Critique 8 - International Standards (2/4/2011)

Right/Left side driver’s seat in cars:

The driver’s seat is on the left side of cars in the majority of the world’s cars today. This is done to place the driver on what is considered the more “convenient” side while driving, seating them closer to the center of the road. However, there are a handful of countries that use the opposite side of the road (and opposite side of the car when seating a driver). Countries that are in the minority include England, India, and Australia.

Though the cause of this difference is not known for sure, it has been stipulated that this is a result of history. Those who traveled the roads with weapons would use the left side to keep their right side open in the event that they need to draw their sword in self defense or to greet a passerby. Evidence of the right side of the road being used more has been found as far back as Roman times.

It was not until recently that the trend switched, and this has been attributed to the rise of guns. Travelers began traveling on the right side of the road since a gun must be shouldered and the ease of aiming/pivoting is increased from this side. The worldwide adoption of this has been attributed to the rise of early cars from the United States, who used the right side of the road. Using the right side of the road meant that the driver’s seat was assigned the left side of the car and much of the world followed suit.