Ever found yourself staring at a steering wheel on the "wrong" side of a rental car? It’s a disorienting feeling. You reach for the gear shifter and hit the door handle instead. Honestly, it’s enough to make even a seasoned traveler sweat.
The reality is that about 65% to 70% of the world's population drives on the right side of the road. That sounds like a massive majority, but if you’re heading to the UK, Japan, or Australia, you’re in for a shock. It’s not just a "British thing." The split between right-hand traffic (RHT) and left-hand traffic (LHT) is a messy, historical hangover that still dictates how we move today.
Why the World Isn’t Uniform
Most people assume driving on the right is the "natural" way. It isn't. Historically, humans actually preferred the left.
Ancient Romans steered their carts on the left side of the path. Why? Most people are right-handed. If you’re riding a horse and an armed stranger approaches from the opposite direction, you want your right hand free to draw your sword. Keeping to the left was literally a survival tactic.
So, what changed?
Napoleon is often blamed for flipping the script in Europe. He was left-handed, or so the legend goes, and he wanted his armies to march on the right to keep his sword arm toward the middle of the road. But the real shift happened because of big wagons.
In the late 1700s, teamsters in the United States and France started using huge freight wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. These wagons didn't have a driver's seat. Instead, the driver sat on the "wheel horse"—the one at the rear left. Sitting on the left let the driver use their right hand to whip the whole team. To avoid collisions, these drivers wanted oncoming traffic to pass on their left so they could look down and make sure they weren't scraping wheels.
That basically forced everyone to the right side of the road.
The Heavy Hitters: Major Countries That Drive on the Right
If you’re planning a road trip, you probably already know the big players. The United States, Canada, and Mexico are firmly in the right-hand camp. Crossing the border between them is seamless because the rules don't change.
Mainland China is another massive right-side driver. This is actually a bit of a quirk because Hong Kong and Macau—both part of China—still drive on the left. It creates these bizarre, "flipper" bridges at the borders where traffic literally crisscrosses to change sides.
Russia, Brazil, and almost all of Continental Europe follow the right-side rule. Think Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. If you’re driving from Lisbon to Vladivostok, you’ll never have to switch sides once.
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A Quick Glance at the Regional Breakdown
- North and South America: Almost entirely right-hand traffic. Guyana and Suriname are the weird outliers here that stick to the left.
- Europe: Most of the continent is on the right. The holdouts are the UK, Ireland, Malta, and Cyprus.
- Africa: It’s a split. Northern and Western Africa (mostly former French colonies) drive on the right. Southern and Eastern Africa (former British influence) generally stay on the left.
- Asia: China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and the Philippines are on the right. Japan, India, Thailand, and Indonesia are on the left.
The Great Swaps: Countries That Flipped
Changing which side of the road you drive on isn't like changing a lightbulb. It’s a logistical nightmare. Yet, dozens of countries have done it.
Canada is a prime example. For a long time, it was a mess. British Columbia and the Atlantic provinces drove on the left, while the middle provinces drove on the right. They finally synchronized to the right in the 1920s to make life easier for people crossing the U.S. border.
Then there’s Sweden.
September 3, 1967. "Dagen H" (H-Day). At 5:00 AM, every vehicle in Sweden had to stop, carefully move to the right side of the road, and stay there. Even though 83% of Swedes had voted against the change in a referendum years earlier, the government pushed it through. Why? Because all their neighbors drove on the right, and most Swedes were already buying left-hand drive cars, which caused head-on collisions during overtaking.
Surprisingly, Dagen H was a success. There was actually a dip in accidents immediately after because everyone was driving so nervously and carefully.
Common Misconceptions About the Right Side
A big mistake people make is confusing which side of the road you drive on with which side the steering wheel is on.
In countries where you drive on the right, the steering wheel is almost always on the left. This gives the driver the best view of oncoming traffic. These are called LHD (Left-Hand Drive) vehicles.
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Some people think the U.S. Virgin Islands drive on the right because they are a U.S. territory. Nope. They drive on the left. But—and this is the part that drives tourists crazy—most of the cars there are imported from the U.S. mainland, so they have the steering wheel on the left. You’re driving on the left side of the road while sitting on the "outside" of the lane. It's confusing as hell.
Survival Tips for Switching Sides
If you’re used to the right and suddenly find yourself in a left-hand country (or vice versa), your brain will try to kill you at two specific moments: roundabouts and turns.
- The "Tight Left, Wide Right" Rule: When driving on the right, a right turn is "tight" (you stay close to the curb), and a left turn is "wide" (you cross traffic). If you go to London, this flips. Remind yourself constantly.
- Follow the Leader: If there’s a car in front of you, just do what they do. The real danger is on empty rural roads where your muscle memory takes over.
- The "Passenger to the Curb" Trick: In a standard LHD car driving on the right, your passenger is near the curb. If you’re ever confused, check where your passenger is. If they’re in the middle of the road, you’re in trouble.
Making Sense of the Chaos
There is no "better" side, though some studies suggest left-hand driving might be slightly safer for the right-eye dominant majority. At this point, the world is too locked into its infrastructure to ever go fully uniform. The cost of changing the UK or Japan to the right would be trillions.
If you're planning to drive abroad, check the specific laws of your destination. Even in right-side countries, "priority to the right" rules (like the Priorité à droite in France) can catch you off guard at intersections.
Before you head out, download an offline map and spend ten minutes watching a local "driving tips" video on YouTube. It's the best way to avoid being that person who accidentally turns into oncoming traffic on a one-way street.
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Next Steps for Your Trip:
- Check your destination on a global traffic map to confirm the driving side.
- If you're switching sides, book an automatic transmission rental. Shifting gears with your "weak" hand while trying to stay on the correct side of the road is a recipe for a headache.
- Verify if you need an International Driving Permit (IDP); many right-hand drive countries require this alongside your standard license.