Napoleon Bonaparte
Currently, in most countries in the world, it is led to the right. But it was not always like that. The most common was to drive from the left.
Most people are right. Not now, forever. The right arm is, therefore, regarded as the first responsible for the fact that Antiquity and average age be more common to walk on the left.
On foot or on horseback, if people always went to the left, they kept the more “fashionable” right hand to greet themselves.
Or, in other scenarios, it was faster and easier to “Sacar from” sword against those who came in the opposite direction.
Archeology has proved that in the Middle Ages, traffic was preferably on the left side. A 1988 study found that there were grooves with greater left side wear on ancient Roman paths.
The United Kingdom has managed to maintain this practice over the centuries to this day. According to the left, driving on the left compulsory in the United Kingdom in the eighteenth century.
The British “exported” then the rule for colonies such as India, Australia, South Africa and several islands that still maintain it. Many thanks to this, still circulate left in about one third of countries.
Red the countries where it is led to the right; Blue the countries where it is conducted on the left
Many may think it was the cars to change the paradigm and to contribute to, however, most countries in the world lead to the right… but the story says that the guilty of this side change is Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821).
In the early nineteenth century, several decades before the invention of cars (1886), Napoleon wanted to change Europe.
One of the changes was to drive on the right side. It was mandatory in France. Like this, managed to better recognize enemies. In addition, he moved away from British practices.
Another theory, quoted by, states that Napoleon was left -wing; And so I would give her more way to walk on the right. However, there is no evidence that supports it such a theory.
As one had explained one, what is certain is that this change spread and was being imposed on all countries that were dominated or influenced by the emperor.
Then, yes, with the Automobile industry growthespecially in France and Germany, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, most countries began to align mass in the right circulation, Facilitating trade and transfronic traffic.
As it remembers, in Portugal it has been officially circulated on the right since 1928, contributing to the good order of the automotive circulation.
