver sits on the lefthand side of the car. Sit behind the steering wheel, right is on your right. Left hand driver side vehicles in australia nsw, wa, sa. Hello, 78 countries and territories drive on the left side of the road.
Drivers seat not driving on the right side, left side driving. When henry ford unveiled his model t in 1908, the drivers seat was on the left, meaning that cars would have to drive on the right hand side of the road to allow front and back passengers to. Leather sport seats heated, driver seat with massage and memory and feet lights, without drawers under front seats and without table function for codriver seat14. Wrong in this case is relative, depending on where youre from. Drive left or right which countries drive on the left or right. Drive left or right which countries drive on the left or. Note that in both turns, left impacts can occur, but in right turns right impacts are much less likely. Countries that drive on the left side of the road aceable.
Since these vehicles often didnt have a drivers seat, drivers tended to ride on the left rear horse to more easily control their animal team with their right hand. Just curious if any countries have left side driver seat with height adjust, thanks. Below it you can also find the full list of countries that drive on the left or the right. Almost always, in countries where one drives on the righthand side. What this means for vehicles imported from these parts of the world to australia is that the drivers seat is on the wrong side. If you plan to rent a car in the uk or any other country that drives on the left and you usually drive on the right, you should take extreme care for the first. If youre used to driving on the right hand side of the road, this can be a challenge to remember especially when pulling out into traffic. Why americans and brits drive on opposite sides readers. Such vehicles remained in common use until 1915, and the 1908 model t was the first of fords cars to feature a left side driving position. In countries with right side driving, the drivers seat is on the left, while left hand countries have drivers seats on the right.
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