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Why are there different movements in different countries? Left-hand and right-hand traffic. Reasons influencing the choice of direction

It's no secret to avid travelers that in many countries the traffic vector on the roads differs from the way they are used to. Before traveling abroad, it is important to remember which countries drive on the left, especially if you plan to rent a car.

Reasons influencing the choice of direction

There is practically no historical evidence of how our ancestors moved. Apparently, this topic seemed obvious, so chroniclers and ordinary people did not consider it important to make notes on it. The rules of behavior on state transport routes were first regulated legislatively only in the 18th century.

On this moment 28% of highways around the world are oriented to the left, and 34% of the world's population travels along them. The reasons why these territories have retained their traditional methods of regulating traffic are the following:

  • Historically, they were colonies or dependent regions of Great Britain and Japan;
  • The main transport used was carts with a driver sitting on the roof.

The list of regions changed rapidly after the United Kingdom lost its status as an “empire where the sun never sets” and the end of World War II. The last country to adopt the new orientation was the Independent State of Samoa in 2009.

Full list, current for 2018:

  1. Australia and New Zealand, including external territories and states in free association (Cocos, Norfolk, Christmas, Tokelau, Cook, Niue);
  2. Continental southeast Africa (Kenya, Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tonga, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi);
  3. Bangladesh;
  4. Botswana;
  5. Brunei;
  6. Butane;
  7. Great Britain;
  8. Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom (Anguilla, Bermuda, Saint Helena and Ascension, Cayman, Montserrat, Maine, Pitcairn, Turks and Caicos, Falklands);
  9. British and American Virgin Islands;
  10. East Timor;
  11. Guyana;
  12. Hong Kong;
  13. India;
  14. Indonesia;
  15. Ireland;
  16. Independent countries of the Caribbean;
  17. Cyprus;
  18. Mauritius;
  19. Macau;
  20. Malaysia;
  21. Maldives;
  22. Malta;
  23. Micronesia (Kiribati, Solomon, Tuvalu);
  24. Nauru;
  25. Nepal;
  26. Channel Islands;
  27. Pakistan;
  28. Papua New Guinea;
  29. Samoa;
  30. Seychelles;
  31. Singapore;
  32. Suriname;
  33. Thailand;
  34. Fiji;
  35. Sri Lanka;
  36. Jamaica;
  37. Japan.

Traditions of movement

The methods of driving on roads for ordinary people in ancient times depended purely out of convenience because the population density was low. Peasants and artisans carried loads on the right shoulder and walked so as not to touch each other, while warriors preferred the opposite side in order to be able to protect themselves from enemies by drawing the sword from the sheath on the left thigh.

With the advent of vehicles, driving rules also changed. Carts with one horse and a driver on the front goats were more convenient to control with the working hand, as the stronger one, and at the same time maintain maneuverability on the left.

This type of transport was common in France, and during Napoleon's reign, driving on the left spread to all the regions of his conquests.

How did the movement influence vehicle design?

Due to differences in behavior on the highway depending on orientation, different countries use cars with the steering wheel on the side farthest from the curb. At the same time, the location of the control levers remains the same in all models.

However, for the convenience of specialized machines, this rule may be broken. For example, In the official transport of postal employees, the driver's seat was located on the side closest to the sidewalk so that the postman delivers letters and parcels without leaving the car. So in the USSR, since 1968, the Moskvich 434P with right-hand drive was produced.

Another important aspect related to the direction traffic is moving across the border in states with opposite accepted traffic rules. In such cases, there may be a simple displacement on the route if the road is narrow, as between Laos and Thailand, or a large-scale labyrinth of paths if we are talking about large-scale crossings, such as between Macau and China.

Why do people drive on the left in England?

Since there is no written evidence of how people traveled on roads in ancient times, researchers are turning to archaeological methods. At an old quarry near Swindon, Wiltshire, traces of a Roman-era street were discovered, the degree of subsidence of which indicated that traffic was driven on the left.

Historians also associate this direction of traffic in Great Britain with traditional carts, including cabs, on which the right-handed driver sat on the roof and, accordingly, held a whip in his strongest hand.

The first piece of legislation regulating the rules of movement around the city was a law in 1756, which obligated vehicles to drive on the left side of London Bridge, and violators were subject to a fine of a whole silver pound. Later, in 1776, the Road Act was adopted, extending the rule to all streets in England.

Since it was the British who became the first railway power, many countries still have similar traffic in the subway and at stations railways with the reverse rules for cars.

Which traffic in Russia is right-hand or left-hand?

For a long time, there were no rules in Russia that would tell people exactly how they should drive carts so as not to collide with each other. In 1752, the first Russian Empress Elizabeth ordered the drivers move along the right side streets inside cities.

And so it happened, throughout Russian Federation accepted right-hand traffic . However, in major cities You can find separate sections where the direction of traffic flow changes, which is usually associated with the convenience of the interchange in a particular place.

Examples of such places are:

  • Leskova Street in the Bibirevsky district of Moscow;
  • Embankment of the Fontanka River in St. Petersburg;
  • Semenovskaya and Mordotsveva streets in Vladivostok (August 2012 - March 2013).

It is interesting to see how political and economic reasons have influenced which countries drive on the left and which drive on the right. One simple point on which people cannot agree and come to a common decision creates differences in economic trends and poses major challenges for architects and administrations of cities and regions.

Video: Which part of the road is used in different countries?

In this video, Oleg Govorunov will tell you why different countries It is customary to move on different sides of the roads:

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 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 were moving apart, it was easier to direct the crew to the side of the road to the right, pulling on the reins 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, 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 car roads, and also passed 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 changed from left-hand traffic to right-hand traffic 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.

The existence of right- and left-hand traffic for decades has been adding work to automakers and headaches for drivers who are forced to drive on the “wrong” side while on vacation or on a business trip. And it turns out that horses are to blame for this duality that still exists.

As you might guess, right-hand traffic is no worse or better than left-hand traffic - as long as both cars and road infrastructure are fully adapted to it. Beginner English or Australian drivers get used to the road no slower or faster than German and Russian "dummies". Maybe that’s why all the countries of the world cannot come to a single option for so long - and for example, the small state of Samoa in Oceania switched from the right-hand option to the left-hand option just over five years ago. The fact is that a hundred years ago Samoa was a German colony and when roads were laid, right-hand traffic, which was familiar to the Germans, was introduced - however, it is more convenient to transport cars to the islands from Australia and New Zealand, where the vast majority of them are right-handed. Therefore, in the fall of 2009, the local prime minister gave the country the command to drive on the other side of the road.
But if two movement patterns are equally good (or equally bad) - how then was the choice made? Did our ancestors at some point simply flip a coin up? Not at all.
At the end of the last century, archaeologists carried out excavations on the territory of a quarry from ancient Roman times and discovered the road to it. Based on the fact that on one side the track was noticeably deeper than on the other (the reason for which was the difference in weight between an empty and loaded cart), experts concluded that left-hand traffic was accepted on the territory of this ancient “enterprise”. A number of other finds confirm this conclusion: in ancient times, people clearly preferred to move on the left side.

The jockeys driving the most luxurious carriage at the disposal of the British royal family do not have to squeeze anywhere: no other vehicle will simply be allowed on the streets along which the carriage must pass.

The fact is that for a motorist there is no fundamental difference which way to pass. But thousands of years ago, the most popular means of transportation on land was the horse, but for the rider or the coachman driving the cart, there is already a difference. Most people are right-handed, and prefer to mount the horse on the left side, and hold a weapon or, for example, a whip in the right hand. It was because of this that the riders, for example, preferred to disperse with their right sides - in order to be in a more convenient position in case of an attack. And it was more convenient for the coachmen to drive on the left, so that the whip had less chance of catching on bushes or a hedge at the edge of the road - or catching someone walking along the side of the road.
Thus, driving on the left looks more familiar and natural - but who then came up with the idea of ​​​​taking the other side of the road? A number of historians believe that multi-horse teams, where the driver sat not on a carriage or cart, but directly on one of the horses, are to blame for everything. It was most comfortable for the coachman to ride on the left rear horse - however, in this case, he did not “feel the dimensions” of the carriage very well when passing oncoming carts. Therefore, both the luxurious carriages of the nobility (the “six hundredth Mercedes” of their time) and the heavy cargo carts (which were more expensive to collide with) began to stick to the right side. Over time, those who drove less cumbersome and prestigious carriages also acquired the habit of driving on the right. As a result, in the 18th century, the right-hand traffic pattern was officially established in many European countries: for example, in France this was done in 1794, and in Russia even earlier, in 1752, by decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

If there were no England, there would be no right-hand drive. The legitimacy of this statement has been debated in automotive circles for decades.

Let's try to figure out why the left-hand traffic pattern took root in Great Britain and how this affected other countries of the world.

The rule of driving on the left side of the road was legislated by the English authorities in 1756. For violation of the bill there was an impressive fine - a pound of silver.
There are two main versions that explain why in the middle of the 18th century England chose to drive on the left.

Roman version

IN Ancient Rome Stick to driving on the left. This approach was explained by the fact that the legionnaires held weapons in their right hands. And therefore, in the event of an unexpected meeting with the enemy, it was more profitable for them to be on the left side of the road. The enemy thus fell directly into the chopping hand. After the Romans conquered the British Isles in 45 AD, "leftism" may have spread to England. This version is supported by the results of archaeological expeditions. In 1998, a Roman quarry was excavated in Wiltshire in southwest England, near which the left track was broken more than the right.

Marine version

Previously, the British could only get to Europe by water. Therefore, maritime traditions have become firmly entrenched in the culture of this people. In the old days, English ships had to pass on the left side of an oncoming ship. Subsequently, this custom could spread to roads.

Modern international shipping rules stipulate right-hand traffic.

How did English “leftism” spread throughout the world?

Most left-hand drive countries have chosen this particular traffic pattern due to the following circumstances:

Colonial factor

Even in the middle of the last century, Great Britain was an empire on which the sun never set. Most of the former colonies scattered around the world decided to continue driving on the left after gaining independence.

Political factor

During the Great French Revolution, a decree was issued which ordered all residents of the republic to follow the “common people’s” path. right side roads. When Napoleon Bonaparte came to power, the movement pattern turned into a policy argument. In those states that supported Napoleon - Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain - right-hand traffic was established. On the other hand, those who opposed France: Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, Portugal turned out to be “leftists”. Subsequently, left-hand traffic in these three countries was preserved only in the United Kingdom.

Political friendship with Great Britain contributed to the introduction of “leftism” on the roads in Japan: in 1859, Queen Victoria's ambassador, Sir Rutherford Alcock, convinced the authorities of the island state to accept driving on the left.

When did right-hand traffic become established in Russia?

In Russia, the rules for right-hand traffic developed back in the Middle Ages. The Danish envoy to Peter I, Just Yul, wrote in 1709 that “in the Russian Empire, it is customary everywhere for carts and sleighs, when meeting each other, to pass each other, keeping to the right side.” In 1752, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna enshrined this norm into law by issuing a decree introducing right-hand traffic for carriages and cab drivers on the streets of the empire’s cities.

Left-hand traffic in Vladivostok

East is a delicate matter. And the Far East is not at all understandable):

As you've probably heard, two streets with left-hand traffic have appeared in the center of Vladivostok.

Due to the opening of the bridge across the Golden Horn Bay, the organization of traffic in the city center was changed, “in order to optimize traffic flow and eliminate the intersection of traffic flows.” Including on two streets it is very unusual - in fact, left-hand traffic was introduced there. But now right-hand drive cars look very harmonious on them.

Countries that changed traffic

History knows many examples when countries switched from one traffic pattern to another. States did this for the following reasons:

“To spite yesterday’s occupiers”

The United States switched to driving on the right side of the road after declaring independence from Great Britain in 1776.

Korea switched to driving on the right after the end of the Japanese occupation in 1946.

Geographic feasibility

Many former British colonies in Africa switched to driving on the right in the mid-1960s and early 1970s. Sierra Leone, Gambia, Nigeria and Ghana did this for convenience: they were surrounded by “right-riding” former French colonies.

Sweden is the last country in Europe to change direction. In 1967, the so-called H-Day* took place there, when all the cars in the kingdom changed lanes. The reason for the transition to “law” lay not only in geography, but also in economics. Most of the countries where Swedish-made cars were sold used left-hand drive.

In 2009, Samoa switched to driving on the left. This was due to the large number of used right-hand drive cars being imported into the country from Australia and New Zealand.

"Left" exceptions

In right-leaning countries there is room for left-wing exceptions. So, on the small street of General Lemonnier (350 meters long) in Paris, people move on the left side. There are small areas with left-hand traffic in Odessa (Vysoky Lane), in Moscow (passage on Leskova Street), in St. Petersburg (embankment of the Fontanka River) and in Vladivostok (Semyonovskaya Street on the section from Aleutskaya Street to the intersection with Okeansky Prospekt, as well as on Mordovtseva street).

Which movement is safer?

According to experts, which side you drive on does not affect the degree of traffic safety - it is just a matter of habit.

Countries with left-hand traffic

The global ratio of right-hand to left-hand roads is 72% and 28%, with 66% of the world's drivers driving on the right side and 34% driving on the left.

In North America

Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Jamaica

In South America

Guyana
Suriname
Europe

Great Britain
Ireland
Malta
Asia

Bangladesh
Brunei
Butane
East Timor
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Cyprus
Macau
Malaysia
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan
Singapore
Thailand
Sri Lanka
Japan
Africa

Botswana
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Kenya
Lesotho
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Seychelles
Swaziland
Tanzania
Uganda
South Africa
Oceania

Australia
Kiribati
Nauru
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Tonga
Fiji

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 involve different design cars. 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.

Cross to the right side of the road...

When visiting a country for the first time where drivers drive on the opposite side of the road from ours, a person, whether he wants it or not, falls into a stupor. It not only looks and feels strange, but at first it seems that the whole world has turned upside down and you have found yourself through the looking glass, the difference is so great.

Have you ever wondered why this happened? How did it happen historically that some countries (the majority) adopted a right-hand model for themselves, while the remaining states built roads and drew markings according to the left-hand model? The answers to these questions will take us back to the distant past and they will probably really shock you when it turns out that modern motorists owe their travel patterns to whips, ancient military tactics and sailors.

Today about 66% of the population globe moves on the right side of the road, while 72% of all roads have a right-hand traffic pattern, 28%, respectively, a left-hand pattern. It is interesting that in the modern world the evolution of road traffic rules is still ongoing. Preference for driving is given to the right side of the road. Thus, in 2009, the Pacific island state of Samoa switched to driving on the left, and 187 thousand people were added to the regiment of right-hand drive adherents. Rumor has it that the authorities had to do this because of the large number of used right-hand drive cars. The New York Times wrote that in order for people to get used to the changes in the country, a two-day holiday was declared.

Previously, other countries also switched en masse to the other side of the road, mainly to the right-hand drive.

The most famous historical transition took place in Sweden. Once upon a time on the roads of this Scandinavian country oddly enough, they moved on the left side. But due to the fact that all the neighbors had diametrically opposed views on which side of the road to drive on, the Swedes had to capitulate and accept new rules of the game. The transition was carried out on September 3, 1967. This day went down in history as “H-Day.”

Some other countries have made the switch to driving on the right or vice versa to driving on the left for the same reasons, mainly due to the inconvenience of communicating with neighboring countries.

But when and how did the traditions of moving along the road exactly as people do now begin? It all started in the days of foot travelers and chariots. There are many reasons, theories and real prerequisites for this. From the assumption that people on the road, when traveling with nobles on horseback, pressed to the left so as not to fall under the blow of a whip, to purely physiological prerequisites related to the fact that most people are right-handed and even political reasons.


Right-handed people rule the world. The right-hand theory states that driving on the right came about because right-handed people found it easier to control with their right hand, and it was safer to use a whip when driving on the right side of the road. And the peasants always pressed to the left of a rushing carriage or a man on a horse, so that it would be more difficult to hit them with a whip, if something happened. For the same reason, knightly tournaments were held according to the rules of right-hand traffic.

In many countries, right-hand traffic developed spontaneously and was eventually enshrined in legislation. IN Russian Empire under Elizabeth I, driving on the right was officially legalized. However, earlier in Russia, when two horse-drawn carriages passed each other, they pressed against the right side of the road.

In England, a little later, its own law “Road Act” was adopted, with which its own type of traffic was introduced - left-hand traffic. Following the mistress of the seas, all her colonies and the lands subject to them became left-handed on the roads. Great Britain had a major influence on the popularization of driving on the left.

England itself was probably influenced in antiquity by the Ancient Roman Empire. After the conquest of Foggy Albion, the Romans, who had a custom of driving on the left side of the road, spread this tradition throughout the conquered territory.

Spread of right-hand traffic historically attributed to Napoleon and his military expansion in Europe. The political factor played a role. The countries that supported the Emperor of France: Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Holland, Switzerland, began to drive on the right side of the road. Those countries that were their political opponents, England, Austria-Hungary, Portugal, remained on the left side.

Political factors also played a role in the case of the newly independent United States of America. After gaining independence from Great Britain, Americans rushed to switch to driving on the right so that nothing would remind them of the past.

The same thing was done in Korea after the end of the Japanese occupation in 1946.

Speaking of Japan. Not everything is so simple with this island state either. There are two theories about how the Japanese started driving on the left. The first, historical: samurai fastened scabbards and swords on the left side, so when moving, so as not to touch random passers-by, they moved on the left side of the road. The second theory is political: supposedly in 1859, the British ambassador convinced the Tokyo authorities to accept driving on the left.

These are the historical facts that told us interesting story about the origins of different traffic on the roads of the world.