Did the United States ever drive on the left?

Mostly no. Outside of informal colonial-era customs and one enduring exception—the U.S. Virgin Islands—the United States has driven on the right since the late 18th century and never had a nationwide period of left-side driving. This article explains how right-hand traffic became standard in the U.S., where left-side driving persists, and why the question still comes up.

How the right-hand rule emerged in the early United States

In the 1700s, the North American colonies lacked a uniform rule of the road. Practices varied by place and purpose: English tradition often favored keeping left for horseback passing, while wagon and stagecoach traffic in the colonies gravitated toward the right. After independence, states began codifying “keep right” laws, making right-hand traffic the norm well before Britain formally mandated left-hand travel in 1835.

Pennsylvania’s 1792 regulation for the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike is widely cited as the first American “keep right” law. New York followed in 1804 and New Jersey in 1813, and by the early 19th century the rule had spread across the states. Practicalities played a role: drivers of large Conestoga wagons typically stood or sat on the left rear horse to handle the whip and needed oncoming traffic to pass on their left for better visibility and clearance—encouraging a keep-right convention that dovetailed with the new laws.

The lasting exception: the U.S. Virgin Islands

The U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix) drive on the left today, a holdover from the Danish West Indies era and regional Caribbean practice. Although Denmark itself drives on the right, the islands historically aligned with nearby left-driving British territories. When the United States purchased the islands in 1917, left-hand traffic remained—and it still does, even though most vehicles there are left-hand-drive imports from the mainland.

Did any U.S. state or city ever officially drive on the left?

No American state is known to have adopted a formal, statewide left-driving regime. While some colonial towns may have observed left-passing customs before traffic laws were standardized, the codified shift to the right happened early and broadly. By the mid-1800s, right-hand traffic was effectively universal across the states.

During World War II, parts of the Pacific under Japanese occupation (which used left-hand traffic) temporarily drove on the left. After liberation, U.S. territories such as Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands returned to right-hand traffic. These episodes reflected wartime control—not U.S. policy.

Milestones that shaped America’s driving side

The following timeline highlights key moments that established and preserved right-hand traffic in the United States while explaining the notable exception that persists.

1. 1792: Pennsylvania mandates “keep right” on the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike.
2. 1804–1813: New York (1804) and New Jersey (1813) enact keep-right laws; other states follow.
3. Early 19th century: Right-hand traffic becomes the de facto national standard.
4. 1917: United States acquires the Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands), which retain left-hand traffic.
5. 20th century: U.S. territories in the Caribbean and Pacific generally standardize on right—except the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Taken together, these milestones show that right-hand traffic has been embedded in American law and practice since the nation’s early years, with the U.S. Virgin Islands standing as a historically rooted exception.

Why the myth persists

Confusion often stems from the British influence on colonial customs, the U.S. Virgin Islands’ left-hand traffic today, and the fact that many early American vehicles evolved in tandem with—rather than before—traffic rules. Popular anecdotes about swords, stagecoaches, and steering wheels capture part of the story but can obscure the early and decisive legal shift to the right in the United States.

Summary

The United States did not have a nationwide era of left-side driving. States adopted right-hand traffic through laws beginning in the 1790s, making it the standard across the country by the early 19th century. The sole U.S. jurisdiction that drives on the left is the U.S. Virgin Islands, a historically inherited exception that continues today.

What is the history of the left side driving?

Driving on the left likely originated with ancient Romans, who kept to the left to allow a right-handed person to wield a weapon against oncoming threats. This practice persisted through the Middle Ages, but eventually, Britain formalized it into law in the 18th and 19th centuries, while France and other countries embraced right-hand traffic. Today, countries like the UK, Australia, and India retain left-hand driving due to British colonization, while the US and most of Europe drive on the right, a tradition popularized in the 18th century with the rise of large freight wagons and influenced by the French Revolution. 
Origins in Ancient Times

• Roman practice: Archaeological evidence, including wheel ruts on ancient Roman roads, suggests people often traveled on the left. 
• Right-handed advantage: This was likely for safety, as most people are right-handed. Keeping to the left allowed a person to keep their dominant hand free to hold a sword or greet others. 
• Mounting horses: It was also easier to mount a horse from the left side, and staying to the left kept the horse from the side of the road. 

The Shift to the Right

• Large freight wagons: Opens in new tabThe development of large, multi-horse teams for freight wagons in the 18th century in places like the US and France influenced a shift to the right. Drivers would sit on the left-hand horse to better control the other horses with a whip in their dominant right hand. 
• French Revolution: Opens in new tabThe French Revolution further cemented right-hand traffic in France, abolishing the aristocratic tradition of reserving the left side of the road. 

Modern Left-Hand Driving

• British influence: Britain formally adopted left-hand driving with government measures in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. 
• Colonial export: This practice was then exported to its colonies, which is why countries like Australia, India, South Africa, and New Zealand still drive on the left today. 
• Other factors: Japan also drives on the left, partly due to the influence of British engineers who designed its railway system. 

Why did America start driving on the right?

America drives on the right due to colonial-era transportation practices, particularly the use of Conestoga wagons where drivers sat on the left horse to control their whip-wielding, right-handed lashing of the team, naturally preferring traffic pass on the left. This habit, along with a desire to separate from British left-hand traffic customs after the American Revolution, led to right-hand travel becoming the norm, later standardized in states like New York by 1804 and eventually by Henry Ford’s left-side steering wheel placement on the popular Model T.
 
Colonial Practices and Wagon Use

• Conestoga Wagons: Opens in new tabDrivers on large freight wagons, particularly the Conestoga, would sit on the left rear horse. 
• Right-Handed Control: Opens in new tabThis position kept the driver’s right arm free to use their whip to control the team of animals, leading to a natural inclination to keep to the right side of the road. 
• Clear Passing: Opens in new tabKeeping to the right allowed the driver to see the oncoming wagon’s wheels and keep clear of them, facilitating safe passing. 

Cultural Factors

• Rejection of British Custom: The widespread adoption of right-hand travel was partly driven by a desire to establish a distinct American identity, separate from British customs. 
• The Revolution’s Influence: The American Revolution cemented this divergence from Britain, with right-hand travel evolving from a colonial habit to a symbol of national independence. 

Standardization

• Early Laws: Opens in new tabThe Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road, established in 1795, was the first to mandate right-hand travel. 
• State Legislation: Opens in new tabNew York formalized right-hand travel on all highways in 1804, and by the Civil War, this practice was followed in every state. 
• Henry Ford’s Role: Opens in new tabThe mass production of the left-hand-drive Ford Model T in 1908 further solidified right-hand driving as the standard in the United States, as it became easier for drivers to see and overtake other vehicles. 

Why do British drive on the left side?

British drive on the left because the tradition predates the automobile, originating from when horse-riding and carriage travel was common, allowing right-handed individuals to keep their sword hand free for defense and making it safer to mount a horse from the side of the road. Later, as the British Empire expanded, the practice was codified into law and spread to its colonies, and Britain resisted the shift to right-hand driving that was influenced by figures like Napoleon in continental Europe.
 
Historical Origins

• Sword-Fighting: Opens in new tabThe most common theory is that people preferred to keep to the left side of the road, particularly when on horseback, so that their right arm (their dominant sword-fighting hand) was free to defend against oncoming travelers. 
• Mounting Horses: Opens in new tabIt was also safer to mount and dismount a horse from the side of the road or a mounting block. Riding on the left made this easier and prevented the horse’s mounting block from being in the middle of traffic. 
• Right-Handed Whip: Opens in new tabFor horse-drawn carts with a driver sitting on the right side, keeping to the left allowed the driver to use their whip with their right hand to control the horses. 

Shift to Right-Hand Driving 

• Continental Europe: Opens in new tabAfter the French Revolution, driving on the right became associated with the lower classes and was promoted by Napoleon, whose conquests spread right-hand traffic throughout much of Europe. 
• North America: Opens in new tabThe United States also switched to driving on the right, possibly to differentiate from British colonial rule and due to the prevalence of large horse-drawn wagons. 

Why Britain Didn’t Change

• Tradition and Law: The UK adopted laws requiring left-hand traffic in the 18th century, and this practice was written into the Highway Act of 1835. 
• Empire and Colonies: As the British Empire expanded, left-hand traffic was established in many of its colonies, creating a network of countries that continue to drive on the left today. 
• Cost of Change: While discussed in the 1960s, changing the direction of traffic is a massive and costly endeavor, involving modifications to road signage and infrastructure, which made it difficult and dangerous to change. 

What country started driving on the left?

England
After the Middle Ages, European countries like France and England started to make their own choice about which side of the road to prefer. England was the first nation to pass an official rule, in 1773, which made driving on the left the law.