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By Bill Altreuter

In the pre-industrial era, horses kept to the left so riders could draw their sword. Napoleon changed Europe to the right
The US followed France. In Canada the rule varied by province until the 20's. (Newfoundland was not part of Canada until 1949, and its motorists drove on the left until 1947.) Road traffic in seven European jurisdictions drives on the left: Cyprus, Guernsey, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Malta and the United Kingdom. None shares a physical border with a country that drives on the right. In South America, only Guyana and Suriname drive on the left. In addition to South America there are several places in Asia and in Africa where you have to switch at the border: Hong Kong and China is one which I'll bet is pretty busy. The Swedes switched on Högertrafikomläggningen in 1967. (100 Things We Didn't Know Last Year, via Kottke.)

Full post as published by Outside Counsel on January 11, 2010 (boomark / email).