Which traffic in Europe is left-hand or right-hand. Which countries have left-hand traffic: we understand together. States that changed the movement

Left-hand traffic or right-hand traffic ... How to find out which is better, more convenient, what is more rational in operation, finally?

First time in England

In fact, there is not much difference between right- and left-sided. Left-hand traffic was first carried out in England (in many European countries, on the contrary, right-hand traffic is accepted). And so it went that in the former English colonies left-handedness was preserved, since the change required a reformatting of the psychology of the inhabitants and, moreover, was quite expensive!

Also rail traffic. In Argentina - left-hand drive, and in many European countries, although cars obey the right-hand drive! That's the way it is, that's the tradition.

Countries where cars drive on the left

Most people in the world are right-handed. Therefore, the very expediency of most of the right-hand traffic is not in doubt. But it turns out that there are not so few countries in which left-hand traffic is legal. 28% of all roads on the planet are left-handed. 34% of the world's population travels on the left side, and this is not so little. As already mentioned, the main reason for this was the colonial policy in England. Left-hand traffic has spread in the former British colonies and territories once dependent on Great Britain.

Here are the countries of Europe where the traffic is on the left-hand side: Great Britain, Malta, Ireland, Cyprus. In Asia, these are Japan, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Macau, Pakistan, Thailand, Nepal, Hong Kong, Singapore and some others. As you can see, there are quite a few of them! In Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Zealand. In Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique. In Latin America: Jamaica, Bahamas, Barbados, Suriname. Still driving on the left in Japan. You can list and list!

A bit of history

There were even precedents in history when entire states switched from left-handed to right-handed and vice versa. The country of Sweden replaced the left-hand traffic of cars with the right-hand one in one day. This happened in 1967. America, in an effort to disown its "English dependence", made it easier - not in the same way as in England. Namely, this country has made an indisputable contribution to the development of the global automotive industry. And many countries of the world took an example from her!

We add that in modern cars, the driver's seat is closer to the side of the oncoming traffic: on the right in places of left-hand traffic, on the left in countries with right-hand traffic, respectively. This creates additional convenience for the driver, widens the field of view and gives the ability to react faster.

And from history: in Russia in the Middle Ages, the rules of traffic (right-hand) developed by themselves and were observed as the most natural. And Empress Elizabeth in the distant 1752 issues a decree on right-hand traffic on the streets of Russian cities for cab drivers and carriages.

And in the west, the first law that would regulate traffic on the streets was the English bill of 1756, in which traffic was to be carried out on the left side.

When I started traveling, for example, it was a discovery for me that there are such corners of our world where left-hand traffic is accepted, in addition to, of course, well-known countries such as England, Japan and Australia.

I think few of us wondered why somewhere left-handed is accepted, and somewhere right-handed.

WHY?

Many people I asked about this phenomenon answered like this: "Because these countries are former colonies of England." To which I immediately asked the question: “But what about Japan?”
I want to note that the answer is partially correct if we are talking about countries that were colonies of England.

Fact:

At the moment, 66% of the world's population drive on the right side and 34% on the left. 28% of all roads are left hand and 72% are right hand.

After wandering around the Internet, I came across a number of interesting versions that contributed to the emergence of a particular movement in different countries.

Traditions of left-hand and right-hand traffic originated long before the invention of the automobile. Here are some versions of this phenomenon:

In Europe, right-hand traffic originated in the Middle Ages, when the narrow roads between settlements were driven not by cars, but by riders on horseback. All of them were armed. In the left hand, the riders held a shield to defend themselves in case of a sudden attack, and therefore they kept to the right side.

Another version of the appearance of right-hand traffic: when the horse-drawn carts were moving apart, it was easier to direct the carriage to the side of the road to the right, pulling the reins with the right hand, which is more developed in most people. Years have passed, vehicles have changed, but the tradition remains...

In England, they talk about left-hand traffic as the reason that the British are a maritime nation, and it is more convenient for sailors to disperse on the left tack.

In Japan, the version of the appearance of left-hand traffic is as follows: the fact is that the samurai carried the sword on their left side (it was more convenient to draw the sword with the right hand). According to the samurai code, no one could touch his sword. Otherwise, whoever touched the sword would immediately face death. And therefore, already in the 19th century, in order to avoid the inappropriate death of ordinary people, left-hand traffic was adopted.

Historical fact:

As for our country, in 1752 the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna issued a decree on the introduction of right-hand traffic on the streets of Russian cities for carriages and cabbies.

Warning:

Tourists who come to a country with unusual traffic for them, for safety reasons, may not be allowed to drive a car on their own, but to use the services of a driver.

Having studied this issue in more detail, I was surprised that the list of countries with left-hand traffic turned out to be quite impressive!

Below is a complete list of those countries whose roads make up the same 28%.

Antigua and Barbuda

Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands
Butane
Botswana
Brunei
Great Britain
East Timor
Guyana
Hong Kong
Grenada
Dominica
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Indonesia
Ireland
Cayman islands
Kenya
Cyprus
Kiribati
coconut islands
Lesotho
Macau
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Malta
Mauritius
Montserrat
Mozambique
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Niue
Norfolk

Cook Islands
Christmas Island
Saint Helena
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Pitcairn
Samoa (2009)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
St. Thomas (island, US territory)
Seychelles
Singapore
Solomon islands
South Africa
Suriname
Swaziland
Tanzania
Thailand
Turks and Caicos
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tuvalu
Uganda
Fiji
Sri Lanka
Japan

P.S. Be extremely careful on the roads in these countries! From my own experience, I can say that at first such traffic is really confusing, even with a seemingly simple road crossing.

Move to the right side of the road...

For the first time visiting a country in which drivers drive on the opposite side of the road from ours, a person, whether he wants it or not, falls into a stupor. It does not just look and feel strange, but at first it seems that the whole world has turned upside down and you are in the looking glass, the difference is so great.

Have you ever wondered why this happened? How did it happen historically that some countries (most) took the right-hand model for themselves, and the remaining states built roads and drew markings according to the left-hand model? The answers to these questions will take us back in time and will probably really shock you when it turns out that modern motorists owe the scheme of movement to whips, ancient military tactics and sailors.

Today, about 66% of the world's population moves on the right side of the road, while 72% of all roads have a right-hand traffic pattern, 28%, respectively, a left-hand one. It is interesting that in the modern world the evolution of traffic rules on the roads is still ongoing. Traffic is preferred on the right side of the road. So, in 2009, the Pacific island state of Samoa switched to left-hand traffic, 187 thousand people were added to the right-hand drive regiment. 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 announced.

Previously, other countries also massively switched to the other side of the road, mainly to the right-hand version.

The most famous historical crossing was made 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 a diametrically opposed view of 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 09/03/1967. This day went down in history under the name "Day "H"".

Some other countries have made transitions to right-hand traffic or vice versa to left-hand traffic for the same reasons, mainly due to the inconvenience of communicating with neighboring countries.

But when and how did the traditions originate to move along the road exactly the way people do it now. 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 riding with nobles on horseback, clung to the left in order not to get hit by a whip, to purely physiological prerequisites associated with the fact that most people are right-handed and even political reasons.

Righties rule the world. The right-hand theory says that right-hand traffic appeared due to the fact that it was more convenient for right-handers to control with their right hand, it was safer to beat with a whip when driving on the right side of the road. Yes, and the peasants always clung 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, in which case. For the same reason, jousting tournaments were held according to the right-hand traffic rules.

In many countries, right-hand traffic developed spontaneously and was eventually enshrined in legislation. In the Russian Empire under Elizabeth I, right-hand traffic was officially legalized. However, even earlier in Russia, when two horse-drawn carriages passed, 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-handed. Following the mistress of the seas, all her colonies and lands subject to them became left-handed on the roads. Great Britain seriously influenced the popularization of left-hand traffic.

England itself in antiquity was probably influenced by the Ancient Roman Empire. After the conquest of Foggy Albion, the Romans, who used to drive on the left side of the road, spread this tradition in the conquered territory.

Distribution of right-hand traffic historically attributed to Napoleon and his military expansion in Europe. The political factor played its 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.

Also, the political factor played a role in the case of the newly independent United States of America. After gaining independence from Great Britain, the Americans hurried to switch to right-hand traffic so that nothing reminds of the past.

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

Speaking of Japan. With this island nation, too, not everything is so simple. There are two theories about how the Japanese began to drive on the left. First, historical: the samurai fastened scabbards and swords on the left side, so when moving, in order not to hurt passers-by, they moved along the left side of the road. The second theory is political: allegedly in 1859, the British ambassador convinced the Tokyo authorities to accept left-hand traffic.

These historical facts told us an interesting story about the origins of various traffic on the roads of the world.

Editorial response

If there were no England, there would be no "right" rudder. The legitimacy of this statement in automotive circles has been arguing for decades.

AiF.ru tried to figure out why the left-hand traffic pattern took root in the UK and how it affected other countries of the world.

Why is it customary in England to drive on the left side of the road?

The English authorities legislated the rule to drive on the left side of the road in 1756. For violation of the bill, an impressive fine was provided - a pound of silver.

There are two main versions that explain why in the middle of the 18th century England opted for left-hand traffic.

• Roman version

In ancient Rome, left-hand traffic was used. This approach was explained by the fact that the legionnaires held weapons in their right hand. 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 on the chopping hand. After the Romans conquered the British Isles in 45 AD, "leftism" could spread to England. This version is supported by the results of archaeological expeditions. In 1998, a Roman quarry was excavated in the county of Wiltshire in the southwest of England, near which the left track was broken more than the right.

• Marine version

Previously, the British could only reach Europe by water. Therefore, maritime traditions have firmly entered the culture of this people. In the old days, English ships had to bypass the oncoming ship on the left side. Subsequently, this custom could spread to the roads.

In modern international rules of navigation, right-hand traffic is fixed.

Photo: Shutterstock.com

How did English "leftism" spread all over the world?

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

• colonial factor.

Great Britain in the middle of the last century was an empire over which the sun never set. Most of the former colonies scattered around the world, after gaining independence, decided to keep their usual left-hand traffic.

• political factor.

During the French Revolution, a decree was issued in which all residents of the republic were ordered to move along the "common" right side of the road. When did he come to power Napoleon Bonaparte, the traffic pattern has become 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 this trio of 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 the left-hand traffic.

When did right-hand traffic become established in Russia?

In Russia, the norms of right-hand traffic were established in the Middle Ages. Danish envoy under Peter I Yust Yul in 1709 he wrote that “in the Russian Empire it is the custom everywhere for wagons and sleighs, when meeting each other, to disperse, keeping to the right side.” In 1752 Empress Elizabeth Petrovna consolidated this norm by law, issuing a decree on the introduction of right-hand traffic on the streets of the cities of the empire for carriages and cabbies.

Countries that have changed the movement

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 right-hand traffic after the end of the Japanese occupation in 1946.

• Geographic feasibility

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

Sweden was the last to change direction in Europe. In 1967, the so-called "H" Day took place there, when all the cars of 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 went used left-hand drive.

Swedish "H" day. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Samoa switched to driving on the left in 2009. This was due to the large number of used right-hand drive cars that were shipped to the country from Australia and New Zealand.

"Left" exceptions

In right-handed countries there is room for "left" exceptions. So, on the small street of General Lemonnier (350 meters long) in Paris, they move on the left side. There are small sections with left-hand traffic in Odessa (Vysokiy Lane), in Moscow (junction at Leskova St.), in St. on Mordovtseva street).

Which move is safer?

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

Countries with left-hand traffic

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

North America

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Jamaica

South America

• Guyana
• Suriname

• Great Britain
• Ireland
• Malta

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

• Botswana
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Seychelles
• Swaziland
• Tanzania
• Uganda

• Australia
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Samoa
• Tonga
• Fiji

It is not a secret for avid travelers that in many states 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 hand side, especially if you plan to rent a car.

Reasons for choosing a direction

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

At the moment, 28% of the tracks in the world are oriented to the left, 34% of the world's population moves along them. The reasons why these territories have retained their traditional ways of regulating traffic are as follows:

• Historically they have been colonies or dependencies of Great Britain and Japan;
• Wagons were used as the main transport, on which the coachman sat on the roof.

The list of regions was actively changed after the United Kingdom lost its status of "an empire where the sun never sets" and the end of the Second World War. The last country to switch to a new orientation in 2009 was the Independent State of Samoa.

Complete list 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, Solomons, 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

Ways of driving on roads for ordinary people in ancient times depended purely for convenience because the population density was low. Peasants and artisans carried loads on their right shoulders and walked so as not to hurt each other, and warriors preferred the opposite side in order to be able to protect themselves from enemies, drawing a sword from a scabbard on their left hip.

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

This mode of transport was common in France, and during the reign of Napoleon, left-hand traffic spread to all regions of his conquests.

How has the direction influenced vehicle design?

Due to differences in behavior on the track, depending on the orientation, different countries use cars in which the steering wheel is 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 violated. For example, at the official transport of postal employees, the driver's seat was 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 was produced with a right-hand drive.

Another important aspect related to the direction of traffic is crossing the border in states with opposite traffic rules. In such cases, there may be a simple shift on the track if the road is narrow, as between Laos and Thailand, or a large-scale labyrinth of tracks if it is a large-scale siding, such as between Macau and China.

Why does England drive on the left?

Since there is no written evidence of how roads were driven in antiquity, researchers are turning to archeological methods. At an old quarry near Swindon, in Wiltshire, traces of a Roman era street were found, the degree of subsidence of which indicated left-hand traffic.

Also, historians associate this direction of traffic in the UK with traditional carts, including a cab, on which a right-handed driver sat on the roof and, accordingly, held a whip in his strongest hand.

The first legislative act regulating the rules of movement in the city was a law in 1756, which obliged vehicles to drive on the left side of London Bridge, while violators were expected to be fined a whole silver pound. Later, in 1776, the "Road Act" was passed, extending the rule to all the streets of England.

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

What kind of 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 the 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 within cities.

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

Examples of such places are:

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

It is interesting to see how political and economic reasons 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 unified decision, creates differences in economic trends, sets major tasks for architects and administrations of cities and regions.

Video: on what part of the road do they move in different countries?

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