Why British people drive on the left

Britons drive on the left because centuries-old customs favored left-side travel for safety and practicality, and this was later codified—most notably in the United Kingdom by the Highway Act of 1835—while many countries on the European continent shifted to right-side driving under French and Napoleonic influence. Today, about a third of the world’s countries and a significant share of its population still follow left-hand traffic.

Deep roots: from horseback to highways

The practice long predates the motor car. In medieval Europe, including England, travelers typically kept to the left for reasons tied to safety, etiquette, and the logistics of riding and mounting horses. Those conventions persisted into the era of coaches, then railways, and eventually cars, creating a cultural and infrastructural momentum that made left-side driving both familiar and practical in Britain.

From swords and stirrups

Most people were (and are) right-handed. On narrow roads, keeping to the left meant a rider’s sword hand faced oncoming strangers—prudent in uncertain times—and sheathed weapons were carried on the left, making mounting and dismounting from the left safer at the roadside. Mounting from the left also kept riders out of the center of the path, reducing collisions. These habits normalized a left-side preference well before formal regulations existed.

Coaches, canals, and railways

With the rise of horse-drawn coaches, left-side rules reduced whip strikes on pedestrians and gave drivers better control when passing. British railways, which generally run trains on the left, reinforced the leftward norm in signaling and traffic design. That rail legacy influenced overseas systems too—most famously in Japan—further entrenching left-side traffic in places connected to British engineering and practice.

Law makes it official

Urban congestion pushed early standardization: an oft-cited 1722 order by the Lord Mayor of London told carts and coaches to keep left on London Bridge to cut jams and crashes. The decisive national step came with the UK’s Highway Act of 1835, which required traffic in Great Britain to keep to the left, setting a legal baseline that extended, in practice, across much of the British Empire. Ireland retained the rule after independence, and the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man also drive on the left. The convention is matched by vehicle design: most vehicles in left-driving countries have right-hand steering to put drivers closer to the road’s center for better visibility when overtaking.

Why others went right

Continental Europe’s divergence largely tracks French influence. After the French Revolution, customs shifted toward keeping right, and under Napoleon, territories under French sway standardized right-hand traffic. In the United States, large freight wagons had drivers seated on the left rear horse; keeping to the right gave them a clearer view of oncoming traffic and passing clearance, a practice that became law in many states by the 19th century. Through the 20th century, several countries harmonized with their neighbors: Sweden famously switched from left to right in 1967 (Dagen H), and Iceland followed in 1968.

Where else drives on the left today

The UK’s choice is not unique. A wide swath of countries—some with British historical ties and others adopting the convention for their own reasons—drive on the left. The following list highlights major examples across regions.

• United Kingdom and Ireland
• Australia and New Zealand
• India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
• Japan
• Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand
• Much of southern and East Africa, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
• Caribbean states such as Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago
• Hong Kong and Macau (with special crossovers at borders with mainland China)

Collectively, around 60–75 jurisdictions follow left-hand traffic. By population, roughly a third of the world drives on the left, reflecting both historic legacies and practical regional alignment.

Common misconceptions

Left- versus right-side driving inspires persistent myths. The points below clarify what the rule does—and does not—imply about safety, culture, and history.

• It’s not solely “a British imperial leftover”: Japan, never a British colony, adopted left-side railways in the 19th century and later formalized left-side road traffic nationwide.
• It’s not about national handedness: both systems work safely; design consistency and driver training matter more than which side is chosen.
• Safety differences are modest: crash rates hinge on road design, enforcement, and behavior. Roundabouts, sightlines, and signage are optimized for each system.
• Vehicle layout follows the rule: left-driving countries typically use right-hand-drive cars to improve visibility toward the center line when overtaking.

In short, the side chosen is largely historical path dependency; modern safety outcomes depend on infrastructure and compliance rather than the side itself.

Timeline of key moments

The chronology below traces the evolution from customary practice to modern regulation, illustrating how Britain diverged from—and sometimes influenced—other nations.

1. Middle Ages: Riders in England (and much of Europe) commonly pass left for safety and etiquette.
2. 1722: An order by London’s Lord Mayor instructs traffic to keep left on London Bridge to ease congestion.
3. 1835: The UK’s Highway Act mandates left-hand travel across Great Britain, cementing the rule.
4. Late 19th–early 20th centuries: British colonies adopt left-hand traffic; Japan standardizes left-side rules nationwide after earlier rail influence.
5. 1920s–1930s: Many continental European countries consolidate right-hand traffic, aligning with neighbors and French practice.
6. 1967: Sweden switches from left to right (Dagen H) to harmonize with its neighbors.
7. 1968: Iceland switches from left to right for regional consistency.

These milestones show how local conveniences hardened into national laws, and how regional coordination later drove some countries to change sides for cross-border coherence.

Summary

Britain’s left-side driving sprang from medieval habits favoring safety for predominantly right-handed travelers and was later entrenched by 19th-century law, notably the Highway Act of 1835. Continental Europe’s shift to the right—propelled by French and Napoleonic influence—created today’s global split. While the UK’s rule influenced many former colonies, other countries, such as Japan, adopted left-hand traffic for their own historical and technical reasons. The result is a world where about one in three people drives on the left, a testament to how tradition, law, and regional alignment shape everyday life on the road.

Is England the only country to drive on the left?

No, England is not the only country that drives on the left; roughly 30-35% of the world’s countries drive on the left, including other parts of the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, Japan, South Africa, and many Caribbean islands. These are often former British colonies, but Japan is a notable exception, having adopted left-hand traffic rules independently.
 
Examples of countries that drive on the left: 

• Europe: Ireland, Cyprus, Malta
• Asia: India, Pakistan, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand
• Africa: South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe
• Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga
• Americas: Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana

Will Britain ever drive on the right?

The likelihood that Britain or other left-side nations will switch to the right is extremely low, due largely to logistical and economic reasons. According to Norton, though the world has seen increased standardization on right-hand driving over time—Sweden made the change in 1968—certain countries remain exceptions.

Why do French drive on the right?

The subsequent Revolutionary wars and Napoleon’s European conquests led to the spread of driving on the right to Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. Napoleon ordered his armies to use the right-hand side of the road in order to avoid congestion during military manoeuvres.

Why doesn’t the USA drive on the left?

The United States drives on the right because right-hand travel was the norm in Colonial America due to the use of large wagons and practical reasons like ditch avoidance. This custom was codified into law, with New York making it mandatory for public highways in 1804, and it predates the American Revolution, not being an act of rebellion against Britain. 
Early American Practices

• Wagon Drivers: Opens in new tabIn the 18th century, large, heavy freight wagons became popular in the U.S. Drivers often sat on the left rear horse to better manage the team with their right hand and used their right arm to whip the horses, requiring them to keep to the right to avoid ditches and manage the whip more effectively. 
• Right-Handedness: Opens in new tabAs most people are right-handed, keeping to the right also allowed pedestrians and horseback riders to keep their dominant sword arm free for defense against potential threats on the road. 

Legal Standardization 

• Pennsylvania: Opens in new tabThe state of Pennsylvania was an early adopter of right-hand travel, legislating it for its turnpikes in 1792.
• New York: Opens in new tabNew York was the first state to prescribe right-hand travel on all public highways in 1804, establishing a standard that other states soon followed.

Distinction from British and Ancient Traditions

• Colonial Opposition: Right-hand travel in America was not an opposition to British rule but rather a separate path of development. Britain’s left-hand driving law was established in 1773, while right-hand travel had already become the norm in the American colonies. 
• Ancient Origins: While ancient Romans drove on the left, often to keep their sword arm free, early American practices diverged from this due to different transportation methods and societal needs, such as the need to manage large, four-horse teams with a driver seated on the left side of the wagon.