CamDawg Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 My wife and I were having the discussion the other day about why different countries use different sides of the road. We know why Americans drive on the right, Brits and Japan on the left, but we couldn't figure out why Europe (sans UK) uses the right side of the road. Does anyone know? Link to comment
Bri Posted November 25, 2003 Author Share Posted November 25, 2003 Um...because they don't know how to teleport? Link to comment
Grim Squeaker Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 I wasn't sure what this thread was gonna be about when I read the title!  Which 'side of the street' do you 'walk' on?  I thought it was gonna be about 'batting for the other team'!  (No offense meant to any homosexual or bisexual people!) Link to comment
Bri Posted November 25, 2003 Author Share Posted November 25, 2003 I wasn't sure what this thread was gonna be about when I read the title! Which 'side of the street' do you 'walk' on? I thought it was gonna be about 'batting for the other team'! (No offense meant to any homosexual or bisexual people!) And of course, some just like to watch ;-) Link to comment
JPS Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 This might not be true, but I've been told that it's Napoleon's fault. Before he came along, people all over the world walked (or rode, or whatever) on the left side of the road to keep their sword arm turned towards any potential enemies (apparently, there was some kind of law stating that enemies had to come walking in the opposite direction. An enemy who was hiding by the side of the road and attacked your left side as you passed by was cheating and didn't deserve any attention) Now, apparently, Napoleon was left-handed, so he ordered his armies to march on the right side of the road, so that he would be able to defend himself from any other left-handed person they happened to meet . (some military historians attribute his defeat at Waterloo to the general backwardness and conservatism of the British, who put his brilliant strategy to shame by keeping on walking on the left side) Napoleon was defeated, but his glorious heritage lived on, and eventually spread to the rest of Europe as well as America. Or at least that's what I've been told (although I must admit that I made some of it up). Sometimes I've been tempted to check the details (I have no idea if Napoleon really was left-handed, for example), but I'm afraid that would spoil the fun. JPS Link to comment
CamDawg Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 The Napoleon explanation makes sense. America actually uses the right side of the street thanks to the wagon. Since the majority of the population is right-handed, sitting on the left side of the wagon would make it easier for the driver to whip both columns of horses without having to move the arm across the body. The wagons used the right side of the road, to put the left-sitting driver closer to the center of the road. Link to comment
BigRob Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 I thought it developed during the heyday of the British Empire (near to Napoleon's time too) and was done as a sort of "Damn you England, you superpower, you!" kind of thing from the rest of Europe. Maybe not. Link to comment
JPS Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 @CamDawg: That's strange, I always thought the Napoleon explanation didn't make a lot of sense. It's got logical gaps big enough to... er... march an army through... @BigRob: That sounds very much like an English explanation, though, doesn't it? Personally, I blame the entire thing on peer pressure. I drive on the right side of the road just because everybody else does... JPS Link to comment
Grim Squeaker Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 About the whole left handed thing I'm pretty sure there is a castle somewhere in England that has its spiral staircases the other way round, as the army that defended it was taught to fight left handed to catch attackers off guard! Link to comment
BigRob Posted November 27, 2003 Share Posted November 27, 2003 I'll bet that was a bit of a shock if anyone got inside. That sounds very much like an English explanation, though, doesn't it? Indeed it does. I've never heard another, though (until now, anyway). Personally, I blame the entire thing on peer pressure. I drive on the right side of the road just because everybody else does... Freedom for all! Drive on whatever side you want! Link to comment
Grim Squeaker Posted November 27, 2003 Share Posted November 27, 2003 Freedom for all! Drive on whatever side you want! BOOOOOOM!!!!!! Link to comment
BigRob Posted November 28, 2003 Share Posted November 28, 2003 And so, my work here is done. Link to comment
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