It drives me nutty when people in my home country refer to those who drive on the left as driving on the "wrong side of the road." It is not the wrong side, it is the opposite side. I am not the only one who gets annoyed. A friend who is a policeman in Ireland (known as Garda Síochána na hÉireann or the Gardaí) said the number one pet peeve he and his colleagues have with tourists is when they refer to driving on the left as the "wrong side." The US is a great country, but many Americans forget that it isn't the only country in the world. In the case of driving, about 28% of the world's drivers drive on the left, not the right. A friend said that historically, driving on the left had something to do with needing to draw one's sword. This had me thinking about why different countries drive on different sides of the road.
In Ireland and the UK, they drive on the left side of the road. This is referred to has LHT or Left Hand Traffic. The steering wheel is on the right and the vehicle is known as a RHD or a Right Hand Drive vehicle. As you might guess, countries that drive on the right are considered RHT or Right Hand Traffic countries and the vehicles are LHD. Exceptions are postal vehicles, newspaper carriers, and some utility service vehicles. In many countries, it is possible to drive a vehicle with the steering wheel on the opposite side and I considered shipping my Toyota Prius overseas. However, it can be difficult to find an insurance company to insure the vehicle and when you do, it is expensive. So, instead, I sold my much loved Prius and bought a Skoda Fabia Estate (an estate is the name here for a station wagon.)
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| Riley posing in Ireland in front of the new, used Skoda. |
76 countries and territories drive on the left whereas 164 drive on the right. Besides the UK and Ireland, other countries that drive on the left include Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, Bermuda and Barbados, India and Pakistan, Japan, and South Africa. Many of the countries that drive on the left were formerly part of the British Empire or are part of the Commonwealth. A few exceptions to the "former British colonies" rule, include the United States and Canada, both of which are RHT countries.
Interestingly, a study done in 1969, found that drivers who drive on the left have fewer accidents. The sample of countries at the time was quite low and obviously, there are many more drivers on the roads now, but the thought was that since the majority of people are right-eye dominant, when driving on the left, the predominantly better-performing right eye is used to monitor oncoming traffic and the side mirror. Also, in a RHD car with manual transmission, most of what you find here in the UK and Ireland, the more commonly dominant right hand driver's right hand is on the steering wheel at all times, while the left is used to shift gears. Though, in my case, I find having to shift with my left hand while juggling my bottle of Diet Pepsi, not very safe at all.
Historically, driving originated on the left side. In Swindon, England, a well-preserved track leading to a Roman quarry has deeper grooves on the left side of the road, since carts exiting the quarry were more heavily loaded than those entering it. This is also where the sword drawing issue comes up. As more people are right-handed, it is thought that a horseman riding on the left would be better able to hold the reins with his left hand and keep his right hand free to defend himself with a sword, and jousting knights who had their lances under their right arms naturally passed on each other's right.
In contrast, driving on the right in Continental Europe began with Napoleon and the French. Just after the French Revolution, Napoleon ordered the military to stay to the right so that everyone who met the French army had to concede the way. Some researchers say it was actually because Napoleon was left handed and he wanted his armies on the right so he could have his sword arm at the ready.
It wasn't until the late 18th century that many countries, including the United States, changed from the left to the right. Large freight wagons pulled by several pairs of horses had no driver's seat, so the driver sat on the left rear horse and held his whip in his right hand. The driver preferred that other wagons pass on the left so he could be sure to keep clear of the wheels of oncoming wagons. Some say the real reason was the U.S. was anxious to cast off all remaining links to their British colonial past. Interestingly, it was only the 13 British colonies that originally drove on the left. All portions of the U.S. that were historically ruled by other countries all drove on the right when they were annexed into the United States.
How have I done driving on the left? I find driving on the left to come quite naturally. There have been a few times where I have neglected to look right first and have had to stop short when I've pulled out onto the road to find vehicles quickly approaching from the right. So far, I've had no close encounters with pedestrians or sheep lying by the side of the road.
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| Beware the lounging sheep on the road. |
Having said that, I did have a minor accident right after arriving in Scotland, when I backed up in my own driveway and ran smack dab into the front of my apartment. Having occurred on the driveway, it wasn't related to driving on the left. At the time, I was driving with Riley's extra large dog crate in the back of the car and I couldn't see out of my rear view mirror. And because of my neck surgeries, I have much less range of motion in my neck and turning around to look behind me is quite taxing. I am now learning to I rely on my side mirrors much more when reversing and Riley is riding with a seat belt now and his crate is no longer in the car. My minor snafu caused a crack in the cover to my back lights that I still need to replace it. Thankfully it won't be too costly - one is available at the dealership for £50 (about $75).
When I first arrived in Scotland, I talked with a friend who is a professional driving instructor to be certain I was entering roundabouts from the correct lane and using my signal when required. I have found myself in the wrong lane and needing to move over quickly more than a few times, but generally it is because I am not familiar with the area I am driving in and didn't realise I was in the wrong lane until the last moment I use a Garmin Sat Nav (or GPS as we call it in the U.S.) loaned to me by a friend and it keeps me on the straight and narrow most of the time.
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| Just arriving in Ladybank, Scotland. |
I did find driving in Ireland to be more challenging than here in Scotland, though it wasn't the issue of what side of the road they drive on. The roads were much narrower and drivers out in the countryside drive much faster and passing another vehicle was often quite harrowing. There was much discussion on talk radio about the need for better driving instruction in Ireland and I can see why. Having lived and driven in several large cities in the U.S., I consider myself to be a pretty defensive driver. This came in handy in Ireland, as I didn't find it as difficult to drive as other Americans I met did. I also pull over at the first opportune time to allow drivers to pass, as I tend to drive slower when sightseeing or when driving on unfamiliar roads. When passing another vehicle on a narrow road, especially a fast approaching lorry (large truck), I also found closing my eyes and hoping for the best worked quite well.
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| This Irish one lane is being shared with a lorry (large truck) and cows on the way to being milked. |
In Scotland, on many of the roads that have one lane in each direction, people often park their cars in one lane or the other, making it impossible for traffic to continue on both sides of the roads. I suppose this is because many of the houses are very old and having adequate parking wasn't a priority at the time they were built. Because of this, it is common to pull over multiple times along the road, to let drivers from the other direction pass. Patience is definitely a virtue when driving.
Single-track roads are also very common here, as well as many rural areas throughout the UK. Marked passing places are provided often, even out in the middle of nowhere. I find the majority of drivers to be quite polite in that the oncoming driver generally waves or flashes their lights at night to acknowledge that you pulled over for them. Flashing one's lights is also a signal to a vehicle coming in the distance that you are planning to reverse to or pull over at a passing place to allow them to drive by. In the U.S., I am familiar with the custom of the vehicle going downhill to yield the right of way. The idea is that the vehicle going up might have difficulty getting started again, especially on snowy or icy roads in the mountains. I asked if there is a regulation or custom here for that, but generally it seems the vehicle closest to a passing place pulls over first. Or, if it is necessary to back up to a passing area, the right of way is given to vehicles that would have a harder time reversing, such as a lorry or vehicle pulling a trailer.
I asked about taking my car over to Europe, as I would like to visit a few other countries sometime in the future. From what I have read, it is much more common for the British to take their RHD cars over to Europe, than the other way around. Since I won't be driving in any of the major cities, I will just take it slow and easy. Many years ago, I gave up driving fast and my new life doesn't require me to be anywhere as quickly as I once needed to. Now arriving at my destination safely is the priority.
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| Riley too is riding much safer now with the help of his Bergan seat belt. |
