Right side driver seat countries of the world

The passenger sits on the nearside, closest to the curb. So when you get in a righthand drive car, you instinctively start to do the very same thing. Many countries, such as britain, drive on the left side of the road, with the drivers seat on the right of the car. The first vehicle ever built was designed to be driven on the lefthand side of the road. Guide to which countries drive on the left left hand. Aug 30, 2018 nevertheless, with the rise of the automobile, many countries have switched to the right to fit in with their neighbors. Aug 03, 2009 in the united states and other countries in which motorists drive on the right side of the road, it is easier to turn right than to turn left across oncoming traffic. Why do we have all of these vehicles in india with the drivers seat on the right side. In lht vehicles keep left, and cars are rhd righthand drive with the steering wheel on the righthand side and the driver sitting on the offside or side closest to the center of the road. Its on the right side if your country drives on the left, like the uk, japan, etc. Why americans and brits drive on opposite sides readers digest. It has always been a mystery why the world seemed to be divided when it comes to the location of their cars steering wheel. Nowadays, its known as righthand driving, where the steering wheel is placed on the right side of the car. In most countries, cars are set up to put the drivers seat in the centre of the road, to give them improved visibility.

Funnily enough, though, driving on one side of the road isnt only a. Driving on the left or right mcgill university school of. Jun 25, 2010 britain and indiabecause of british rule drive on the left side. So why does 65 % of the worlds population drive on the right side of the road. Countries that drive on the left side of the road aceable. Now the question becomes, why do some cars have their steering wheels on the left or right side of the car. Currently around 66% of the worlds population live in countries which drive on the right side of the road, usually but not always in vehicles with the drivers seat.

But did you know that there are countries that allow drivers the option of using either a right or lefthand vehicle. The drivers seat is always on the same side of the car as the steering wheel. This frees his right hand to hold a tool or at need a weapon. Drive left or right which countries drive on the left or. In which countries are vehicles drivers seats on the right. Jan 11, 2019 this is a summary of countries who drive on the left side of the road. Britain and indiabecause of british rule drive on the left side. He would also want to walk between the horse and oncoming traffic, which automatically shifted the horse to the lhs of the road. This map shows worldwide which side of the road traffic drives on by country. Old british bikes have the gear shift lever on the right side this arrangement is correct for left driving countries because when you make a very tight uturn on a bike turning to the right, you occasionally place the right foot on the ground. In countries with right side driving, the drivers seat is on the left, while left hand countries have drivers seats on the right. Countries that drive on the right driving test tips.

A righthanded man walking and leading a horse naturally walks on the rhs of the horses head, holding the bridle in his left hand. For almost every airline, the captain sits in the left seat, and the first officer on the right. Mar 01, 2020 in some countries, automobile recycling is one of the largest industries. Rht is used in 165 countries and territories, with the remaining 75 countries. Why have many countries in the world chosen to be driving on the right hand side of. That is, if youre from the roughly 75 percent of countries that drive on the right side of the road. Jul 30, 2008 a right handed man walking and leading a horse naturally walks on the rhs of the horses head, holding the bridle in his left hand. A fundamental element to traffic flow, it is sometimes referred to as the rule of the road. Map of the world showing the driving directions for all countries and any changes that have occurred, beginning with finlands change in 1858 drives on right drove on left, now drives on right drives on left drove on right, now drives on left had different rules of the road within borders, now drives on right. Throughout the world, countries observe either lefthand traffic lht or righthand traffic rht. Apr 22, 20 here is the list of rightdriving countries. May 31, 20 that is, if youre from the roughly 75 percent of countries that drive on the right side of the road. Several decades ago, japan was the world s leading car manufacturer. That puts the right eye, which tends to be stronger, in a better position to see oncoming traffic.

If youre in a right country, then dont drive on the left. Statistics on the jetpunk quiz list of countries that have the steering wheel on the right side of the car. In the united states and other countries in which motorists drive on the right side of the road, it is easier to turn right than to turn left across oncoming traffic. In asia bangladesh bhutan brunei east timor hong kong india indonesia japan macau malaysia maldives nepal pakistan singapore sri lank. Why some countries drive on the right and some countries. Conversely, driving on the lefthand side of the road usually implies that the drivers seat is on the righthand side. When henry ford unveiled his model t in 1908, the drivers seat was on the left, meaning that cars would have to drive on the right hand side of the road to allow front and back passengers to. Drive left or right which countries drive on the left or right. In which countries are vehicles drivers seats on the right side. Driving in other parts of europe most countries in europe that became part of the british empire used the keepleft rule, but over time many have converted to the right.

Just curious if any countries have left side driver seat with height adjust, thanks. The tradition has been maintained to this day, with the copilot on the right hand side. Countries formerly part of the british empire that drive on the left side include saint kitts and nevis, jamaica, trinidad and tobago, saint vincent and the grenadines, barbados, saint lucia, bahamas, antigua and barbuda, dominica, and grenada. There are about 50 countries in the world where the right handles are common. One central characteristic of the model t now generally forgotten is that it was the first car of consequence to put the drivers seat on the lefthand side. Countries that drive on the right around 70% of the world s countries drive on the right, with a little over 66% of the world s people population driving on the right. May 15, 2017 when henry ford unveiled his model t in 1908, the drivers seat was on the left, meaning that cars would have to drive on the right hand side of the road to allow front and back passengers to exit the car onto the curb. Curious any foreign countries with left hand driver seat.

However, the french and americans, with wider roads, adopted heavier trucks with teams of horses. Around 66% of the world s nations are right hand traffic countries and 34% are lefthand traffic countries. Interesting facts about left and righthand driving. In total, there are 76 countries and territories that follow lefthand traffic laws or 34 percent of the world s. Nearly 75% of countries in the world require drivers to drive on the right side of traffic. This designates what side of the road a driver will stay on. According to national geographic, this influenced a change in many countries. Most former british colonies drive on the left side of the road, whereas the united states of america, latin american countries and european countries drive on the right. Such vehicles remained in common use until 1915, and the 1908 model t was the first of fords cars to feature a leftside driving position.

In my opinion the seat is provided on the opposite side because while overtaking if a vehicle is approaching you from opposite side then you can judge the clearance and speed required in a much better way. This world map shows which side of the road traffic drives on. In most countries, cars are set up to put the driver s seat in the centre of the road, to give them improved visibility. That puts the driver nearest the centerline of the roadway. A photo of a highway in england, showing traffic driving on the left hand side. Such vehicles remained in common use until 1915, and the 1908 model t was the first of fords cars to feature a left side driving position. Why is the drivers seat on the right side in europe. Previously, nearly all manufacturers placed the driver on the outer, curbside of the car so that an alighting driver could step out onto a grassy verge or. Lefthand side traffic was actually the worldwide norm for a long time, and the split boils down to two main factors the fact that most people are righthanded, and the fact that countries.

Lefthand traffic lht and righthand traffic rht are the practice, in bidirectional traffic. This world map shows which side of the road traffic drives on in each country. Canada, italy, and spain changed to rightside driving in the 1920s and most of eastern europe followed suit in the. Heres how to drive a righthand drive nissan skyline gtr. Apr 05, 2020 almost always, in countries where one drives on the righthand side of the road, the cars are built so that the driver sits on the lefthand side of the car. In most countries, people can import cars which are engineered to drive on the wrong side of the road and use them legally on the open road, but this is not always the case, so people exploring import options may want to check with local officials. Apr 29, 2015 the map above shows which countries drive on the wrong side of the road. Nevertheless, with the rise of the automobile, many countries have switched to the right to fit in with their neighbors. I know that japan, uk and australia have right side 04 09 prius driver seats with height adjust. When germany annexed austria in 1938, hitler ordered the rest of austria to make the switch overnight. Many countries, such as britain, drive on the left side of the road, with the driver s seat on the right of the car. Esham via wikimedia the map above shows which countries drive on the wrong side of the road.

The austrian states of vorarlberg, tyrol and carinthia, as well as the western half of salzburg switched to driving on the right between 1921 and 1935. The most important rule of the road concerns which side to drive on. On the right side of the road general highway history. All the green colored countries drive on the right side and all the orange colored. But today majority of traffic in the world drives on the righthand side of the road. If youre from america or any other country that drives on the right hand side, its important to know you will be driving on the opposite side in japan. Conversely, driving on the lefthand side of the road usually implies that the drivers seat is on the righthand side of the car. Number of countries drive on the righthand side of the road. Why some countries drive on the left and some on the right. These wagons had no driver seat, but rather a bench, and the driver usually held the reins from the left side of the bench to keep his right hand free for whipping.

Thus, most american cars produced before 1910 were made with right side driver seating, although intended for right side driving. Old british bikes have the gear shift lever on the right side this arrangement is correct for left driving countries because when you make a very tight uturn on a bike turning to the right, you occasionally place the right foot on. All the countries where the traffic has to move in left lane, the drivers seat is on the right side. In which countries are vehicles drivers seats on the. Lefthand traffic lht and right hand traffic rht are the practice, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. Why do different countries drive on different sides of the road. Europe generally drives on the right hand side apart from cyprus, ireland, malta and the united kingdom. Those marked in red drive on the right and those in blue drive on the left. The other two thirds of the countries in the world drive on the right including the usa, china and russia.

Heres how to drive a righthand drive nissan skyline gtr in. We know that in most countries rightside traffic and some have leftside during training, the student sits in the left seat, and the trainer on the right. Lefthand driving, on the other hand, is where the steering wheel is placed on the left side of the vehicle. Heres a map of which side of the road every country and territory in the world. In most of the world s countries, including the united states, people drive on the righthand side of the road. Why do some countries drive on the left and others on the. British horseback riders used to ride on the left hand side of the road. About a 35% of the world population drives on the left. List of countries that have the steering wheel on the. The following is a list of countries of the world whose inhabitants drive on the right hand side of the road. If you are planning to visit the uk and happen to come from one of the many countries that drive on the wrong side of the road, the following advice, direct from the ministry of transport, is for you.

Most areas of the world which were formerly british colonies still drive on the left hand side of the road including australia, the caribbean, india and south africa. Why some people drive on the right, and some on the left. I assume you mean is the driver side the righthand side and not is it the correct side. Guide to which countries drive on the left left hand drive cars. The captain or pilot in command sits in the left seat, so that they can operate the throttles and other pedestal instruments with their right hand. Why japanese people drive on the left side of the road.

Number of countries drive on the lefthand side of the road. The driver side of the care is the left side if you drive on the right side of the road, like most of the world. Even in the age of the car, though, it seems to make sense to drive on the left. In some countries, automobile recycling is one of the largest industries. Most of the drivers of these countries use lefthanddrive vehicles. Why americans and brits drive on opposite sides readers. Now the question becomes, why do some countries drive on the left while others drive on the right. The traditional type of cart had a drivers seat at the front, and the driver could sit on the righthand side of the seat and see what was coming on his right.

But in some parts of the world, like the united kingdom and southern asia, its actually wrong to drive on the right. Why the driver seat is in the left side in some countries. In both cases, the seat positions the driver close to the middle of the road for better visibility. Canada used to drive on the left but changed to the right to make border crossings with the usa more manageable.

Jan 19, 2019 the latter consideration won out, and resulted in the driver s seat being installed on the right in cars in left side driving countries such as the uk. These are some of the best tips for driving abroad from driving in over 20 countries around the world. Apr 07, 2020 the other two thirds of the countries in the world drive on the right including the usa, china and russia. As you can see, most former british colonies, with some exceptions, drive on the left side of the road, whereas the united states of america, latin american countries and european countries drive on the right. Why do some countries drive on the left side of the road. Left hand drive vehicle vs right hand drive vehicle.

With the expansion of travel and road building in the 1800s, traffic regulations were made in every country. Jan 09, 2017 here is the list of right driving countries. Ive noticed that carsautomobiles manufactured for countries with righthand traffic where vehicles drive on the right hand side of the road place the drivers seat on the left hand side of the car from the drivers perspective, and carsautomobiles manufactured for countries with lefthand traffic where vehicles drive on the left hand side of the road place the drivers seat on the right. The reasons for driving on different sides of the road are historical. May, 2020 almost always, in countries where one drives on the righthand side of the road, the cars are built so that the driver sits on the lefthand side of the car. Wrong in this case is relative, depending on where youre from. Oct 16, 2015 standard design for vehicles in countries that require driving on the lefthand side is to have the drivers seat located on the right side of the vehicle, and vice versa for countries where you drive on the righthand side. Why do different countries drive on different sides of the. Why do some countries drive on the left and some on the right. However, if you are from a place where they drive on the left side, youre aokay. Although the majority drive on the right, there is no global standard driving system which causes some. In lht areas, drivers will stay to the left side of the road, while rht areas require drivers to stay on the right side of the road. The following is a list of countries of the world whose inhabitants drive on the righthand side of the road.

How to buy righthanddrive cars in the usa automoblog. Below it you can also find the full list of countries that drive on the left or the right. Standard design for vehicles in countries that require driving on the lefthand side is to have the drivers seat located on the right side of the vehicle, and vice versa for countries where you drive on the righthand side. Thus, most american cars produced before 1910 were made with rightside driver seating, although intended for rightside driving.

Apr 20, 2017 it has always been a mystery why the world seemed to be divided when it comes to the location of their cars steering wheel. Rwanda and burundi are the only east african community countries still driving on the righthand side. Oct 31, 2018 lefthand side traffic was actually the worldwide norm for a long time, and the split boils down to two main factors the fact that most people are righthanded, and the fact that countries. Apr 12, 2020 in countries with right side driving, the driver s seat is on the left, while left hand countries have drivers seats on the right. Except for some helicopters, the right seat in the cockpit of an aircraft is the seat used by the copilot. Heres a definitive guide to the countries that drive on the left and. Why do some countries drive on the left and others on the right. When henry ford unveiled his model t in 1908, the drivers seat was on the left, meaning that cars would have to drive on the right hand side of the road to allow front and back passengers to exit the car onto the curb. Your opinion about which is the correct side to drive on, likely depends on where you live.