In France a decree of 1792 ordered traffic to keep to the “common” right and Napoleon later enforced the rule in all French territories. These huge wagons were best suited to the wide open spaces and large distances of Canada and the US, and the first keep-to-the-right law was passed in Pennsylvania in 1792, with many Canadian and US states following suit later. Sitting on the left however made it difficult to judge the traffic coming the other way, as anyone who has driven a left-hand drive car along the winding lanes of Britain will agree! Instead, in order to control the horses, the driver sat on the horse at the back left, thus keeping his whip hand free. These wagons were drawn by several pairs of horses and had no driver’s seat. This continued until the late 1700s when large wagons became popular for transporting goods. ![]() This ‘rule of the road’ was officially sanctioned in 1300 AD when Pope Boniface VIII declared that all pilgrims travelling to Rome should keep to the left. Indeed the ‘keep to the left’ rule goes back even further in time archaeologists have discovered evidence suggesting that the Romans drove carts and wagons on the left, and it is known that Roman soldiers always marched on the left. (Similarly, most Norman castle staircases spiral in a clockwise direction going upwards, so the defending soldiers would be able to stab down around the twist but those attacking (going up the stairs) would not.) Most people are right-handed, so if a stranger passed by on the right of you, your right hand would be free to use your sword if required. In the Middle Ages you never knew who you were going to meet when travelling on horseback. ![]() There is an historical reason for this it’s all to do with keeping your sword hand free! Have you ever wondered why the British drive on the left?
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