It may seem a bit daft to the rest of the world (and America particularly) for Britons to drive on the left side of the road. Why can’t they be like the rest of the world (except Australia among others) that drives on the right? Looking at a quick map of countries with left vs. right side traffic, the United Kingdom is in a minority that also includes the aforementioned Australia, India, South Africa, and Japan, amongst others.

Historically, it was once prominent to drive on the left side in most of the civilised world, thanks mostly to the Roman Empire. In Swindon, England, archaeologists found a well-preserved track leading to an ancient Roman quarry. Taking a look at the grooves in the road, they noticed the ones on the left side leading away had deeper grooves than on the right. This evidence was consistent with the idea that Romans drove on the left as heavier carts leading away would have made deeper grooves.

By medieval times, driving on the left had a lot to do with knights. Since most people were right-handed, knights held their swords in their right hands and jousting nights held their lances under their right arms. As such, on the road, knights walked on the left to ensure their sword arm was between them and a stranger, while passing on the right when on horseback. By the 18th Century, driving on the left became the law with driving on the left becoming required on London Bridge by order of the Lord Mayor of London. The General Highways Act of 1773 then recommended driving on the left for the whole of the UK, and later the Highway Act 1835 made it compulsory.

As the ¾ of the world changed over to the right side (mostly due to colonisation by mainland European nations which drove on the right) and the purchase of American cars with their steering on the left, Britain remained firmly entrenched in the old way of doing things. Switching over to the right was considered briefly in the 1960s, but that idea was rejected as being unsafe and too costly.

When driving in the UK, there are a few things to keep in mind. It’s rather easy to remember that you’re supposed to be on the left side of the road, but the tricky bit is that everything else is also oriented to left-hand drive, from the gear shift to the highway entrances and exits. Take a careful note of what’s around you, and if a bit confused, watch what other drivers do. Oftentimes, roads may have a dotted line to help you with turning at an intersection and keep you in the proper lane.

However, 4-way stop intersections are not the norm in the UK, and if you’re an American driver, you may have trouble navigating the dreaded roundabout. Roundabouts are basically intersections where you don’t stop, designed to keep traffic flowing. Called “traffic circles” most in this country are single lane so people don’t get confused. Even when I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina and they attempted to install a two-land roundabout, they eventually turned it into a single lane due to multiple accidents.

Fortunately, each roundabout typically comes with a green sign that has white lettering and a diagram of the roundabout to help travelers figure it out. Make sure you figure out what exit you need *before* entering the roundabout. Once you do enter, count the number of exits to your exit. For example, if your exist is number three, count “one…two…three” then exit. Further, keep in mind that, on the highways (or dual-carriageways as they’re also known), you’ll be passing on the right, not the left. Just think about it as being similar to America, you pass on the inside lane and slower traffic keeps to the outside lane.

If you need further help with driving in England, there are a number of helpful sources (some used in this article) that can help you navigate the roads safely.