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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!hpda!fortune!dsd!avsdS!avsdT:deborah
From: avsdT:deborah@avsdS.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Do people walk to the left in England?
Message-ID: <613@avsdT.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-Nov-83 03:23:02 EST
Article-I.D.: avsdT.613
Posted: Wed Nov 30 03:23:02 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 4-Dec-83 03:47:24 EST
References: fortune.1816
Lines: 10

My understanding was that driving to the left in Britain started in the
days of horse-drawn carriages. Since most drivers were right-handed, the
buggy-whip holder was on the right-hand side of the carriage. If the
carriage was driven on the right side of the road, the whip tended to get
caught in the hedges so prevalent alongside the roads in England. So
the carriage drivers tended to drive along the left-hand side of the road.
Even if this story isn't true, I think it's a wonderful rationalization.

Now, why do europeans hold their forks in their left hands? (Or alternately,
why do americans hold theirs in their right hands?)