Which Side Are You On? Why Don't We Drive On The Same Side?

Why do different countries drive on different sides of the road and have cars with either left hand rive or right hand drive? Since China has 5,000 years of history perhaps it all started from there? No? The Chinese Bureaucracy Book of Rites mentioned "the right side of the road for men, the left for women and the centre for carriages" more for protocol.

Romans were said to have driven on the left. They used to transport stones to build Roman Temples and carts went in the quarry empty but came out laden and that casued one side of the road to be sunken and so it was determined they drove on the left. By the Middle Ages, they use the English system of keeping to the left just in case you meet bad strangers so that you could draw your sword at them when they past on your right. Some argued that the Pope of olden days ordered pilgrims to keep to one side of the road when entering Rome as a sort of traffic control.

American and French farmers hauled their farm products in huge wagons pulled by several pairs of horses and the driver sat on the left rear horse to keep his right arm free and kept to the right side of the road so that he could see and keep free from other passing wagons on the left. The opposite is true in England where the wagons has seats and the driver would be seated on the right so that he could whip the horses using his right hand and when flogging his whip would not be hanging onto the loads he carried. It finally became a rule governing traffic on the London Bridge and spread across the British Empire. The Americans implemented a keep right law in Pennsylvania. Napoleon enforced a keep right rule to all countries that his army occupied and these rightism spread to Italy, Poland, Switzerland and Germany. Those that resisted Napoleon kept left - Britain, Russia and Portugal. Denmark converted to driving on the right.

The trend for many nations was to go right but Britain did its best to stave it off. India and Indonesia influenced by British went left. Australasia and Africa did the same except for Egypt which had been conquered by Napoleon before the British and they went right. The English persuaded and succeeded in getting the Japanese to keep left. The early automobiles were nothing more than motorised wagons in reality and had a steering mechanism in a center position where the side of the roads made no difference. However, when a proper steering wheel was created, the central position was no longer possible technically and they decided to place the driver on the curb side. 


Ford's famous model T was so popular that every auto maker just probably copied and followed Ford's lead. Russia and Portugal later switched to the right. Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary continued on the left. The greatest curiosity was Austria where half the folks drive on the right and half on the left becasue of Napoleon's conquest and dividing line where he gave the Western province ot Bavaria. Hitler's invasion caused Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Austria to switched to the right. Okinawa in Japan drove on the right side under US occupation but switched to the left when it returned to Japan. In the 40s China chnged to the right. Korea drives on the right as they passed from Japanese to American/Russian influence.

Canada had problems for those who crossed the border between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. New Brunswick switched to the right while Nova Scotia remained left. For months drivers crossing border had near misses even with low traffic. It also affected the beef industry as price of beef dropped dramatically because oxen trained to keep left could not be retrained so they had to get new ones and the old ones were sent to the slaughter house en masse. So if we don't try to learn a few new things, we might get sent to the slaughter house too. The Swedes switched to the right as the Saabs and Volvos were mostly sold to righties as they found no meaning to make both left-hand and right-hand drives vehicles.

Countries And Their Drive Direction

(Those that drive on the left are for right-hand drive vehicles and those that drive right are left-hand drive vehicles.)


Left (Right-hand drive vehicles)


Antigua, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bermuda, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Cyprus, East Timor, Fiji, Grenada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Macau, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Right (left-hand drive vehicles)

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Care Verdi, CHad, CHile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech, Denmark, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, FInland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, USA, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen.

Is it important for us to know such things? People from different countries may accused you of driving on the wrong side of the road. At least we want to know from where we have come from. Do we come from apes as Darwin proposed or are you God's creation. Believing in which one could decide how we behave as primates. Road usage is all about time and space - from the time they have invented the first wheels even if they were just bullock cart ones, where the driver is seated and space is where (on which side of the road) you drive on.

Singaporeans usually take for granted and can get careless when it comes to safety because as some tourists have attested to it that they could be walking way past midnight and they feel safe. Some of us may leave our cars unlocked or cell phones unattended. Singaporeans do not watch the space behind them because we are very "safe". If you are in New York, you will find New Yokers being very conscious of the space behind them because if they don't, they could get mug. Singaporeans are however very quick to respond when the police or parking attendants come along as you will see many people rushing out from eateries to attend to their illegally parked vehicles or those who did not place a parking coupon. Finally, at a crowded place, to tell who are the golfers, just shout "Fore!" or "Ball!" and those that duck, cower or cover their heads are the golfers.

So make sure you drive on the correct side of the road even at a car park and if you don't at least look apologetic and raise your hand to say sorry when you take a short cut against the flow of traffic. Too often, I get this kind of situation and the fellow would drive in a way or look in such a way making me think that I was the one in the wrong direction. Be considerate, there are young children and old folks out there and others who think that because the arrows are pointing that way, they do not expect vehicles to be coming suddenly from there. You will also be setting a bad example if you have children in toll.

Recently, I was waiting for a lot at an open car park and I saw a van about to leave so I waited for it just ahead of the van as it needed ot turn out towards the right and as it came out I looked behind and begin to reverse to the lot when lo and bebold an older man in a silver Merecedes Benz just simply rushed into the lot head-in causing me to jam on my brakes to avoid a collision. Of course that left me furious and fuming for his unreasonable behaviour and is certainly a great opportunity to rearrange his face. So when he opened his door, I signal with my hands to ask "why?" 


He walked over to my side and explained gingerly that "actually I was here very long ago and waiting at the adjacent car park". This is of course a very weak and lame excuse that he has to make to make himself feel justified though he knew he had none. . As I was late for an appointment I didn't have time to reason with him and soon enough I saw a lot in front and got on with it. It is simply this person lacks grace despite his age, education and success. Why? How would he feel when someone does the same to him? It is so simple isn't it? 


Don't do to people what you don't like others to do to you. Why is it that despite his age, education and success he has learned nothing? How do we change such people? If you have family members or friends who do such thing, tell them not to do it. Still, it may not be effective. The most effective way is perhaps for a big tree branch to drop onto his car causing a damage so that hopefully he can reflect on what he has done. This thought does seem a little mischievous. Never mind, forget it. Live and let live.

Finally, does 牛 车 水 literally translated as bullock (cow/ox), cart (or car) and water meant that where the street was named, this was a major activity in the old days where folks would use bullock carts to transport water around?

And before this, if we were living in those days where sword fighting were prevalent, I would have probably crossed swords with the old man who put his horse into the lot I was waiting for or maybe we would draw our guns at high noon to settle the issue. Mate, don't behave like this old man. His act was of shameless selfishness that he will pass on to his children and grand children. Be like me - a gentleman. He will meet his match one day, trust me or his horse may get stolen. Oh, never mind. Live and let live. I have more important things to do.

In the meantime, whatever you do don't call anyone stupid! Look at what happened at Batam.