this post was submitted on 23 Nov 2024
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[–] tiramichu@lemm.ee 11 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (2 children)

Countries which ~~use left hand drive~~ drive on the left side of the road account for only a sixth of the world's land area, but a full third of the population.

I suppose that's because ~~left hand drive~~ driving on the left has some very dense populations, like Japan, UK and India

Edit: terminology mistake

[–] ohwhatfollyisman@lemmy.world 8 points 10 hours ago (3 children)

india has right-hand drive vehicles. the steering wheel is provided at the right-front seat.

we drive on the left side of the road.

[–] muntedcrocodile@lemm.ee 1 points 5 hours ago

Isnt that how it works everywhere u have steering wheel on right and drive on left u have steering wheel on left u drive on right.

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 2 points 8 hours ago

Right front

Right? From the view of someone on the inside? That would be normal for a left side drive nation...

[–] Beacon@fedia.io 3 points 10 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 2 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

✨ british imperialism ✨

[–] Beacon@fedia.io 2 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

That doesn't explain why they have the cars meant for side A, but use them to drive on side B.

[–] Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

cars that drive on the right have their steering wheel on the left side (i.e. left-hand drive), and vice versa.

[–] Beacon@fedia.io 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

OP said (and stressed with italics) that they have right hand drive cars but drive them on the opposite side, which was the point of his comment

[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

I think you’re getting confused by the terminology; this is an explanation from the Wikipedia article.

The terms right- and left-hand drive refer to the position of the driver and the steering wheel in the vehicle and are, in automobiles, the reverse of the terms right- and left-hand traffic.

ETA: So the red areas have left-hand drive and right-hand traffic, while the blue areas have right-hand drive and left-hand traffic.

[–] shoulderoforion@fedia.io 1 points 9 hours ago

and there's the answer

[–] ryan213@lemmy.ca 7 points 10 hours ago

India's doing most of the work here.

[–] ohwhatfollyisman@lemmy.world 7 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

there are countries where people drive on the right side of the road, and then there are countries where people drive on the right side of the road.

[–] PennyRoyal@sh.itjust.works 5 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

I really don’t get why the states drive wrong-hand drive vehicles. It’s just stupid, most people are right handed. I bet you shoot like shit with your left, and if ever there was a country where shooting out of a vehicle that you’re driving was likely to be a common occurrence, it’s the US. Quid pro quo, it makes more sense for the US to drive on the other side.

[–] Cheradenine@sh.itjust.works 5 points 8 hours ago

I get where you're going with this but I think you have made some incorrect assumptions.

You steer with the left hand, since manual gearboxes are for lorries and Europeans, Americans don't use them, that leaves the right hand available for more important driving related things. Such as checking your phone, grabbing your 64oz soda from the cup holder, or shooting.

You will fail your driving test if you cannot demonstrate proficiency in switching between those tasks. It varies by state of course but typically it's something like, 1) consume minimum 20 grams of sugar in liquid form 2) add a track to a Spotify playlist 3) put two rounds into a roadsign. Naturally this is a timed test.

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 2 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Mostly (most notably minus Japan) a map of former UK colonies. At least the ones still a colony when the car became a thing.

[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Kinda the opposite really. They had horses and wagons and carriages which needed rules about which side of the road to drive on long before cars were invented. The left side was the natural side for horsey reasons and most of the world got around on the left until Napoleon came around and forced mainland Europe to switch.

So the map depicts in red the European countries conquered by Napoleon and their colonies as well as the countries later influenced by the US.

[–] Robomekk@lemmy.ca 5 points 7 hours ago

What sort of horsey reasons? Now I’m curious.

[–] Coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I needed to consult this map semi recently when I went looking up the places where Suzuki Swifts were made. Long story short, they're all blue.

[–] Contentedness@lemmy.nz 3 points 10 hours ago

A friend of mine was looking into getting a second hand Swift and said many of them don't come with a spare tire. I guess it's fine if you have roadside assistance and never leave the city but still seems odd to me.

[–] silverchase@sh.itjust.works 3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

I've always wondered why right-hand traffic is more prevalent. There have been way more cases of countries changing to the right to match their neighbours than the other way around. Cosmic coincidence, a result of international influence, or aliens?

[–] Plum@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

I think everyone just hates the British. But who am I to judge. I use this absolute hodgepodge for measurement.

[–] mtchristo@lemm.ee 2 points 8 hours ago

For once the US is on the right side of things

[–] shoulderoforion@fedia.io 2 points 9 hours ago

when the united states shucked off the control of the english, they meant it, in perpetuity, the other colonies, not so much

[–] lengau@midwest.social 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I learned to drive on the right. Driving on the left is still more natural for me.

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 6 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

I learned to drive on the right too and it was natural for me as well! But it was not natural for all the people in other vehicles screaming in terror and swerving out of the way. 🤷‍♂️