Most vehicles in the United States are equipped with a left-sided steering wheel because driving is usually on the right side of the road. However, this is not true for certain countries in other regions of the world.
In the UK, for example, you can see cars running on the left side of the road. Researchers believe that this practice is heavily influenced by the customs of medieval people when riding or driving.
Knowing what countries drive on the left side of the road is important, especially if you rent a car during your vacation. To guide you, this article presents the list of countries that drive on the right side of the road.
List of Countries that Drive on the Left Side of the Road
Statista reports that around two-thirds of countries adopt right-hand traffic. Another one-third drives on the left side of the road, comprising more than 70 countries and territories.
The UK is the most prevalent example of a country with left-hand traffic. The tradition is also prevalent today in most former British colonies, like Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Scroll down to check the full list, as cited from worldstandards.eu:
Oceania
Australia, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
Asia
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Europe
Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Cyprus, Guernsey, England, Great Britain, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Malta, Northern Ireland, Scotland, United Kingdom, Wales.
South America
Falkland Islands, Guyana, and Suriname.
Caribbean
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbados, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Other Countries/Territories
Bermuda, North Cyprus (self-declared state), Saint Helena, Seychelles.
Why Do Some Countries Drive on the Left?
From the previous list, you now know all the countries that drive on the left side of the road, but why? As mentioned earlier, it has something to do with people’s customs and habits from the past.
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History explains that driving on the left side originates back to ancient Rome. Romans drove their carts and chariots on the left side. This was somehow adopted by people from parts of medieval Europe.
Driving on the left side is not merely all about preferences but also revolves around safety. So, since most people are right-handed, such a driving method would allow people to have their right hand wield a weapon for combat.
In the UK, for example, the country officially adopted the left-hand traffic following the government measures in 1773 and 1835. However, other European countries gradually abandoned the tradition and switched to driving on the right side of the road instead.
France made the change from left to right in the early 18th century. The Netherlands decided to move to the right side in 1795. Portugal was still driving on the left until the 1920s, the National Motor Museum notes.
How about in the U.S.? Researchers believe that the practice of right-hand traffic dates back to the 18th century, during the rise of horse-drawn wagons. Soon, wagons reached popularity, and traffic naturally moved to the right.
