448 - Do you drive on the wrong side of the road?
- janelehman
- Apr 21, 2022
- 2 min read
Here in the USA, we drive on the right side of the road.
I love having this conversation with our neighbors from the UK, and others who don't drive on the right side of the road. 🚙
What fascinates me is that driving on the left side of the road makes perfect sense when you hear why they do it.
It's all about perspectives and goes back to the days of riding horses. 🏇🏻
According to Read's Digest: "Originally, almost everybody traveled on the left side of the road, according to BBC America. However, their mode of transport was quite different from today: Think four legs instead of four wheels. For Medieval swordsmen on horseback, it made sense to keep to the left to have their right arms closer to their opponents...Mounting and dismounting were also easier from the left side of the horse, and safer done by the side of the road than in the center".
That makes perfect sense, so why do Americans, and the majority of other countries, drive on the right?
According to Businessinsider.com: "In the US, right-hand traffic goes back to the 18th century. Freight wagons were pulled by teams of horses. and the drivers rode on the left rear horse, using their right hand to more easily control the team. Traffic shifted to the right so drivers could easily avoid collisions".
See the links to the complete articles in the comments.
The articles go on to explain such details as Napoleon being left handed, and Henry Ford putting the seat of his cars on the left so passengers could exit on the curb on the right. 🚖
At the end of the day, it was all about differing perspectives and, as always, the world couldn't agree.
When you look back at the reason why many inventions were made the way they were, it all boils down to the inventors perspective.
Americans drive on the right side of the road. The British drive on the left. Both are correct.
Some inventions turn out great the first time and others need reinventing over time...except the wheel.
There's no need to reinvent the wheel! 🛞👍
There can be so many perspectives and we don't have to place any judgments on them.
To each his own, as long as it doesn't interfere with others.
Are you open to new perspectives?
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