This keep-left rule was so common that, in 1300 AD, Pope Boniface VIII decreed that all pilgrims headed to Rome from wherever they were coming from should abide by the keep-left rule of the road along their journey. People on horseback then also typically ruled the road, so everybody else followed suit. Then of course, if you happened to meet a friend on the road, you could more easily offer your right hand in greeting without needing to reach across your body when on horseback. Historians then believe the keep-left rule was adopted because, on a horse, if you were right handed and you met some unsavory company on the road, you could draw your weapon, typically attached to your left side, with your right hand and bring it to bear quickly against the person who is going the opposite way of you on your right all the while, controlling the reigns with your left hand. It is not precisely known why they would have chosen this side, but it is probably similar to one of the main reasons this practice continued into the middle ages.ĭuring the middle ages the roads weren’t always very safe for travelers meeting people coming the other way on the road was something best done defensively. This was first discovered in 1998 where a Roman quarry in Swindon, England had grooves in the road going away from the quarry on the left side that were significantly deeper than those on the right, due to the added weight of the stone. So which side did the Romans use? Archaeological evidence suggests it was common for the Romans to drive on the left side of the road. The first real archaeological evidence of a keep-left or keep-right type rule for a road, originates in the Roman Empire, which shouldn’t be surprising as they built a lot of massive, well trafficked roads spanning Europe and thus would have needed to establish certain rules governing how people were to interact on the roads.
It has only been very recently that the world has predominately switched to the “keep-right” rule. The origin of this varies based on the time period and country, but primarily throughout history people used the “keep-left” rule. Today I found out why some countries drive on the right and some countries drive on the left.
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