1964 Awake! - Theocratic Collector.com

WHEN you get into the driver's seat
of your car, do you sit on the rightor
left-hand side? This is a perfectly legitimate
question, because world wide there
are approximately 133 countries in which
persons drive on the right side of the road,
while in 66 they drive on the left. To visit
a country using the opposite rule to which
you are accustomed not only may prove
interesting, but it can also he quite a hazardous
experience.
For example, a Parisian, seasoned to
right-hand driving, crosses the English
Channel for a visit to the British Isles,
where they drive on the left-band side. As
a pedestrian the Parisian unconsciously
looks to his left before crossing a street.
Seeing no oncoming traffic, he steps off
the curb. Suddenly he hears the blaring of
a horn and the screeching of brakes and
a terribly shook-up driver saying to him,
"I say, why don't you watch where you're
MARaH 8, 1964
going? You're liable to get yourself killed,
you know." Besides being startled half to
death, the Parisian's first reaction might
be, 'What's he doing driving on the wrong
side of the road?' But he is not on the
wrong side, not in Britain.
If the Parisian decides to drive, at least
for a while it will be difficult to tell where
or on what side of the highway you might
see him next, especially at the intersections,
where things can and often do get
muddled up a bit. Unless, of course, you
are quite adept at this sort of thing, it can
be rather disconcerting. It may cause you
to wonder, Why don't nations standardize
their driving rules? How did different rules
originate in the first place?
There are only two continents today
with a uniform driving rule: North America,
which drives on the right, and Australia,
which drives on the left. In South
America all drive on the right except British
Guiana. In Asia and Africa both rules
apply. Continental Europe and Russia
drive on the right.
How Did Differences Start?
The farther back into history one goes
the more varied the reasons become as to
why some countries drive on the left and
others on the right. The ancient Hebrews
are said to have favored the keep-to-theleft
rule. During the Middle Ages the
keep-to-the-left rule applied both on the
highways and in the tournament arenas.
When mounted knights competed with
each other in an effort to joust their opponent
off his horse, they held their lances
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