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   Message 137,290 of 137,311   
   Gary McGath to Keith F. Lynch   
   Re: Another nation trivia question   
   24 Jan 26 18:21:26   
   
   From: garym@mcgath.com   
      
   On 1/24/26 5:36 PM, Keith F. Lynch wrote:   
      
   > I'm skeptical.  How did Britain and the US end up driving on different   
   > sides if they started out driving on the same side?   
   >   
   > I expect that when traffic moved at a walking pace that there were no   
   > rules, and everyone went every which way, as pedestrians still do.   
      
   Long before cars, horse-drawn vehicles moved at a faster pace and   
   couldn't get out of each other's way as easily as pedestrians.   
      
   According to a CNN article, the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike   
   Road, opened in 1795, had a rule to stay to the right. The author   
   attributes that choice to the design of the Conestoga wagon, which has   
   the controls on the left side, encouraging the wagon driver to keep the   
   vehicle to the right so the driver would be in the middle of the road.   
   Personally, I'd rather be on the outside, where I'd be less likely to be   
   hit by a runaway wagon.   
      
   https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/02/business/why-americans-drive-on-t   
   e-right-and-the-british-on-the-left   
      
   --   
   Gary McGath    http://www.mcgath.com   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)   

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