Whether you like cars or not, you surely know that in some countries like the United Kingdom you drive on the left and there cars have the steering wheel and pedals on the right. However, you probably do not know why this is so. To understand this singular difference with the general form of circulation, it is necessary to review the history of mobility, and in particular the history of roads.
Although there is no single reason that can explain this phenomenon, it should be noted that the first paved roads were built by the Romans over two millennia ago. Most people at that time, as today, were right-handed. There the most accepted theory begins.
Soldiers were no exception to this rule and wielded their typically much heavier weapons with that limb, with greater strength in their right hand. However, they kept them in a sheath on the left side of the belt until their use. The former implied two advantages: greater agility when attacking or defending, and fewer unwanted jerks and shocks with swords or spears of soldiers moving in the opposite direction.
The Roman circulation model, according to historians, remained practically intact in all Western countries with Latin influence until the 18th century. The why was also the result of a right-handed majority, as almost all horse-drawn drivers used whips or whips to whip the animals with their right hand while holding the reins with their left. This prevented accidentally hitting passers-by, as the movement of the equipment was oriented towards the end of the road and not towards the centre.
Subsequently, separate “modern” wars and revolutions on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean caused many countries to diverge from the traditional method with a fundamental role in the future of the world, as far as possible for new ones. The sole purpose was to establish standards. old orders. Experts point out that, in Europe, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who was left-handed, was the prime promoter of this rupture and revision. Later Hitler also bet on the same idea. As a curiosity, Sweden changed the direction of its streets in 1967.
The 55 official states that continue to drive on the left and continue to sell right-hand drive cars are generally some form of British colonial imposition. This is the case for Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, India, Canada, Jamaica, Malta, Cyprus, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon, South Africa, Tanzania and other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, to which Ireland belonged until 1949. Between all of them, including Japan, there are only 10% of the roads on the planet.
