>>Interesting, Walter, thanks. I'd no idea that so many actually drove on the left and I was pleased to see the map of such (I've often wished to see one)
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>>Notice, though that originally the default was the left, until Napolean happened. And as for the Americas - well that seems to have been just bloody-mindedness!
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>>With regard to GB, if we were to go RH drive, not only would changing all the road signs be prohibitively expensive, the vast network of roads and motorways would exhibit negative cambers on intersections (where the exits would become the entrances and vice versa) but also think of the danger in having a RH drive rule in a country where all the millions of vehicles are RH driver's position (and the UK is one of teh highest car users in the world). I've noticed the problem when driving in Europe in my cars: you can't see what's coming the other way when overtaking (passing). Think of all the head-on collisions we'd have. And you can't convert ALL the cars in use overnight.
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>>This "sword arm" thing is interesting; I once read that the reason why women's and men's clothes fasten on different sides is to do with that too:
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>>In the days when cloaks etc, were secured by a pin or brooch, the woman needed access to hers with her right hand, cos the left arm supported a baby, whereas a man, needing his sword-arm free accessed his wih his left hand.
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>>Apochraphyl or not, it makes sense.
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>What I read is that wealthy women (unlike wealthy men) were not expected to have to dress themselves, and it was easier for the 'ladies maids' to fasten the clothes on a woman if the buttons were reversed.


I read the same thing in many books.