• ohwhatfollyisman@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    19
    ·
    1 month ago

    there are countries where people drive on the right side of the road, and then there are countries where people drive on the right side of the road.

    • PennyRoyal@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      1 month ago

      I really don’t get why the states drive wrong-hand drive vehicles. It’s just stupid, most people are right handed. I bet you shoot like shit with your left, and if ever there was a country where shooting out of a vehicle that you’re driving was likely to be a common occurrence, it’s the US. Quid pro quo, it makes more sense for the US to drive on the other side.

      • Cheradenine@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        21
        ·
        1 month ago

        I get where you’re going with this but I think you have made some incorrect assumptions.

        You steer with the left hand, since manual gearboxes are for lorries and Europeans, Americans don’t use them, that leaves the right hand available for more important driving related things. Such as checking your phone, grabbing your 64oz soda from the cup holder, or shooting.

        You will fail your driving test if you cannot demonstrate proficiency in switching between those tasks. It varies by state of course but typically it’s something like, 1) consume minimum 20 grams of sugar in liquid form 2) add a track to a Spotify playlist 3) put two rounds into a roadsign. Naturally this is a timed test.

        • PennyRoyal@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          1 month ago

          Ah, you’re thinking about shooting inside the car, I see. I was assuming you’d want to have the right hand out of the window, taking pot-shots at the local flora/fauna/street signs/gang bangers

  • tiramichu@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    edit-2
    1 month ago

    Countries which use left hand drive drive on the left side of the road account for only a sixth of the world’s land area, but a full third of the population.

    I suppose that’s because left hand drive driving on the left has some very dense populations, like Japan, UK and India

    Edit: terminology mistake

  • Coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    1 month ago

    I needed to consult this map semi recently when I went looking up the places where Suzuki Swifts were made. Long story short, they’re all blue.

    • Contentedness@lemmy.nz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 month ago

      A friend of mine was looking into getting a second hand Swift and said many of them don’t come with a spare tire. I guess it’s fine if you have roadside assistance and never leave the city but still seems odd to me.

  • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    1 month ago

    Mostly (most notably minus Japan) a map of former UK colonies. At least the ones still a colony when the car became a thing.

    • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      1 month ago

      Kinda the opposite really. They had horses and wagons and carriages which needed rules about which side of the road to drive on long before cars were invented. The left side was the natural side for horsey reasons and most of the world got around on the left until Napoleon came around and forced mainland Europe to switch.

      So the map depicts in red the European countries conquered by Napoleon and their colonies as well as the countries later influenced by the US.

        • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          21 days ago

          Whoops I took a break for a while. Anyway, you always get on a horse from the left side because back in the day a right handed person would have their sword on their left hip. Getting on the horse from the right side would likely result in the horse getting jabbed with the sword. If you’re riding down the right side of the road you’d have to go out onto the road to get on your horse. But on the left you can more easily mount and dismount if you gotta take a piss or whatever.

          Also if you’re passing some one on the left, your weapon is in your right hand, so you’re ready to stab if need be. Of course it was customary to raise your right hand to show you had no weapon in it when you met someone, but you gotta be ready to draw and fight. Fucking bandits are everywhere ya know. So keep an eye on the other guy’s right hand as you pass by, just in case he tries something.

      • JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 month ago

        Article literally debunks the Napoleon theory.

        LHT-RHT is a classic case of a subject where everyone has their pet overarching theory but which is in fact pretty complex.

    • Empricorn@feddit.nl
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      edit-2
      1 month ago

      I learned to drive on the right too and it was natural for me as well! But it was not natural for all the people in other vehicles screaming in terror and swerving out of the way. 🤷‍♂️

    • Drusas@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 month ago

      I grew up with right-sided driving, moved to Japan, had zero issue switching to left-sided driving. Also had zero issues switching back to right-sided. I don’t think it really makes a difference.

  • shoulderoforion@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    1 month ago

    when the united states shucked off the control of the english, they meant it, in perpetuity, the other colonies, not so much