Countries with left-hand and right-hand traffic. The history of left- and right-hand traffic

To understand where the division of automobile traffic on the roads of the world into left-hand and right-hand came from, you should plunge into history. In ancient times, traffic was mainly driven on the left. This can be explained by the fact that most people are right-handed. If the rider encountered dangerous strangers on the road, it was easier to grab the weapon with his right hand and immediately be ready for a skirmish. This is what they believed in Ancient Rome. Probably, this rule for the movement of Roman troops began to be observed by ordinary citizens of the empire. Many ancient states followed the Roman example.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, human physiological characteristics came to the fore. Again, the question concerned the convenience for right-handers. When driving a cart on narrow roads, it was more convenient for the driver to ride on the right side in order to confidently control the horses with a strong hand, directing them to the side when meeting another cart. Over the centuries, this style of travel has become the norm in many countries.

In 1776, the first traffic regulations were issued in Europe. Great Britain was the first to adopt it, establishing left-hand traffic on its territory. What prompted this decision is still unknown. Probably the country wanted to stand out from the rest of the mainland. The introduction of left-hand traffic throughout the vast territories of the colonies of the British Empire, as well as allied countries. Today these include what is now India, Australia and Pakistan. And on the mainland at that time there was magnificent France with allies who began to use right-hand traffic. Here, too, the colonies of the European state followed their center. As a result, the world was divided into two camps. We see the consequences of such a “division” to this day.

Today, driving on the right is more comfortable and most countries adhere to it, with exceptions: Great Britain, Ireland, Malta, Brunei, Barbados, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, India, Australia.

By the way, the history of adopting the left side for driving in Japan is strange. Its roots go back to the heyday of the samurai. The valiant warriors at that time rode on horses with swords on their left sides. The famous katana was tucked into the belt, so the sword simply stuck out in the left side, protruding half a meter! Apparently, fearing that their swords would get caught and thus provoke a fight, the samurai began to use the principle of left-hand movement. In the years 1603-1867, a tradition was established instructing everyone who was heading towards the capital to keep to the left. It is possible that this system of movement has since become a habit among the Japanese and has become a general rule over time. And in the mid-19th century, Japan was forced to open up to the world. The Japanese, of course, began to borrow everything from the West. It all started with the first steam locomotives, which the Asians borrowed from the British, who drove on the left. The first horse-drawn trams also ran on the left side of the road.

How is left-hand traffic different from right-hand traffic and what are the advantages of each side? Both types of movement require different vehicle designs. For right-hand drive vehicles, the driver's seat and steering wheel are located on the left; for left-hand drive vehicles, the driver's seat and steering wheel are located on the right. The location of the windshield wipers varies. But the arrangement of the pedals in the order of clutch, brake, gas has today become the standard for right-hand drive cars, although it was originally intended for left-hand drive cars. It is worth noting that driving on the left is safer for right-hand drive cars. In a collision, the impact falls on the left side and the driver is less likely to be injured. Right-hand drive cars are stolen much less often. The right-hand drive allows the driver to get out of the car not onto the roadway, but onto the sidewalk, which is much safer. But overtaking on the road in a right-hand drive car is inconvenient.

Currently, in Russia and many other countries, driving on the roads is on the right. There are also countries that drive on the left. In the modern world, these are Ireland, Great Britain, Japan, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and a number of African countries. Let's try to figure out why this particular situation has arisen.
The traditions of driving on the left and on the right began long before the invention of the automobile.

According to one version, right-hand traffic arose in Europe during the Middle Ages, when not cars, but riders on horses rode along narrow roads between settlements. They were all armed. The riders held a shield in their left hand to protect themselves in case of a surprise attack, which is why they stayed on the right side. There is another version of the emergence of right-hand traffic: when horse-drawn carts passed each other, it was easier to direct the crew to the side of the road to the right, pulling the reins with the right hand, which is more developed in most people. Years have passed, the means of transportation have changed, but the tradition remains...

Driving on the left is believed to have originated in England. This island state was connected with the outside world only by sea routes, and shipping was actively developing. To streamline the movement of ships, the maritime department issued a decree according to which ships were required to keep to the left. Later, this rule extended to highways and also to all countries under British influence. Some still adhere to it. Another version connects the tradition of driving on the left with the fact that when horse-drawn carriages moved along the streets, the coachman held a whip in his right hand and, while driving the horses, could hit pedestrians. Therefore, the crews had to drive on the left side.

As for our country, in 1752, the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna issued a decree introducing right-hand traffic for carriages and cab drivers on the streets of Russian cities.

At various times, many countries adopted driving on the left, but they switched to new rules. For example, due to the proximity to countries that were former French colonies and drive on the right, the rules were changed by the former British colonies in Africa. North Korea and South Korea switched from driving on the left to driving on the right in 1946, after the end of the Japanese occupation.

One of the last countries to switch from driving on the left to driving on the right was Sweden. This happened in 1967. Preparations for the reform began back in 1963, when the Swedish parliament formed the State Commission for the Transition to Right-Hand Driving, which was supposed to develop and implement a set of measures to ensure such a transition. On September 3, 1967, at 4:50 a.m., all vehicles were required to stop, change sides of the road, and continue driving at 5:00 a.m. For the first time after the transition, a special speed limit mode was installed.

Tourists who come to a country where traffic is unusual for them are advised not to drive a car themselves for safety reasons, but to use the services of a driver.

If on a world map we paint countries with left-hand and right-hand traffic in different colors, we will see that there are much more of the latter. Statistics speak about this: 66% of the population travels on the right side of the road, while the remaining 34% travel on the left.

It is interesting that in ancient times the situation was the opposite: left-hand traffic was mainly observed. It is known that throughout the Roman Empire, left-hand traffic was used, for which a lot of evidence has been found, ranging from ancient Roman images to studies of the ruts of ancient Roman roads. This can be explained by the fact that most people are right-handed, which means that, having caught up with a stranger on the road, in case of danger it was more convenient to grab a weapon with your right hand and immediately be ready for a skirmish. Probably, this rule, adopted for the movement of Roman troops, was soon taken up by other citizens of the empire. Imitating the Romans, driving on the left was used in most ancient states.

The modern division of the world into left-hand traffic (blue) and right-hand traffic

After the fall of the Roman Empire, some general norms that had previously regulated movement over a vast territory ceased to exist, so the physiological characteristics of a person came to the fore: for charioteers, most of whom were right-handed, it was more convenient to drive on the right side, so that on narrow roads When passing oncoming traffic, you can more confidently control horses with a strong hand, directing them to the side. Over the centuries, this habit has become established as a norm of social movement in many countries.

In 1776, the first traffic regulations were issued in Europe. The country that accepted it was Britain, which established on its territory... left-hand traffic. Historians are still arguing about what exactly caused this decision. Perhaps this was done in order to “separate” from the rest of the right-wing Europe, with the leading countries of which Britain was in confrontation. Or, perhaps, officials simply adopted the law from the army naval admiralty, which ordered oncoming ships of the English crown to diverge to starboard.

The introduction of left-hand traffic in a geographically small metropolis affected vast areas of the colonies of the British Empire, as well as allied countries. First of all, these are the territories of what is now India, Australia and Pakistan, where, by analogy with Britain, left-hand traffic is still used to this day.

On the other side was France with its allies, who began to use right-hand traffic. Legislatively in many European countries it was established during the time of Napoleon. As usual, the colonies of European states followed their center, which divided the world into two camps, the echoes of which we see to this day.

In Russia and neighboring countries, the rule of right-hand traffic developed spontaneously, and, interestingly, the country adopted the law on right-hand traffic earlier than European states - in 1756 during the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

Illustration: depositphotos | lunamarina

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The division into the right and left sides of the movement began even before the appearance of the first car. Historians still argue among themselves which movement in Europe was the original. During the existence of the Roman Empire, horsemen rode on the left so that the right hand in which they held the weapon was ready to instantly strike the enemy riding towards them. Evidence was found that the Romans drove on the left: in 1998, a Roman quarry was excavated in the UK near Swindon, near which the left track was broken stronger than the right, as well as on a Roman denarius (dated 50 BC - 50 AD) two horsemen were depicted riding along the left side.
In the Middle Ages, it was more convenient to mount a horse when driving on the left, since the sword did not interfere with the landing. However, there is an argument against this argument - the convenience of riding in the left or right lane when riding on horseback varies depending on the riding method, and there were not so many warriors compared to the rest of the population. After people stopped taking weapons with them on the road, traffic gradually began to change to the right. This was explained by the fact that most people are right-handed, and with the advantage of the right hand in strength and dexterity, it is more comfortable to do many things while moving on the right side of the road.
When walking on foot (without weapons), when driving a horse and cart, it is more convenient to stay on the right side. From this side, it is more convenient for a person to be close to oncoming traffic in order to stop to talk with oncoming traffic, and it is easier to hold the reins with his right hand. Knights in tournaments also rode on the right - they held a shield in their left hand, and placed a spear on the back of the horse, but there is an argument against this argument - tournaments were just an indicative “show” and had nothing to do with real life.
Depending on the type of horse-drawn carriage, the convenience of right- and left-hand traffic varies: for single-seat carriages with a seat for the coachman in the front, it is preferable to ride on the right side, since when traveling with another carriage, the coachman needs to pull the reins harder with his right hand. Crews with a postilion (a coachman who drives the team while sitting on one of the horses) also stuck to the right side - the postilion always sits on the left horse to make it easier for himself to mount and control with his right hand. Multi-seat and open carriages drove on the left side of the road - so the driver could not accidentally hit a passenger or passerby walking along the sidewalk with his whip.
In Russia, even under Peter I, right-hand traffic was accepted as the norm; carts and sleighs passed, as a rule, keeping to the right, and in 1752, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna issued an official decree introducing right-hand traffic for carriages and cabs on the streets of Russian cities. Among Western countries, the first law on the direction of movement was issued in England - it was a bill of 1756, according to which traffic on London Bridge should be on the left side, and in case of “driving into oncoming traffic” a fine of 1 pound of silver was levied. And only after 20 years, the English government issued the historical “Road Act”, which prescribed the introduction of left-hand traffic. By the way, the same movement was adopted on the Manchester-Liverpool railway line that opened in 1830. According to one of the assumptions, England took this from maritime rules, since it was an island state, and the only connection with other countries was navigation - through them the ship passed another ship that was approaching it from the right.
Great Britain is considered the main “culprit” of “leftism,” which subsequently influenced many countries of the world. According to one version, she brought the same order to her roads from maritime rules, that is, at sea, an oncoming ship allowed another one to pass, which was approaching from the right.
The influence of Great Britain affected the order of traffic in its colonies, therefore, in particular, in countries such as India, Pakistan, and Australia, left-hand traffic was adopted. In 1859, Queen Victoria's ambassador, Sir R. Alcock, convinced the Tokyo authorities to also accept driving on the left.
Right-hand traffic is often associated with France, with its influence on many other countries. During the Great French Revolution of 1789, a decree issued in Paris ordered moving along the “common” right side. A little later, Napoleon consolidated this position by ordering the military to stay on the right side. Further, this order of movement, strange as it may seem, was associated with big politics at the beginning of the 19th century. Those who supported Napoleon - Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain. On the other hand, those who opposed Napoleonic army: Britain, Austria-Hungary, Portugal turned out to be “leftists”. The influence of France was so great that it influenced many European countries and they switched to right-hand traffic. However, in England, Portugal, Sweden and some other countries, traffic remained on the left. In Austria, a generally curious situation has developed. In some provinces, traffic was on the left, and in others on the right. And only after the Anschluss in the 30s with Germany, the whole country switched to right-hand drive.
In the beginning, driving on the left was also common in the United States. But, probably, the Americans’ love of freedom expressed, in contrast to the British, doing the opposite. It is believed that the Americans were “convinced” to switch to the right-hand movement by the French general Marie-Joseph Lafayette, who made a significant contribution to the struggle for independence from the British crown. At the same time, Canada continued to drive on the left until the 1920s.
At various times, many countries adopted driving on the left, but they switched to new rules. For example, due to the proximity to countries that were former French colonies and drive on the right, the rules were changed by the former British colonies in Africa. In Czechoslovakia (formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), left-hand traffic was maintained until 1938. North Korea and South Korea switched from driving on the left to driving on the right in 1946, after the end of the Japanese occupation.
One of the last countries to switch from driving on the left to driving on the right was Sweden. This happened in 1967. Preparations for the reform began back in 1963, when the Swedish parliament formed the State Commission for the Transition to Right-Hand Driving, which was supposed to develop and implement a set of measures to ensure such a transition. On September 3, 1967, at 4:50 a.m., all vehicles were required to stop, change sides of the road, and continue driving at 5:00 a.m. For the first time after the transition, a special speed limit mode was installed.
After the advent of cars in Europe, real leapfrog was happening. Most countries drove on the right side - this custom has been imposed since the time of Napoleon. However, in England, Sweden and even part of Austria-Hungary, driving on the left reigned. And in Italy, different cities generally had different rules!
As for the location of the steering wheel, on the first cars in most cases it was on the “wrong” right side for us. Moreover, regardless of which side the cars were driving on. This was done so that the driver could better see the car being overtaken. In addition, with this steering wheel arrangement, the driver could get out of the car directly onto the sidewalk, and not onto the roadway. By the way, the first mass-produced car with a “correct” steering wheel was the Ford T.

I’m sitting in Cyprus now and thinking that I don’t know history well if I can’t remember how Cyprus ended up driving on the left. In general, this division in the world into right-hand and left-hand is very strange. Why not come to a general agreement despite some historical prerequisites. It's both simpler and safer. YES, and in any case, is it more convenient in one version or is it absolutely the same, does it all depend on habit? I didn’t dare rent a car here - I was afraid that I would get confused along the way!

By the way, let me find out, and you will remember how the division into two types of traffic arose in the first place and how left-hand traffic turned out to be in Cyprus.

It is not known for certain which side they traveled on in ancient Greece, Assyria, etc. (as stated above, the rules for traveling soldiers are not a decisive argument). There is only evidence that the Romans drove on the left. Around 1998, a Roman quarry was found in the Swindon area (Great Britain), in which the left (from the quarry) track was much more broken. Also on one of the issues of the Roman denarius, dated 50 BC. e. - 50 AD e., two horsemen are depicted riding along the left side.

Cyprus

After we stopped driving on the roads with weapons and suspecting everyone as an enemy, right-hand traffic spontaneously began to take shape on the roads, which was mainly due to human physiology, the significant difference in strength and dexterity of different hands in the techniques of driving heavy horse-drawn carriages drawn by several horses. The peculiarity of man affected that most people are right-handed. When traveling on a narrow road, it was easier to direct the carriage to the right to the side of the road or the edge of the road, pulling the reins with the right, that is, stronger hand, holding the horses. It is probably for this simple reason that the tradition and then the norm of passing on the roads arose first. This norm eventually became established as the norm for driving on the right.

In Russia, back in the Middle Ages, the rule of right-hand traffic developed spontaneously and was observed as natural human behavior. The Danish envoy to Peter I, Just Yul, wrote in 1709 that “in Russia everywhere it is customary for carts and sleighs, when meeting each other, to pass each other, keeping to the right side.” In 1752, the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna issued a decree introducing right-hand traffic for carriages and cab drivers on the streets of Russian cities.

In the West, the first law regulating left- or right-hand traffic was the English Bill of 1756, according to which traffic on London Bridge had to be on the left side. Violation of this rule was subject to an impressive fine - a pound of silver. And 20 years later, the historical “Road Act” was published in England, which introduced left-hand traffic on all roads in the country. The same left-hand traffic was adopted on the railway. In 1830, traffic on the first Manchester-Liverpool railway line was on the left.

There is another theory about the appearance of initially left-hand traffic. Some historians suggest that it was more convenient to ride on the left side in the days when horse-drawn teams appeared, where the coachmen sat on top. So, when they were driving the horses, the whip of the right-handed coachman could accidentally hit passers-by who were walking along the sidewalk. That is why horse-drawn carriages often drove on the left.

Great Britain is considered the main “culprit” of “leftism,” which then influenced some countries of the world (its colonies and dependent territories). There is a version that she introduced such order on her roads from maritime rules, that is, at sea, an oncoming ship allowed another one to pass, which was approaching from the right. But this version is erroneous, since to miss a ship approaching from the right means passing on the left sides, that is, according to the rules of right-hand traffic. It is right-hand traffic that is adopted for the divergence of ships following oncoming courses in the line of sight at sea, which is recorded in international rules.

The influence of Great Britain affected the order of traffic in its colonies, therefore, in particular, in countries such as India, Pakistan, Australia, left-hand traffic was adopted. In 1859, Queen Victoria's ambassador, Sir R. Alcock, persuaded the Tokyo authorities to also adopt left-hand traffic.

Driving on the right is often associated with France, with its influence on many other countries. During the French Revolution of 1789, a decree issued in Paris ordered that people move along the “common” right side. A little later, Napoleon Bonaparte consolidated this position by ordering the military to keep to the right, so that anyone who met the French army would give way to it. Further, this order of movement, oddly enough, was associated with big politics at the beginning of the 19th century. Those who supported Napoleon - Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain - right-hand traffic was established in those countries. On the other hand, those who opposed Napoleonic army: Britain, Austria-Hungary, Portugal - turned out to be “leftists”. The influence of France was so great that it influenced many countries in Europe, and they switched to driving on the right. However, in England, Portugal, Sweden and some other countries, traffic remains on the left. A generally curious situation has developed in Austria. In some provinces, traffic was on the left, while in others it was on the right. It was only after the Anschluss in the 1930s by Germany that the entire country switched to right-hand drive.

At first, there was left-hand traffic in the USA. But by the end of the 18th century there was a gradual transition to right-hand traffic. It is believed that the Americans were “convinced” to switch to driving on the right by the French general Marie-Joseph Lafayette, who made a significant contribution to the fight for independence from the British crown. At the same time, in a number of Canadian provinces, left-hand traffic remained until the 1920s.

At various times, many countries adopted driving on the left, but they switched to new rules. For example, due to the proximity to countries that were former French colonies and drive on the right, the rules were changed by the former British colonies in Africa. In Czechoslovakia (formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), left-hand traffic was maintained until 1938.

One of the last countries to switch from driving on the left to driving on the right was Sweden. This happened in 1967. Preparations for the reform began back in 1963, when the Swedish parliament formed the State Commission for the Transition to Right-Hand Driving, which was supposed to develop and implement a set of measures to ensure such a transition. On September 3, 1967, at 4:50 a.m., all vehicles were required to stop, change sides of the road, and continue driving at 5:00 a.m. For the first time after the transition, a special speed limit mode was installed.

After the advent of automobiles in Europe, different countries had different driving regulations. Most countries drove on the right side - this custom has been adopted since the time of Napoleon. However, in England, Sweden and even part of Austria-Hungary, driving on the left reigned. And in Italy, different cities had different rules.

It turns out that there are cats in Cyprus too:

And now a few words about the English history of Cyprus.

In 1878, the Cyprus Convention of 1878 was concluded between the British Empire and Turkey, a secret Anglo-Turkish treaty on a “defensive alliance” directed against Russia. The treaty was signed on June 4, 1878 in Istanbul before the opening of the 1878 Berlin Congress. Great Britain pledged to help the Ottoman Empire “by force of arms” if Russia, having retained Batum, Ardahan and Kars, tried to acquire new territories in Asia Minor. In exchange, Türkiye agreed to the British occupation of the island of Cyprus. The convention was annulled by the British on November 5, 1914 due to Turkey's entry into World War I on the side of Germany and the annexation of Cyprus by Great Britain.

The island was finally annexed in 1914 during the First World War. Real power in Cyprus passed into the hands of the British governor, and a self-government body was formed - the Legislative Council.

In 1925, Great Britain officially declared Cyprus its crown colony. Already in 1931, riots broke out among the Greek population demanding enosis (unification with Greece), resulting in the death of 6 people and the arson of the British administration building in Nicosia. During the suppression of the unrest, 2 thousand people were arrested.

The colonial authorities, resorting to divide and rule tactics, maneuver between the two main communities of the island; To suppress the October Uprising of 1931, which engulfed the Greek Cypriots, “reserve police” recruited from Turkish Cypriots were used.

During World War II, Greek Cypriots took part in the British war effort, fighting alongside the British. This raised widespread expectations that Britain would recognize the island's independence at the end of the war, but these hopes were dashed.

After World War II, there was a growing movement among the Greek population to unite the historical Greek territories, including Cyprus, with Greece (enosis, Greek for “reunification”). In January 1950, a referendum was held in which the Greek majority voted for enosis. Britain refused to recognize the results of the referendum.

The position of the Communist Party of Cyprus (AKEL) is strengthening. However, the communists are accused by many Greek Cypriots of abandoning enosis.

During British rule, a railway was built in Cyprus (en: Cyprus Government Railway), which operated from 1905 to 1951 and had 39 stations. On December 31, 1951, the railway was closed for financial reasons.

In 1955, the first armed conflict between the Greeks and the British led to the founding of EOKA (Greek Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston, a union of fighters for the liberation of the nation). During the first series of attacks on British military personnel and officials, up to 100 Britons were killed, as well as a number of Greek Cypriots suspected of collaboration. The EOKA attacks did not affect the Turkish Cypriot reserve police, but caused increasing tensions between the two communities.

In September 1955, Greek pogroms took place in Turkey, and the paramilitary group Volkan was formed, leading the fight against EOKA. In 1956, Britain increased the number of its troops in Cyprus to 30 thousand and carried out massive repressions.

In 1957, with direct help from Turkey, Turkish Cypriots formed the TMT military organization. Britain supports the emergence of TMT as a counterweight to the Greek EOKA.

By 1959, the EOKA movement managed to get rid of the British, but the main goal - joining Greece - was not achieved.

Britain's heritage in Cyprus includes driving on the left and two remaining military bases that are under British sovereignty.

The island's electrical networks are built according to British standards. They have British style sockets (see BS 1363) and the voltage is 250 volts. I had to buy this adapter: