And now it's time for Who's Smart It.
So, how'd I do? Parallel parking.
Good. Three -point turn.
Excellent. Staying in your lane.
Hmm. You do have a tendency to slide to the left, but...
But I should be able to pass my road test tomorrow, right?
Yes. Just make sure you stay on your side of the road.
You hear that, smarty pants?
I'm going to ace my driving road test.
Pass. I don't know about ace.
Right. Anyway, I wouldn't be able to do it without my driving instructor, Dottie.
She's only the best driving instructor ever.
Aw, thanks, trustee.
But I am curious. You passed your driving test when you were 17.
You already have a driver's license, and you have been driving a car for years.
Why do you want to take your driving test again?
You know, I just want to see if I still got it.
Okay. Well, you're a good driver.
Just remember to stay in your lane.
Right. I will. But, um, speaking of lanes, that got me thinking.
Why do people in America drive on the right side of the road?
And why do people in other places like England, where you're from, drive on the left side of the road?
And who decided all this stuff anyway?
Great questions, Trusty.
Shall we take a drive and talk about it?
Absolutely. Buckle up, smarty pants.
It's time for another whiff of science and history on...
Who's smarted? Who's smarted?
Who's smart? Is it you?
Is it me? Is it science or history?
Listen up, everyone.
We make smarting lots of fun on Who's Smarted.
Hey, smarty parents.
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Whoa, that guy's going a bit fast, don't you think?
Just worry about your driving, trusty, and stay in your lane.
We drive on the right side of the road.
You keep inching towards the left.
Right. No, the left.
You want to be on the right.
No, I meant you were right.
No, you need to be right.
Right. Right! Smarty pants, true or false?
More countries drive on the right side of the road than the left side of the road.
The answer is true.
163 countries and territories drive on the right -hand side of the road, while 76 countries and you drive on the left -hand side.
I'm moving over, I'm moving over.
So why do most countries and territories, including the USA, drive on the right, while some places drive on the left?
Well, first of all, the terms for this are left -hand traffic and right -hand traffic, or LHT and RHT.
And the answer may come from ancient Rome.
Back then, it's believed they drove on the left side of the road.
Of course, they didn't have cars in ancient Rome, so perhaps drove isn't the right word.
They rode. What did they rode?
Uh, ride. What do you think?
Hmm, smarty pants. What do you think?
Did the ancient Romans ride horses, donkeys, or carts and chariots pulled by horses and donkeys?
Well, the answer is all three.
The reason we think they rode on the left side was so they could have their right hand free to hold a sword or other weapon.
You know, in case they needed to attack someone approaching on the other side of the road.
Yikes, ancient Rome was scary.
It certainly wasn't for the faint -hearted, and since most people are right -handed, being on the left side and having a right -hand free made the most sense.
Well, no swords for me.
Sorry. Of course, before cars, it was pretty common for there not to be even a left or right side of the road.
You just rode your horse wherever you wanted, even the middle.
Really? The middle?
Yes. Kind of like what you're doing now, trusty.
Get right, trusty. Sorry, sorry.
But wait, how can you just ride your horse in the middle of the road?
What if someone was coming the other way?
Wouldn't you crash?
Another excellent question.
Luckily, crashing wasn't too much of a risk.
When it's just a few people on horses, you can just go around each other.
Good day. The reason people eventually had to pick a side was...
What, smartypants? What caused the need to pick a side of the road?
Here's a hint. Did you say traffic?
That's right. Once the roads became congested with lots of traffic, especially with cars, people needed to pick a lane.
That goes for you too, trustee.
Okay. So, in ancient Rome, people likely rode on the left, so they could keep their dominant right hand free to wield a weapon.
And then, through much of history, people rode horses where they felt like because they had the space to do so But when did we decide on left versus right?
Well, one of the earliest records is from England in 1669 It was someone's job to stand at the end of London Bridge and make sure people crossing the bridge on a horse and carriage did so on the right side of the road And by the right side, I mean the left side because it's England.
So in 17th century London, there was finally enough traffic to worry about which side of the road to be on?
Exactly. In fact, the 17th century is when the London taxi was first introduced, which by then was a horse -drawn carriage.
The hackney carriage we still know today as the famous black taxi.
It would take another 87 years before the London Bridge Act of 1756 Made it official You had to drive on the left side of the road Now we're talking No more riding down the middle of the road Including me Sorry Anyway, England wasn't the only place That made driving on the left side the law In 18th
century Ireland If you didn't drive on the left You had to pay a fine I'm guessing it took some getting used to Yes I wish you would get used to it Trusty So, wait, if England and Ireland drove on the left so early on, why does most of continental Europe drive on the right?
To answer that question, let's travel to France Where they drove on the right?
No, where it was total chaos Until 1921, people in France just did what they wanted Wow, that sounds dangerous But why?
One belief is that Napoleon changed France from left -hand traffic to right -hand traffic after the French Revolution ended in 1794.
Another theory is that because Napoleon was left -handed, he preferred to be on the right side of the road.
Neither of these claims are verified.
Fortunately, in 1921, driving on the right side became law in France.
Why did it take so long?
Didn't they already have cars by 1921?
They did. But in 1858, there were only 350 cars in all of France.
In 1910, there were 53 ,000.
And by 1920, there were 330 ,000 cars in France.
So you see why they had to make a rule.
Makes sense. But what determines whether a country decides to drive on the left or right hand side?
Well, often it was political.
For example, Finland switched from left to right in 1858 because they were ruled by Russia, and Russia preferred right.
Other times it was practical.
For example, all the countries that border yours drive on the right and you drive on the left.
It becomes a little tricky when someone drives across the border.
So Portugal switched to the right side in 1928.
China switched to the right in 1946.
And Sweden didn't switch to the right until 1967.
Those are just a few examples.
I see. But wait, you just said switched to.
As in, they drove on one side of the road and then suddenly they decided to drive on the other side?
That's right. In fact, in 1919, 104 countries, or territories, drove on the left and 104 drove on the right.
Eventually, 34 lefties switched to the right.
But how? What if you forget that tomorrow is the day to switch from left to right?
Wouldn't there be like a bajillion car accidents on switcheroo day?
Well, it does take some planning, and by that, I mean a lot.
Sweden is a great example of how to pull it off.
A massive switcheroo, as you called it.
Cool, and we'll hear all about it right after this quick break and a word from our sponsors.
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What sets it apart is how it adapts to each child's needs.
His daughter loves the positive feedback and fun challenges.
And the best part? iExcel's research -backed approach has made a world of difference in her confidence and her grades.
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Now back to who's smarted.
OK, smarty pants. True or false?
In 1967, Sweden was the only country in continental Europe that still drove on the left.
The answer is true.
It's also one of the main reasons the switch happened.
Sweden shares its borders with Finland and Norway, and Denmark is just across the channel.
These countries have strong ties with each other, and their citizens drive in and out of each other's countries every single day.
So Sweden was creating a bit of a problem by being the only one of its neighbors to drive on the left.
Another reason, and this is a little not so, is that even though Sweden drove on the left, 90 % of their cars had steering wheels that were also on the left.
Uh, shouldn't it be the opposite?
Like, in England, they drive on the left, but the steering wheel is on the right.
And in America, we drive on the right side, But the steering wheel is on the left.
Exactly. That's how it should be.
It's much easier this way.
Which is also why Sweden had to switch.
So, the switch was a carefully orchestrated four -year plan that began in 1963.
Change of a day would be September 3rd, 1967.
Signs were posted all over the country, pamphlets were handed out to educate people on the upcoming change, and even psychiatrists were consulted on how it should be done.
Well played, Sweden.
Of course. Buses had to be redesigned to switch their doors to the opposite side and pretty much every bus stop and traffic light in the country had to be moved.
So, what happened on the big day?
To ensure a smooth transition, any non -essential cars were banned from the roads from 1am to 6am.
Only essential vehicles, like the police and ambulances, were allowed.
Then at 4 .50am any vehicle on the road had to come to a complete stop and slowly move to the right side.
And? It worked. All the new traffic lights were unveiled and over a hundred thousand people across the country volunteered to direct traffic and help pedestrians.
Very cool. Smarty pants, true or false?
There are some parts of the world where there is a border crossing where you have to switch from LHT to RHT.
The answer, surprisingly, is true.
Whoa. In South America, Guyana, which drives on the left, shares a border with Brazil, which drives on the right.
And in Asia, Thailand drives on the left, but three of its border countries drives on the right, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
and all they need to make the switch is a simple traffic light and very careful drivers.
Like me! Between Macau and China, there is an elaborate, especially designed switch over road for getting people who drive in from Macau on the left to do a big loop -de -loop which spits them out on the China side on the right.
Okay, like we said earlier, 163 countries and territories drive on the right, and 76 drive on the left.
But why does anyone still drive on the left?
Almost all the ones that use left -hand traffic do so for one of two reasons.
Number one, many used to be part of the British Empire, such as India, Jamaica, and Australia.
So when these places were colonized, the British brought left -hand traffic with them.
And the other reason?
Well, I'll name a few countries that drive on the left and you tell me if you can figure out what they all have in common.
Ooh, you can play too, Smarty Pants.
Okay, here we go. Cyprus, Japan, Malta and Indonesia.
Hmm, Cyprus, Japan, Malta, Indonesia.
Cyprus, Japan, Malta, Indonesia.
Smarty Pants, any ideas?
What's that? Did someone say they're all islands?
Excellent job, trusty.
And clever smarties.
Many island nations drive on the left because they never had the pressure from border countries to make the switch.
Ah, because they have no border countries.
They're islands. Bingo!
Well, this was super interesting, Dottie, but I have a confession.
I'm not actually taking my road test again tomorrow.
I already have my license.
I just wanted to drive around with you and learn why we drive on the right, or left, side of the road.
Oh, that's very sweet, trustee.
But now I do need to get home.
You got it. Make a left here?
Right. No, I meant you were right about making a left.
Trustee. Sorry. A big shout out to Sammy and Tommy.
Smarting with us in London, UK, where they drive on the left.
We're so glad you love listening to Who Smarted.
And thanks for suggesting Alcatraz as a topic for an interesting future episode.
Keep up the good smarting, smarty pants.
This episode, Driving, was written by Phil, my tank Jeremy, and voiced by Emma, wrong side Wilson, and Jerry Colber.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Highway to Han.
Whosmarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios.
Our associate producer is Max, give me the keys, Kamasky.
The theme song is by Brian, Slow Down, Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam, Break Shex, Davis.
Whosmarted was created and produced by Adam, Tex Davis, and Jerry Kolber.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
Who's Smarted?
