Jackie:

Thanks for that fascinating bit of information. Actually a great deal of information.

I had always wondered why the US drove on the right while the ostensible mother country did the opposite. Many many years ago we discussed road rules in our HS driving course. The teacher maintained that the first rule of the road was which side you would use. I maintained that it was the yield rule at an unmarked intersection.

But the website you provided said that the colonies changed over gradually to driving on the right. That just plain doesn't make sense to me. You would think that it was an all-or-nothing proposition. I cannot imagine meeting another wagon on a road and having a polite discussion as to whether to go right or left to pass the other vehicle. Just like walking on a sidewalk. I've been to Europe and to Australia, and though this is limited experience people on sidewalks keep to the right. It's so deeply ingrained as to be almost instinctive, I would imagine.

Driving on the left does directly benefit cyclists, I noticed. Almost everyone gets on and off a bicycle from the left side. In England and Ireland, when you get off the bike you have the bike between you and the traffic, while in the US you are standing further into the road than the bike is. Not quite as safe.

I remember very well my first day in Ireland on my bike trip there. I loaded up my bike and set off from Shannon up toward Limerick, keeping securely to the far left. This was after spending an ungodly number of hours awake. I had departed Denver in late morning, changed planes in NY and again at Heathrow, and it was early afternoon of the next day. I stopped for a red light and glanced to my right. I actually did wonder why the Irish setter in the car beside me was driving the car. Took about ten very confused seconds to realize the darned dog was in the passenger seat.

TEd


TEd