Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site garfield.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!garfield!david14 From: david14@garfield.UUCP (David Janes) Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Re: Do people walk to the left in England? Message-ID: <680@garfield.UUCP> Date: Thu, 17-Nov-83 20:08:09 EST Article-I.D.: garfield.680 Posted: Thu Nov 17 20:08:09 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 17-Nov-83 21:27:03 EST References: <605@cbosgd.UUCP> Organization: Memorial Univ. of Nfld., St. John's, Canada Lines: 32 >2. Does anyone know how or why this custom began? > >3. Are more people in England left-handed than > people in other countries, or what? Actually, I believe the reasons for left hand driving are historical. Case 1: (before cars) Imagine someone driving down the road with a horse and buggy along the *right* hand side of the road. He uses a whip (in his right hand for ~90% of the people) to help control the horse's speed. (he now passes under a tree). . Good-bye whip, which is now hanging from the tree he just passed under. Probably has a sore arm also ... No problem when passing on the left, since the whip is being used in the centre of the road. Case 2: (an earlier era, swords/rapiers/foils). Sir John Doe passes someone who intends to do him bodily harm. If he is passing on the right hand side, his sword (or pistol, etc.) will be on the opposite side of the person he wishes to attack. When passing on the left, no such problem occurs, since his sword will be on the right, the side of the person who is attacking him. (For similar reasons, stairs going up around a circular castle are clockwise, so the defender's arm will be free while the attacker's arm will always be against the wall, makeing it harder for him to fight.) I think this answers question three, or at least shows the fault in your logic to ask the question in the first place. dave ------- - David Janes (Memorial University of Newfoundland) ...!{allegra, inhp4, utcsrgv}!garfield!david14