For all of you backassward non americans

[bigperm]

I hope I didn't offend anyone with that thread title. I was just wondering...

Here in the states, we drive on the right side of the road, and most of the rest of the world drives on the left side of the road.

Here in the states, it's courtesty, and most common to walk on the right side of hallways/sidewalks/whatever. Do people in other parts of the world walk on the left side?

[trenzterra]

We walk either side.

We drive on the left


The steering wheel is on the right.

[Blank Verse]

Anyone in Canada who drives on the left side of the road probably hasn't passed their drivers test.

and that whole courtesy thing holds true here too, except some people are just ----s about it. probably like that there, though, too.

[Mandrake]

Originally posted by bigperm
I hope I didn't offend anyone with that thread title. I was just wondering...

Here in the states, we drive on the right side of the road, and most of the rest of the world drives on the left side of the road.

Here in the states, it's courtesty, and most common to walk on the right side of hallways/sidewalks/whatever. Do people in other parts of the world walk on the left side?


Where in the US are you? Here in Arizona, people pretty much walk on whichever side they want. Always have...

[Jan]

Drive on the left side here, (steering wheel on the right) walk anywhere. Common courtesy to walk on the left side of stairs etc, but most people don't seem to know that though :confused2

[aphel aura]

Originally posted by Jan
Drive on the left side here, (steering wheel on the right) walk anywhere. Common courtesy to walk on the left side of stairs etc, but most people don't seem to know that though :confused2

Here, we also drives at the left, but I didn't know I have to walk on the left at the staircase to be polite!! As long as people doesn't obstruct me in any stairways, they can be considered polite in my standard:)

[Blank Verse]

I know this is :topic:. but shouldn't it be assbackwards?

[rob.]

Here in Sweden we drive on the right :D side, and the steering wheel is on the left, in the car. There are no such "walking" principles but mostly we "meet" the car - so we prefer walking on the left side of the road.

[bigperm]

Originally posted by Blank Verse
I know this is :topic:. but shouldn't it be assbackwards? Backasswards is more assbackwards.

[Haze]

I had to fully get used to walking on the left in this country ( Australia ). It was easy enough driving on the left.. I just hate the stupid freaking roundabouts... whoever thought those things up must have been on crack.

[conkermaniac]

China, everything is done on the right, walking, driving, and *gasp* bicycling...but then again, the drivers/bikers here are so pathetic that it's not unusual to see people on the wrong side. And 900 bicyclers get killed by car collisions every year in Shanghai, BTW.

[cheatpark]

In England people drive on the left side of the road.

[anhedonia]

I always walk on the left side of stairs, hallways, e.t.c ... Unless I'm with a big group of friends and end up on the right side. But if I see someone coming the other way, I stop and fall in step behind my friends on the left side so the other person/people can get past.

[spork]

i thought most of the world drove on the right side, and that it was just the brits and aussies and a few others that felt the need to be different...

actually in sweden there are such "walking principles", its just that few people care about it...

[conkermaniac]

After growing up in America for 12 years, I just can't IMAGINE how people can get used to walking on the left side. I mean, since most of the world is right-handed, shouldn't we walk on the right side more?

[nitroboy]

in Belgium it's the same as in the States, we drive on the right side

[nitrogen_oxide]

In england you do everything on the left

[wm2k1]

In Vietnam, they don't enforce which side of the road you drive on that much. Mainly cause most of the roads, even paved one, doesn't have lanes marking on them. And there isn't that many cars around, just motocycles and bikes. Many vehicles going in opposite directions in the same lanes is very common.

[zoobie]

Originally posted by bigperm

Here in the states, we drive on the right side of the road, and most of the rest of the world drives on the left side of the road.



Umm...Most of the world drives on the right. Only a few countries drive on the left. Perhaps you should get out of Alabama a bit more often. :o

[spork]

Originally posted by conkermaniac
After growing up in America for 12 years, I just can't IMAGINE how people can get used to walking on the left side. I mean, since most of the world is right-handed, shouldn't we walk on the right side more?

em, do you use your right hand to steer when you walk or something? :confused:

[puggy106]

Who can write with both of their hands? I know what its called when u can.... but I can't spell it :classic2:

[zoobie]

That would be alabamadextrous. :o

[GregT]

Originally posted by puggy106
Who can write with both of their hands? I know what its called when u can.... but I can't spell it :classic2:

i can write with both of my hands, play hockey with both of my hands, and do lots of things with both hands, in michigan we drive on right side of the road, but on some roads up north there are no markers , so u get to decide :classic2: i ride my bike on whatever side of the road i want to, thats prolly why i get hurt so much :cry2:

[PyschoPath]

Originally posted by Blank Verse
Anyone in Canada who drives on the left side of the road probably hasn't passed their drivers test.

and that whole courtesy thing holds true here too, except some people are just ----s about it. probably like that there, though, too.

No..no..don't worry, America's passed the '----' ricter scale. Canadians are about..3.2, America..around 8.9, that's just New York City!

[Dusty]

Who can write with both of their hands? I know what its called when u can.... but I can't spell it Ambidextrous, and yes.

Usually the only countries that drive on the left are islands. They don't have any borders so there's no confusion with switching over. They also almost always have British ties. Most everywhere else drives on the right. Those that don't follow this rule are the freaks. ;)

As for walking on the right... courtesy, maybe, but no one ever does it. You walk wherever it's most convenient at the time. Same with cycling to the left against the traffic, hardly anyone does that.

As to Vietnam's problem, the roads here, except the Falls road, aren't marked either. We still can distinguish right from left.

[Mandrake]

Originally posted by Haze
I just hate the stupid freaking roundabouts... whoever thought those things up must have been on crack.


Eek! We're starting to get those here in the Phoenix area now. Mostly at minor intersections, but there are now two of them at a freeway interchange on the north edge of town. Not all that busy now, but the city is growing that way and I'd hate to see them in 10-20 years!
:eek:

[Canuckkev]

Those things (traffic circles) were designed with driving on the left in mind. When they get converted to the "normal" way of driving, they get all fuxored up.

[thewitt]

Are there any countries who drive on the left who were not British colonies?

-t

[GregT]

Originally posted by thewitt
Are there any countries who drive on the left who were not British colonies?

-t

Britian :p

[wm2k1]

Originally posted by thewitt
Are there any countries who drive on the left who were not British colonies?

-t
http://www.travel-library.com/general/driving/drive_which_side.html

[Dusty]

That didn't answer Thewitt, you've got to figure out which of the lefties were British and which weren't:

Anguilla - colonized by British, 1650
Antigua and Barbuda - independent state of the British Commonwealth
Australia - commonwealth of the British Empire, 1901
Bahamas - gained independence from Britain in 1973
Bangladesh - broke from Pakistan in 1971, which was broken from India in 1947, which was British
Barbados - colonized in 1627 by the British
Bermuda - settled in 1609 when Brits heading to Virginia shipwrecked
Bhutan - gained independence from formerly British India in 1949, then was partly annexed by Britain in 1865
Botswana - British protectorate until 1966 (The Country Formerly Known as Bechuanaland)
British Virgin Islands - duh
Brunei - British protectorate between 1888 and 1984
Cayman Islands - gained independence from Britain in 1962
Christmas Island - annexed by Britain in 1888, then given to Australia (also British) in 1958
Cocos (Keeling) Islands - annexed by Britain in 1857, then given to Australia (also British) in 1955
Cook Islands - became a British protectorate in 1888, then given to New Zealand (British colony until 1907) in 1900, the became independent with a free association to New Zealand in 1965
Cyprus - British until 1960
Dominica - last Caribbean island to fall to Europe, colonized by Britain in 1805.
East Timor - HERE'S ONE THAT ISN'T BRITISH!
Falkland Islands - claimed by Britain in 1592, garrisoned in 1833, lost to Argentina in 1982, reclaimed by Britain later that year
Fiji - gained independence from Britain in 1970
Grenada - gained independence from Britain in 1974
Guernsey - British dependency, remains of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy
Guyana - British colony until 1966
Hong Kong - seized by Britain in 1841, returned-with-conditions to China in 1997
India - British colony from the 1800's to 1947
Indonesia - HERE'S ANOTHER ONE THAT ISN'T BRITISH!
Ireland - gained independence from Britain in 1921
Isle of Man - British rule since 1765
Jamaica - independent state within the British Commonwealth since 1962
Japan - ANOTHER THAT ISN'T BRITISH!
Jersey - another bit of the old Dukedom of Normandy, British
Kenya - gained independence from Britain in 1963
Kiribati - gained independence from Britain and the US in 1979
Lesotho - gained independence from Britain in 1966
Macau - ANOTHER THAT ISN'T BRITISH!
Malawi - British protectorate until 1964
Malaysia - created in 1963, part of old British Singapore
Maldives - gained independence from Britain in 1968
Malta - British from 1814 'til 1964
Mauritius - held by Britain for a period of time before it gained independence in 1968
Montserrat - abandoned, but a territory of Britain
Mozambique - ANOTHER THAT ISN'T BRITISH!
Namibia - gained independence from South Africa in 1990, which gained independence from Britain in 1910
Nauru - gained independence from Australia, New Zealand, and Britain in 1968
Nepal - HERE'S ANOTHER, but from what I gather nearly all the roads are on the Indian border, which was British
New Zealand - British colony until 1907
Niue - split from Cook Islands in 1974, which were British
Norfolk Island - British prison camp from 1788 to 1855, abandoned, then resettled by Bounty mutineers in 1856. Now a territory of Australia
Pakistan - divided from India in 1947, which was British
Papua New Guinea - Half British since 1885, then given to Australia in 1902, then gained independence in 1975
Pitcairn Islands - British colony since 1838
Saint Helena - garrisoned by British in 1600's, now a colony of Britain
Saint Kitts and Nevis - colonized by British in 1623, Anguillia seceded in 1971, the rest gained independence in 1983
Saint Lucia - British colony from 1814 until 1979, though when I was there they seemed to drive all over the road
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - British colony since 1783, gained independence in 1979
Seychelles - British colony since 1814, gained independence in 1976
Singapore - British colony since 1819, joined Malaysia 1963, gained independence in 1965
Solomon Islands - British protectorate since 1890, gained independence in 1978
South Africa - gained independence from Britain in 1910
Sri Lanka - British colony since 1802, renamed Ceylon and independent in 1948, then changed to Sri Lanka in 1972
Suriname - ANOTHER THAT ISN'T BRITISH!
Swaziland - gained independence from Britain in 1968
Tanzania - Tanganyika gained independence from Britain in 1961, Zanzibar did the same in 1963, the two joined to become Tanzania in 1964
Thailand - THIS ONE ISN'T BRITISH! and it was never colonized by anyone, always independent
Tokelau - British protectorate since 1889, given to New Zealand in 1925
Tonga - The Friendly Islands were a British protectorate since 1900, Tonga gaining independence in 1970
Trinidad and Tobago - British until 1962
Turks and Caicos Islands - part of Jamaica (British) until 1962, when they became a British colony, they indented to become independent in 1982, but are currently still a British territory
Tuvalu - part of the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Ellice Island separated from Gilbert in 1974 becoming Tuvalu, which gained independence in 1978
Uganda - gained independence from Britain in 1962
United Kingdom - duh
Virgin Islands - once British, then divided between the British and the Danish, then the US bought the Dane's half in 1917
Zambia - gained independence from Britain in 1964
Zimbabwe - annexed by Britain in 1923, declared independence in 1965 but Britain didn't recognize it until 1979


So that leaves East Timor, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Mozambique, Nepal, Suriname, and Thailand. Those were never British and the ones that aren't islands are the freaks in which-side-of-the-road-to-drive-on-ness.