Regions

Left or right, why is our drive not universal?



5/5 - (4 votes)

Most of the countries of the world drive on the right-hand side of the road. According to estimates, currently 163 nations and territories are driving on the right-hand side, while 76 countries and territories are using left hand traffic. In fact, only nations which were once under the British rule drive on the left side.

There are no concrete reasons as to why there is a difference in the driving patterns across the countries. It began during the days of the Roman Empire when the soldiers rode on the left side.  They kept their swords on the left side and drew it out from the right hand, conveniently attacking the enemy coming from the opposite direction. The trend prevailed during the late 17th century when huge horse wagons dominated the roads of US. It helped drivers to lash the horses with the right hand while they balanced other things with the left hand.

However, the trend to follow right-hand drive was followed by the French people, primarily because of their opposition to the British. They did not want to do anything like the British. With the coming of Napoleon to power, who was left-handed, the same system continued in all the territories he conquered. This was not the case with England as it was never conquered by Napoleon and thus they continued following the classic left-hand driving.
With the expansion of the British Empire, all the countries colonized or ruled by the Brits conformed to the left-hand driving rule of the British. The nations of the Indian sub-continent, which include; India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Maldives drive on the left-hand side. Meanwhile, there are just four nations in Europe that drive on the left-hand side, these are; Malta, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Cyprus. Other nations that drive on the left side are; Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Grenada, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Tanzania, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, and some others.

Europe primarily drives on the right hand. Some prominent European countries using RHT are; Austria, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Belgium, Germany, and many other nations. The North American nations of Canada, the United States, and Mexico drive on the right-hand side.


Many Asian countries also drive on the right such as China, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Laos, Mongolia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and others. African countries that fall in this category are Tunisia, Togo, Sudan, Senegal, Niger, Mali, and Madagascar, to name a few.

A tabular form to depict the countries that drive on the left or right side would simplify it.

Country Road traffic
Barbados LHT
East Timor LHT
Fiji LHT
Namibia LHT
Saint Kitts and Nevis LHT
Saint Lucia LHT
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines LHT
Samoa LHT
United Kingdom LHT
Zimbabwe LHT
Antigua and Barbuda LHT
Bahamas LHT
Bangladesh LHT
Bhutan LHT
Botswana LHT
Brunei LHT
Cyprus LHT
Dominica LHT
Grenada LHT
Guyana LHT
India LHT
Ireland LHT
Jamaica LHT
Kiribati LHT
Lesotho LHT
Malawi LHT
Malaysia LHT
Maldives LHT
Malta LHT
Mauritius LHT
Nauru LHT
Pakistan LHT
Papua New Guinea LHT
Seychelles LHT
Singapore LHT
Solomon Islands LHT
Sri Lanka LHT
Suriname LHT
Swaziland LHT
Tanzania LHT
Tonga LHT
Tuvalu LHT
Uganda LHT
Zambia LHT
Australia LHT
Indonesia LHT
New Zealand LHT
Thailand LHT
Japan LHT
Kenya LHT
Mozambique LHT
Nepal LHT
South Africa LHT
Trinidad and Tobago LHT
Afghanistan RHT
Argentina RHT
Austria RHT
Bahrain RHT
Belize RHT
Brazil RHT
Burundi RHT
Cambodia RHT
Canada RHT
Denmark RHT
Finland RHT
France RHT
Ghana RHT
Iceland RHT
Italy RHT
North Korea and  South Korea RHT
Kyrgyzstan RHT
Mauritania RHT
Myanmar RHT
Netherlands RHT
Nigeria RHT
Oman RHT
Panama RHT
Paraguay RHT
Philippines RHT
Poland RHT
Sierra Leone RHT
Somalia RHT
South Sudan RHT
Spain RHT
Taiwan RHT
Ukraine RHT
United States RHT
Yemen RHT
Gambia RHT
Micronesia RHT
China RHT
Vanuatu RHT
Albania RHT
Algeria RHT
Andorra RHT
Angola RHT
Armenia RHT
Azerbaijan RHT
Belgium RHT
Belarus RHT
Benin RHT
Bolivia RHT
Bosnia and Herzegovina RHT
Bulgaria RHT
Burkina Faso RHT
Cameroon RHT
Cape Verde RHT
Central African Republic RHT
Chad RHT
Chile RHT
Colombia RHT
Comoros RHT
Congo RHT
Democratic Republic of Congo RHT
Costa Rica RHT
Côte d’Ivoire RHT
Croatia RHT
Cuba RHT
Czech Republic RHT
Djibouti RHT
Dominican Republic RHT
Ecuador RHT
Egypt RHT
El Salvador RHT
Equatorial Guinea RHT
Eritrea RHT
Estonia RHT
Ethiopia RHT
Gabon RHT
Georgia RHT
Greece RHT
Guatemala RHT
Guinea RHT
Guinea-Bissau RHT
Haiti RHT
Honduras RHT
Hungary RHT
Iran RHT
Iraq RHT
Israel RHT
Jordan RHT
Kazakhstan RHT
Kuwait RHT
Laos RHT
Latvia RHT
Lebanon RHT
Liberia RHT
Libya RHT
Liechtenstein RHT
Lithuania RHT
Luxembourg RHT
Macedonia RHT
Madagascar RHT
Mali RHT
Marshall Islands RHT
Mexico RHT
Moldova RHT
Monaco RHT
Mongolia RHT
Montenegro RHT
Morocco RHT
Nicaragua RHT
Niger RHT
Norway RHT
Palau RHT
Palestine RHT
Peru RHT
Qatar RHT
Romania RHT
Russia RHT
San Marino RHT
São Tomé and Príncipe RHT
Saudi Arabia RHT
Senegal RHT
Serbia RHT
Slovakia RHT
Slovenia RHT
Sudan RHT
Sweden RHT
Switzerland RHT
Syria RHT
Tajikistan RHT
Togo RHT
Tunisia RHT
Turkey RHT
Turkmenistan RHT
United Arab Emirates RHT
Uzbekistan RHT
Venezuela RHT
Vietnam RHT
Portugal RHT
Rwanda RHT
Germany RHT
Uruguay RHT

 

Related Maps:

World Map
US Map
UK Map
France Map
World Road Networks Map
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