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Left-side traffic is still enforced in some countries: Why?

Most countries around the world follow the same set of traffic rules to ensure smooth vehicular movement. Do you know that there are some countries that have left-hand traffic rules, which means that they drive on the left side of the road, versus the majority that drive on the right?

Which countries drive on the left-hand side of the road?

World Standards reports that 35 percent of the world’s population drive on the left, and most of those countries are old British colonies. Follow the-left-hand traffic dates back to the British era, and the practice has its origins in the past. It was customary for swordsmen to travel on the left side of the road because most of them were right-handed and, therefore, preferred to keep their swords on the left to keep their right arm near their opponents and to avoid a sudden attack.

Also dating back to old times,the horsemen preferred to mount their horses from the left side. It is preferred to mount and dismount on the roadside rather than in the middle of traffic, so if one is on the left side of the road to mount a horse, the horse should be ridden only on the left side. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, only members of the royal family were allowed to travel on the left. The general public walked on the right. These factors led to the rule of driving on the left.

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Historically, the rule of driving on the right came into effect after the French Revolution of 1789, when the people gained power and the royal family was forced to walk on the right side as well. Someone who uses the left side would be considered from the royal family or very wealthy society, and the public would attack them. Since then, the steering wheel in cars and other vehicles has also been designed on different sides.

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