For some reason, we don't drive on the same sides of the road

For those who travel a lot, you would notice this much more than people that have stayed in their country their whole lives but have you ever thought about why people in some countries drive on the left side of the road while people in other countries drive on the right?

I took the liberty to create a map of the entire world and which side they drive on. This took me almost an hour to do because I had to figure out facts and truths.

• I Made it with Mapchart app Android

Looking at the map, I hope it's clear and easy for you to see the difference. Some countries like the United States, Canada, Brazil and most of Europe drive on the right side of their roads. And we have countries like the United Kingdom, India, Australia and Japan driving on the left side.

Before doing this research, the only thing I thought was different in driving was where the steering wheels are positioned. I guess I'm not a traveler and that's why I didn't notice this.

I got confused as to what difference it makes but after digging deep, there's actual history to this difference. Not just history though, tradition and some practical reasons behind it too.

The history of which side of the road some countries drive on goes back hundreds of years.

We are not oblivious of the old days when people traveled on horseback or in horse carts. In Europe for example, right handed people usually preferred to ride their horses on the left side of the road. The reason behind this decision was so that their sword hand would be free to defend themselves if someone came from the opposite direction.

The people in England followed this rule for centuries so when cars were invented, they naturally kept driving on the left.

But countries like France, the United States and most of Europe changed to driving on the right. Why did they see the need to make this change?

The problem they had at the time was that, larger wagons pulled by many horses needed more space and the drivers usually sat on the left side of the wagon. So by driving on the right side of the road, the drivers could easily see the edge of the road more clearly. That was beneficial because it would be much easier to avoid hitting other wagons. So when cars became the new means of transportation, these countries continued driving on the right.

So another question I asked myself was that, why does it still exist till this day?

It is not just the tradition they adopted as they transitioned from horses to motor cars. Which side they drive on can actually affect how their cars are built.

In the left driving countries, the driver’s seat is on the right side of the car. They design it this way so the driver can see the middle of the road better. In right driving countries, it is the opposite.

It's not just the driver seat that gets affected, it also changes the road signs, the traffic lights and even how roundabouts are constructed. If you hate the side of the road your country drives on for whatever reason and you plan on becoming president so you will change it, well I have bad news for you, changing the side of the road your country drives on is both expensive and dangerous. This is why most countries just stick to what they already do.

Each side of the road has its own advantages and disadvantages. If you're driving on the left, it looks a bit safer for right handed people, subjectively speaking. I say so because they would probably have more control when passing other vehicles.

A studies was conducted that suggested that countries with left hand driving may have fewer accidents in certain situations. I'm from Ghana and our cars drive on the right side of the road, I'm thinking if we change it maybe we'll have this advantage but like I said, it's very expensive so probably not going to happen.

But I'm right handed so driving on the right side of the road feels more natural for me and so a country where most people are right handed, I'm pretty sure it'll feel more natural for the masses.

• You can zoom in on the chart I designed if you want to clearly see the names of the countries by the way

Whether the country is right driving or left driving, both systems work well if everyone in the country follows the same rules. And it's safer on the road when drivers follow the rules and regulations and road signs.

There's also an interesting pattern I noticed while I was making the chart. You can observe that many of the countries that were once part of the British Empire, like India, Australia and South Africa still drive on the left. Most of Europe, North and South America and Africa drive on the right. It shows the influence from France, Spain, and other countries that preferred the right side.

There are also islands that have unique situations. If you observe the chart, Japan drives on the left even though most of Asia drives on the right. You can also see Guyana and Suriname being left driving countries in South America.

I have to be honest, trying to make this chart, I learned about countries I didn't even know existed. I had to make them one after the other so there was a lot I learned and I'm thinking of a travel tour around the world, if I have the cash in the future.

If you're a traveler this will hopefully be a useful chart for you, at least you'll know which side of the road you're going to be driving on before you travel to that country.

I think it's great that's there's differences in the driving sides, it makes the world more interesting at least.