It is often asked why we drive on the left whereas in most other countries of the world driving on the right is de-rigueur.

The reason goes back to the days of coaching.

Most coachmen were right handed so that the whip was always held to their right. Since, on British vehicles, the whip-holder was mounted on the vehicle it was logical for the coachman to sit on the right hand side.

In Britain a coachman, therefore, sat at a central (or right-hand) driving position. It was also the rule that vehicles would hold the centre of the, often, appalling roads and would make room to the left for an approaching vehicle. This allowed both coachmen to ensure that the vehicles passed (on their right hand sides) without touching.

On the continent it was different. Here the rule was that coaches were driven by postillions. Postillions, mostly being right handed, sat on the left-hand horse so that they could control the second horse in the pair to their right. (Coaches pulled by four-horse teams would have two postillions).

It was logical, therefore, that for control reasons British coachman, who sat on the right of the coach, drove to the centre of the road, giving way to oncoming vehicles to their right. The postillion, on the other hand, riding the left-hand horse, also driving to the centre of the road, gave way to oncoming vehicles to his left.

The postillion was seldom seen in this country, except for private open carriages (usually Victorias or Park Landaus). Coachmen invariably drove coaches, closed carriages and hackney vehicles. The tradition of left and right-hand road use, therefore, has remained to this day.

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