highlights
The direction of steering of cars is decided according to the movement of traffic.
In countries where right hand traffic runs, it is on the left side.
In India, left hand traffic drives so steering is on the right side.
New Delhi. In many countries of the world, traffic moves on the left and in some on the right. The steering position of vehicles is also not the same all over the world. In most of the countries of the world including India and Britain, steering is installed on the left side. In many countries including America, France and Holland, steering in vehicles is on the right side. Seeing this dual system, a question definitely comes to mind that why is there this cycle of right and left? Does the side of the steering have anything to do with driver safety?
The reason for steering in vehicles is on the right and left side because the rules of driving on the road are different in different countries. Drives on the left side of the road in India and Britain. Therefore, the steering of vehicles here is on the right side. Similarly, in countries including America where there is a trend to drive on the right side of the road, steering is placed on the left side. That is why there are two types of vehicles: left hand drive and right hand drive.
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The story of walking on the left is interesting
In ancient times, people used to carry swords with them for protection. Most of the people are right-handed and most of the swordsmen used to use the sword with their right hand. And that is why when he would go out on the road with his horse, he would walk on the left side of the road. So that the person coming from ahead has to pass from their right side only. If he had turned out to be an enemy, he could have been easily attacked.
carriages changed the system
In the 18th century, large carriages were built in France and America to transport goods, which were pulled by several horses. There was no space for the driver to sit in these coaches. So one man would sit on one horse and drive the rest. Now the driver had to keep his right hand free to use the whip. Therefore he used to sit on the last horse yoked on the left side. Now, since this man was sitting on the left side of the carriage, he used to drive the carriage on the right side of the road so that the vehicles coming from the front would pass from the side where he was sitting. With this, an eye can be kept on the crossing of two carriages.
Why the difference between America and India?
The custom of walking on the left in India is a gift from England. India was ruled by England for a long time. In such a situation, the British made a rule in India to walk on the left side of the road like in their own country. When cars came to India, their steering were also placed on the right side like in England. At the same time, in America, since the 18th century, there was a custom of carriages to run on the right side, so the steering of the vehicles started being placed on the left side.
Which side is safer to steer on?
A research conducted in 1969 revealed that traffic moving on the left leads to fewer accidents. Here the driver’s seat is on the right side due to which the road is completely visible while driving. Due to this, every activity happening on the road is clearly visible to the driver. This reduces the possibility of accident.
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Tag: auto news, car, traffic rules
first published : March 8, 2024, 06:40 IST
