Why American Vehicles Have Steering Wheels On the Left Side

You are in for some serious inconvenience, at least for a few days, if you have lived in India all your life and suddenly need to move to the US. If you're wondering what exactly we're referring to, it has to do with the fact that American cars have the steering wheel on the left, while Indian cars have it on the right. You have undoubtedly seen it numerous times but never stopped to consider the reasoning behind it. We are here to inform you, after all.

You might be surprised to learn that the majority of the world's drivers operate their cars with the steering wheel on the left.

Aside from Japan, Britain, and Australia, India is one of the few nations with cars that have the steering wheel on the right. Moreover, the impact of colonialism was the reason India adopted this technique.

For more than 200 years, the British ruled us, and it was they who brought automobiles to this country. We have embraced the tradition of mounting the steering wheel on the right side like the British did and still do, along with many other British customs that we picked up as a result of colonial authority.

America

When it comes to the reason why Americans drive with their wheels on the left, the beginnings may be found in America in the 18th century, before the invention of the vehicle, during the heyday of the teamsters. Teamsters were those who drove horses-drawn carts and, due to space constraints, had to perch on top of one of the horses.

As most people are right-handed, the teamsters had to ride the left-handed horse since they would use the crop or whip in their right hand. The majority of teamsters were most comfortable whipping with their right hands and riding on their left-handed horses, therefore it only made sense to arrange traffic so that drivers were on the right side of the road. When driving on the left side of the car and the right side of the road, drivers are closer to the centre lines and can better judge their distance from oncoming traffic.

Here's the surprising reason why some countries drive on the left side of the road

Left-hand traffic is used in about 76 nations and territories, and it is thought to have started in ancient Rome as a defensive measure against invading armies. The video's transcript is provided below.

why do certain nations use the left side of the road for driving? The majority of the world uses the right side of the road to drive. However left-hand traffic is used in about 76 nations and territories.

The custom is thought to have originated in Roman antiquity. Romans used their left hand to manoeuvre their chariots and carts, freeing up their right to hold weapons to repel enemy assaults.

This continued until mediaeval Europe, and the British government issued legislation requiring left-hand traffic in 1773.

But France backed the right after the revolution.

Being left-handed, Napoleon found that riding on the right was a frightening military manoeuvre. The driving habits of Britain and France were introduced to their respective colonies. Because of this, a large number of former British colonies are among the few contemporary left-hand traffic nations.

Right-hand traffic was first used in the US in the 18th century. Teams of horses were used to draw freight waggons. and to more easily direct the team, the drivers mounted the left rear horse while using their right hand. To make it simple for vehicles to avoid crashes, traffic switched to the right.

Ultimately, many nations changed to the right to blend in with their neighbours as the automobile and worldwide traffic increased. For instance, Samoa, which only recently made the left shift in 2009.