Why do some countries drive on the left and others on the right?

Have you ever sat in a car and assumed the driver should be sitting on the right side? In India, that feels normal. But travel to countries like the United States, France, or Japan, and you’ll notice something surprising, either the driving seat or the side of the road changes!

So why does this happen?

Believe it or not, the answer goes back hundreds of years back, long before cars even existed. It has to do with swords, horses, and later colonial rule and global influence.

Medieval habits that shaped traffic

This behaviour goes back to the time when there were horses and people walking. Most people were right handed, especially knights and soldiers. They preferred to stay on the left side of the road so their sword arm faced anyone coming from the opposite direction. This made it easier to defend themselves and also kept their right hand free to greet someone or shake hands.

Riders also mounted and dismounted their horses from the left, as horses were trained that way. Staying on the left made this safer and more convenient.

Over time, this habit turned into a common practice, then an unwritten rule, and later an official law in many places. This early tradition is a major reason why some countries still drive on the left today.

The shift: How right side came into practice

Before the French Revolution in the late 1700s, nobles in France travelled on the left side of the road. After the revolution, ordinary people wanted to distance themselves from anything associated with the nobility, so they gradually began walking and riding on the right side. Later, Napoleon made right-side travel a law in the territories he controlled. His influence spread across the regions he conquered, and countries like Spain, Italy, Belgium, Poland, and the Netherlands adopted the right-side rule. Meanwhile, places not conquered by Napoleon (like Britain) continued driving on the left.

America’s wagon problem

In the USA, large freight wagons were pulled by multiple horses, and the drivers sat on the left rear horse rather than inside the carriage. To better see oncoming traffic and avoid collisions, they kept to the right side of the road. Industrialisation strengthened this habit—mass production of cars placed the steering wheel on the left side, making right-side driving more practical. This design choice helped spread right-side driving worldwide.

Why India stayed left

India, being a major British colony, adopted the left-side driving rule. From the early days, railways, road rules, and imported vehicles followed British standards. This system became deeply established, and switching sides later would have been expensive and dangerous.

Because of this, many former British colonies, such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, continued driving on the left as well.