Why Left? or Left Hand?

[lunatic1]

For over a month, there's been a nagging question in my head and in won't go away. Why Left or Left Hand? when our forefathers won their/our independence form great Britain. we had a choice of what side of the road to travel on. But the first question is, did they in great Britain walk-travel drive wagons horses cannons, troops and such down the middle of the dirt roads or did the already use the left side. and even after the war did we choose to travel down the road in the same manor? So when our roads became more divided 2 way roads. who's idea was it to drive on the right side instead of the left like the Brits? who in our history decided that we as our own country would decide for us the side of the road we drive on?
But since this is about left and left hand, lets get started.
 when most people walk out their door to the vehicle they turn left, why-who decided that the driveway and garage if equipped with one would be on the left?
I live in a house trailer in a small trailer park, when we all walk out of out trailers to the vehicles we turn left, why who designed the trailer parks where  you have to turn left, when you walk out the door?
   when you get on a horse you get on the left side why? why the left side?  when you get on a motorcycle you get on the left side, why? why the left side?
   when you get on a bicycle unless your a girl you get on the left side, why? why the left side?
there's probably never been a poll actually no need for, because who cares which way you go right?
 I would place a wager that at a Street Light most people make a left turn, why. silly question huh?

even when I go to walmart or the drivethru convience store or taco bell I have to make a left hand turn from the trailer park--then when I get to walmart or drive thru there it is a left hand turn Taco Bell is a right hand turn-hehe but a left hand turn to come home.

I/we know most of the answers already because they are so obvious- these are probably the dumbest questions you have ever read. here are some more-lol
Why are Nascar and other oval or circle tracks left hand turn? why? is it just because the cars/trucks are Left hand steering? why not right hand tracks with left hand steering vehicles it would be different lol.

when aircraft pilots past and present got into their planes they got in on the left side< why? when bomber pilots err most bomber pilots got in the bombers THE pilot sat in the left seat. Why
if the copilot has access to the same controls then why is the left seat for the pilot? why?
even airliners of today the pilot is on the left side. why?

I wrote all this down on paper 1st and you know what it hasn't popped back into my head yet, glory bee, now I can sleep.

would be nice if something would pop into my head where I could write a book and make some money huh?

I know this is gibberish and I will probably get flamed big time but it was in my head I wrote it down on paper and it's gone so it seemed important that I post it here. if it makes any sort of sense to you and maybe laugh a little tell your friends...
P.S. this is the only post I've made here--most other times I'm complained on the other boards so see ya and thankyou <S>

[Bizman]

You certainly live up to your name!

Can't tell about the left turns, but there's a historical reason for getting on a horse on the left side: Back in the time people wore swords they were carried on the left side and would have been in the way should the horseman be on the right side. That tradition then carried on to two-wheel rides which also have the stand on the left side.

For the driver sitting on the left the reason might be that it's easier to keep on the track sitting near the center line. That would explain why the Brits have their steering wheel on the right side.

Now you've got me thinking about this so I can't sleep! 

[zack1234]

Whats up with you

 

 

[Rich46yo]

OK since you started this. Now of them all I have been to two, one was England and the other was South Africa. And I probably spent a month in South Africa all told. England of course I remember driving on the wrong side but I have no memory of driving on the left in the RSA. And I drove from and back from J-berg to the Botswana border four times/

[Meatwad]

The answer is simple...the brits are all backwards with their roads and calling soccer football 

[JimmyC]

Maybe mentally your left side is more defensive and right more attack,( aware/prepared....)
If your woman/child ..some thing in danger..pull them to your left and defend em with your right..

No idea.. could be...

sleep well..
nighty night

[PR3D4TOR]

French revolution.

[Bizman]

As for left side traffic, Sweden used to have that, too, until 1967. Rumour tells that they changed that in steps: First year the trucks, the second year the smaller cars.

Strange thing is, I have a feeling I've never seen a Swedish car (Saab, Scania, Volvo...) with the steering wheel on the right.

[nrshida]

(Image removed from quote.)

Just something to consider Rich, something like 90-92% of humans are right-handed. Sitting on the right side of a car means your dominant eye is exposed to more peripheral stimulus and your dominant hand is always on the steering wheel even during gear changes or the operation of secondary controls. Your map up there does rather imply most of the world is forced to drive lefthanded. The choice might have been arbitrarily influenced from naval tradition or the timing of defensive weapons. Look at Japan for instance.

More Eurpoean countries used to be rightside-passing. Czechoslovakia & Austria at least, a lot of the earliest Porsches are RHD. Also at Le Mans they used to run to the right side of their cars. I believe one Northern region even used right-hand drive with lefthand-passing so they could see the edges of the road better in snowy conditions.


Lunatic, two suggestions for you: green tea and meditation 

[Zimme83]

As for left side traffic, Sweden used to have that, too, until 1967. Rumour tells that they changed that in steps: First year the trucks, the second year the smaller cars.

Strange thing is, I have a feeling I've never seen a Swedish car (Saab, Scania, Volvo...) with the steering wheel on the right.

Haha, that would have been cool (and probably horrible) too see.
But no, everything happened at the same time of course, all traffic stopped for 10 mins and then moved over to the right side.

They did not built any cars with the steering wheel on the right since they knew that left side traffic would be history in Sweden sooner rather than later.

[Greebo]

I seem to recall reading that crew boarding aircraft from the left bagan because that was the way you mounted a horse. Many early pilots were upper class types who also rode horses.

[Greebo]

I got curious about this too and found this world standards page that explains the history of countries driving on the left or right.

[Randall172]

LEFT

In olden feudal and violent times all the societies preferred left hand convention. It offered various advantages if one was right handed. One could -

-keep right weapon wielding hand closer to the opponent and scabbard away from him.
-avoid inconvenience of bumping into someone else's scabbard
-mount/dismount on horse easily. Since right handed men mount horse from the left (since scabbard is on left) keeping on left allowed one to dismount on edge of the road.

RIGHT

With new advents agricultural production started to rise transportation of crop became problematic. Immediate solution in US and Denmark was carts being pulled by multiple horses (higher horsepower, quite literally). The wagons did not have a seat and again, majority of right handed men decided to follow right hand convention. Going from right hand side of the road one could -

-ride the rearmost horse on the left, leaving right hand free to whip horses.
-easily monitor oncoming vehicles and their wheels which are coming from the opposite side

French Revolution, Napoleon, British and the mess that ensued:


In pre-revolution France the aristocracy traveled on the left, forcing peasant to use the right side. However, after revolution, to save themselves from the guillotine, aristocracy preferred walking on the right to keep low profile. Therefore right hand convention became unwritten rule in France.

Arrival of Napoleon messed the whole thing up. He started enforcing Right hand convention in all the conquered countries (Germany, Poland, Switzerland etc). Naturally, his opponents vehemently maintained the left hand convention, British being at the forefront. Europe was literally divided due to these conventions till first world war.



Road regulations were established everywhere in 1800s. British enforced left hand convention in all her colonies. That's the reason India and previous African colones still follow left hand convention (Egypt being exception due to Napoleon's conquest).

US had already amended laws to enforce right hand convention, to escape the British roots of origin. Right hand convention was gradually becoming more prevalent and further bolstered by mass production of American automobiles. British conservatives have resisted the homogenization of this convention obstinately.

Today only four European countries, including Britain, follow left hand convention. In 1960 even British tried to switch to right hand convention. However, the conservatives and involved cost proved to be too daunting to bring about the change.

[JimmyC]

From the night time ramblings of a lunatic
some conjecture, humour and guesstimation till  a concise Randolian explanation..
We covered it..
nice work gentlemen
every day is a school day.
Gotta love this international community.. (Drive on the left!)

[lunatic1]

I thank you gentlemen for your comments, I now feel like 1 of the in crowd, that a post I made started a conversation, and I did not get flamed.

now if I can only get a idea stuck in my head that will make me money that would be great. <S>