I got this from autoworld webpage. just wanna share it with u. enjoy....

Why Do We Drive On The Left

Ever wondered why we drive on the left while others drive on the right? The obvious answer would be, driving on the left is a legacy left to us by the Brits. However, let’s delve a little deeper. The ‘rule of the road’ in mainland Europe and the majority of countries in the world, including the United States, is to drive on the right.

In the United Kingdom and most countries that belong to the Commonwealth, the rule of the road remains to drive on the left. These include countries like Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, some Caribbean islands, India and Pakistan. This rule also applies in Thailand and Japan.

The origin of the rule of the road dates back to how people travelled in violent feudal societies. As most people are right handed, it made sense to carry any weapon in the right hand. When passing a stranger on the road, it is safer to walk on the left so that the weapon is always between yourself and a possible opponent. Jousting knights also hold their lances in their right hand and passing each other’s left. So it would be safe to say that the original ‘rule of the road’ would be to travel on the left side of the road.

French military general and self-proclaimed Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, overturned this historic practice. Because Napoleon was left handed, his army had to march on the right so that Napoleon could keep his sword arm between himself and the advancing enemy. From Napoleon onwards, all French colonies travelled on the right.

If that were the case, you would rightly ask, why does America, a former British colony, drive on the right? Although America was originally a British colony, the southern states of the country such as Louisiana and the Canadian East coast including Quebec were colonised by the French; while the Dutch colonised New York; the Spanish and Portuguese colonised Southern Americans and much of the southwest parts of North America.

The British were very much a minority when it came to determining the traffic system. The newly independent American republic was also anxious to break away from any remaining links with its British colonial past, and opted to drive on the right system.

With this momentous decision, the driving world was split into two. How? The mass production of reliable and economical motorcars from the United States is the answer. Because American cars were designed to be driven on the right, initial exports used the same design. So out of necessity, other countries changed their rule of the road to suit the product environment.

Sweden was the last European country to convert to driving on the right in 1967. Interestingly enough, the number of road accident casualties actually dropped during this transition period in Sweden. The reason was, while everyone was getting used to the new system, they paid more attention and were more careful, resulting in fewer crashes.

So there you have it! The very archaic reason why we drive on the left. To think it all traces back to feudal knights strutting their stuff with their swords.

Article contributed by AAM