Why do we drive on the right in France?

The question may seem trivial, and the answer obvious. Yet, driving on the right hasn't always been the norm, even in France. In fact, driving on the left was for a long time the standard on roads around the world . Even today, a third of the world's countries drive on the left side of the road.

But why did we change sides? Let's trace the history of the road's direction together!

Let's start on the left

In ancient times, the custom of walking on the left can be traced back to ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome! Soldiers and horsemen, mainly right-handed, walked on the left, carrying their shield and scabbard on the left, so they could draw their sword more easily.

In the Middle Ages, a common explanation is that horsemen, like those of Antiquity, rode on the left side of roads. This was because they held the reins in their left hand so they could more easily draw their sword with their right hand in case of attack or more readily offer friendly greetings.

Another theory: they rode on the left to avoid their swords clashing, a sign of provocation leading to a duel. Left-handed knights are often overlooked…

With the Conestoga, we go to the right

At the end of the 18th century, a new type of wagon appeared on the American market: the Conestoga. Pulled by 6 to 8 mules harnessed in pairs and equipped with 4 large wheels, it was robust and maneuverable. It quickly became an essential tool for practical transport (originally intended for transporting wheat in Pennsylvania).

This wagon quickly spread to all neighboring countries, and similar vehicles also appeared in Europe. The Conestoga's main characteristic was the absence of a seat for the driver . This seemingly minor detail would revolutionize road habits. To best control the team, the driver would ride on the left-hand horse of the last pair (holding the whip in his right hand). These wagons then naturally began to travel on the right, allowing the driver to monitor the side exposed to potential contact from another wagon when passing, and ensuring the whip would be held towards the field, not towards people passing the wagon.

Thus, in 1792, Pennsylvania officially adopted right-hand drive : there we have it! The other American states followed suit. In Europe, this wagon became famous and the same practice spread.

At the end of the 18th century, France therefore drove on the right . Napoleon I is often credited with imposing the obligation to drive on the right in conquered Europe, in contrast to the British. Napoleon supposedly trained his troops to begin attacks from the right flank to surprise them. But this explanation seems fanciful, as there is no correlation between the direction of traffic on roads and tactical deployments in combat.

This tendency to drive on the right continued with early automobiles. They had the handbrake on the outside, on the right-hand side, so it could be pulled more forcefully by the right hand. The driver's seat was therefore on the right. At that time, passing other vehicles was a tricky maneuver: on narrow roads, vehicles had to keep as far apart as possible. To perform this maneuver effectively, the driver had to stay on the shoulder of the road to avoid running off. Since the driver's seat was on the right, cars traveled on the right-hand side of the road.

Later, the handbrake moved to the center of the passenger compartment. Some car manufacturers moved the driving position to the left so that the brake would remain accessible with the right hand , while others (like the British) made no changes.

The English persist on the left

The United Kingdom had little appreciation for the Conestoga . For geographical reasons, neither the needs for land transport of goods nor the configuration of the road network were suited to this new vehicle.

A smaller model was preferred, equipped with a single pair of horses and, most importantly, a postilion's seat (equivalent to a coachman's seat). To avoid hindering the passenger with his whip, the driver sat on the right (whip in his right hand), thus able to monitor the maneuvers on the exposed side. The British therefore naturally continued to drive on the left side of the road .

The "Dagen H"

Sunday, September 3, 1967, at 5:00 a.m.: Sweden switched from driving on the left to driving on the right. This was "Dagen H," H-Day, for "Högertrafik," right-hand traffic in Swedish. The government took five years to organize this change, which 85% of Swedes opposed. Yet, all of Sweden's neighboring countries (Finland, Norway, and Denmark) already drove on the right, and almost all cars had left-hand drive.

The day before D-Day, all the signs and traffic lights for driving on the right were in place, wrapped in black plastic, ready to be unveiled at the appointed time. At 4:50 a.m., all vehicles were required to pull over onto the right side of the road before being allowed to proceed at 5:00 a.m., also on the right. On Monday, September 4, there were 125 accidents, none fatal. On previous Mondays, there had been between 130 and 198. Iceland would follow Sweden's example on May 26, 1968.

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