The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1904-07-16
KEEPING TO THE RIGHT.
THEORY As TO THE REASON
DRIVERS DO so IN AMERICA.
English Custom the Reverse-BOth
Methods are Supposed to Have Been
Adopted for Reasons Of Defense.

Methods are Supposed to Have Been
Adopted for Reasons of Defense.
"on bridge up in the city of victo-
ria, B. c." announced a gentleman
driver" who had handled the reins in
the good old days when Commodore
Vanderbilt and his speedy roadsters
were familiar figures upon the smooth
pixies of southern New York, ''there are
more collisions every day than upon
any other bridge in the world
Railroad collisions, do you mean?"
kueried youngster who had just left
his smart-looking runabout at the sta
bles and Joined the small group on the
club piazza which was absorbing horse
lore from the veteran. sz-..-.- .-....
mo, sir. don't mean railroad COLI
sions. mean head-on collisions be-
tween vehicles. and also face-to-face
collisions between spedestrians And
the reason for them all is that the
bridge is the spot where the American
rule of the road clashes with the Eng
fish rule of the road. We always keep
TO the right and the Canadians always
keep to the left. and the result is one
continued mix-up.
did you ever stop to consider how
strange it is that in custom of this
kind which is so important and so Of
ten used the American colonies should
work out rule Numerically opposed
to the mother country? Why is it that
in England people on the road always
keep to the left, while in the United
States they always keep to the right?"
Nobody ventured to reply.
well, why is it, continued the
speaker, that we now call the horse
that is nearest to us the off horse, and
the horse that is farthest away from
| us the nigh horse?'
The young man of the runabout MUIR
Injured a few indistinct words about
COX teams.
Right you are!' exclaimed the vete-
Iran, and I'm glad to see that your
mind runs upon something else than
railroads, and automobiles, and other
modern denominations. The humble
and almost obsolete OK is responsible
for all those collisions up in Victoria.
In England way back before they
lever had carriages or vehicles Of any
kind, when armored knights on horse
black used to be about the only people
THAT one met on the roads, the custom
Iof keeping to the left sprang up, and
lmost reasonable 1t was. Because in
tthose days the knights were always
Hooking for trouble and they never
knew who was going to hand them a
blow from a broadsword. So they al
ways took care to pass other travellers
with their sword arm toward them,
iself-defence. This naturally meant
THAT they should bunch over to the left
ledge of the road and present their
EARNED right hand to the passer-by.'
i Isn't that a pretty fanciful explana
ition?' asked one of the circle, who was
holder than his companions.
Yes, / think it is, and / only give it
Ito you for what it is worth. But it's
funny that reasoning in the same way
Iyou can explain why Americans keep to
1.-THE right. Because in Colonial days
Il the peril on the road did not come from
travellers, but from the savages lying in
III Lie lOI66lSs
Therefore, the New England settler
took care to present his right arm to
the source of possible danger,and con-
Isequently rode on the right side Of the
Iroad. His reasons We're unconsciously
the same as those of the knight of
King Arthur, but by acting upon them
The created an entirely different custom.
But don't think it was the knight
Tor the Colonial horseback rider that
Originated either of the national rules
Iof the road. 1t was the carter and the
Iox driver. The carter was the person
IWho made the greatest use of the Eng
llish highways and byways as soon as
the country developed enough to need a
Transportation system. Long caravans
lof heavy drays passed over the roads,
each driven by a man who road upon
1.-THE left-hand horse. The left-hand an
final was originally picked out, / sup
Ipose, because horse is mounted on
1.-THE left side and because position on
THE left horse of the pair brought the
fright arm into the center of the field of
faction and permitted free exercise of
i the whip.
II Belng mounted on the LETT hand
horse the carter naturally drew over to
1.-THE left-hand side of the road when he
wished to dismount, in order to avoid
the mud in the middle of the road, into
(which he would plunge if he pulled
lover to the right side and then got
IdoWn to terra firma. And having dis
mounted on the left side he would nat
Iurally trudge along that edge of the
Iroad with his team, and other teams
similarly situated would as matter of
course keep to the left to avoid crisis
lcrossing
i TN the American colonies ov carts
Iwere the first and only vehicles used.
1.-THE slow-moving draft animals were
mot controlled by reirs, a whip or goad
being the only instrument for guidance.
To WELD this effectively over both the
broad backs Of the team the right hand
Twas required, and to give it full play
1.-THE driver sat on the left-hand side of
1.-THE drivers seat. This at once led him
Ito turn to the right to pass another
Iteam, because in this way he was able
Ito best judge of the distances between
1.-THE two wagons and also to pass the
time of day with the other traveller.