15-05-10, 07:26 AM
I never understand why the English drive on the left side. There must be a good reason because the English were also smart enough not to become an EURO-country and stick to their own currency. Stupid Euro!!!! 
Members Motors
15-05-10, 12:01 PM
About a quarter of the world drives on the left, and the countries that do are mostly old British colonies. Japan also drive on the left.
Up to the late 1700's, everybody travelled on the left side of the road because it's the sensible option for feudal, violent societies of mostly right-handed people. Jousting knights with their lances under their right arm naturally passed on each other's right, and if you passed a stranger on the road you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between yourself and him.
Revolutionary France, however, overturned this practice as part of its sweeping social rethink. A change was carried out all over continental Europe by Napoleon.The reason it changed under Napoleon was because he was left handed his armies had to march on the right so he could keep his sword arm between him and any opponent.
From then on, any part of the world which was at some time part of the British Empire was thus left hand and any part colonised by the French was right hand.
In America, the French colonised the southern states (Louisiana for instance) and the Canadian east coast (Quebec). The Dutch colonised New York (or New Amsterdam). The Spanish and Portugese colonised the southern Americas. So The British were a minority in shaping the 'traffic'.
The drive-on-the-right policy was adopted by the USA, which was anxious to cast off all remaining links with its British colonial past
fc loves facts
Up to the late 1700's, everybody travelled on the left side of the road because it's the sensible option for feudal, violent societies of mostly right-handed people. Jousting knights with their lances under their right arm naturally passed on each other's right, and if you passed a stranger on the road you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between yourself and him.
Revolutionary France, however, overturned this practice as part of its sweeping social rethink. A change was carried out all over continental Europe by Napoleon.The reason it changed under Napoleon was because he was left handed his armies had to march on the right so he could keep his sword arm between him and any opponent.
From then on, any part of the world which was at some time part of the British Empire was thus left hand and any part colonised by the French was right hand.
In America, the French colonised the southern states (Louisiana for instance) and the Canadian east coast (Quebec). The Dutch colonised New York (or New Amsterdam). The Spanish and Portugese colonised the southern Americas. So The British were a minority in shaping the 'traffic'.
The drive-on-the-right policy was adopted by the USA, which was anxious to cast off all remaining links with its British colonial past
fc loves facts
'All sins tend to be addictive and the terminal point of addiction is damnation.' - W H Auden
15-05-10, 12:07 PM
Fountain of knowledge me.
fc
fc
'All sins tend to be addictive and the terminal point of addiction is damnation.' - W H Auden
15-05-10, 12:49 PM
Hahahaha, never knew this. Cool to know. Thanks fc!
15-05-10, 01:00 PM
sooo.. basically what your saying FC is that driving on the left is the proper way...lol
15-05-10, 04:48 PM
Some in depth knowledge there FC.
What you wear on your feet is a mark of the man you are.
15-05-10, 08:35 PM
Thanks FC. We used to have same sort of infos from Grimmy and actually I've been missing them
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »