April 1: Why and how were the changes made to driving on the left and right?

Just before we enter the era of the autonomous car, it is worth learning a little about the history. The story of the exchange in Sweden in 1967

April 1st and as in any hoax most of the things written in it are true, the absurd figure is of course the gradual replacement in Sweden. It's a joke customer who tell how they will do the exchange in the UK if they decide on it.

The exchange in Sweden won About on the Hebrew Wikipedia, the H-day.

Following trips to several countries where driving on the left side of the road, I asked myself why in the first place they started driving on one side and not the other and why in some countries they made a conversion from left to right and in some not. I researched the issue and the result before you.
In most countries of the world, people drive on the right. A number of countries or territories have converted the side from left to right to achieve compatibility with most of the world. The most famous and successful conversion was held in Sweden in 1967! A lot of thought and planning went into the conversion process. Before the start of the transition, a comprehensive and long information campaign was conducted which emphasized the involvement of the public.

To ease the transition and relying on mathematical models, it was decided on a gradual process in which the driver population could more easily adapt to the change, in terms of walking (in this case driving) from light to heavy. In the first two weeks, the change only applies to two- and three-wheeled vehicles. Two weeks later, private cars joined the change. Two more weeks later, the change of direction was applied to commercial and other vehicles up to 4 tons and the last to join were the trucks and other heavy vehicles.
It should be noted that the drivers were alert and careful and the evidence - during the transition period and also some time after it, the rate of traffic accidents decreased. However, it gradually returned to the average level measured before changing the driving side.
Countries such as Great Britain, Australia and Japan decided to stick with driving on the left because they are islands. In countries such as India and South Africa, people continue to drive on the left because they are sort of islands, since there is almost no land transportation between them and their neighbors. It must be remembered that changing the driving side has a considerable price, because it causes the cars to be changed from those that have a steering wheel on the right side, to those with a steering wheel on the left side.
By the way, in our country, during the British mandate and also in the first years of the country, cars with a steering wheel on the right side rolled on the roads of the country, like in Britain. There were indeed garages that offered to replace the steering wheel, but the financial expense involved left many cars with right-hand drive on the road. In these cars, a kind of sign that shows a palm with a diagonal deletion line will be painted on the back side. Why? - because back then there were no electric turn signals (winkers) and the turn signal was done with the driver's left hand, which would take it out the window. The purpose of the "sign" was to signal to the driver behind and ask him to watch for turn signals. The driver in front of him cannot put his hand out of the left window - because he is sitting on the right side.

It reminds of another "sign" from that time, which was painted on the back of some cars. It was a drawing of a trumpet/horn that also had a diagonal cancellation line on it. It existed in cars whose driver was deaf - he told the driver behind that there was no point in honking at the driver in front because he couldn't hear anyway. I wonder if there were cars with both traffic signs - a car with a right-hand drive driven by a deaf driver.

But how was the "standard" created for driving?
The driving side was determined back in the era of carriages and horses. Driving on the left was accepted in a place and time when the road users were horse riders. The weapon hanging on the right side and the right hand holding it were ready to fight a hostile party, if he came riding opposite.
Driving on the right was acceptable in a place and at a time when the road users were driving wagons, carriages and omnibuses that were drawn by several horses. The drivers sat on the left side, or on the left rear horse, so that they could control with the whip held in the right hand, all the horses. Since the drivers sat on the left side, the traffic proceeded on the right side so that the drivers would be close to the following carts in front and thus could avoid collision or friction.
Although most of the world drives on the right side, and therefore usually turn the side of travel from left to right, there have been cases where they have turned the side they are driving on, from the right to driving on the left. These are islands where most of the neighboring islands have remained with driving on the left side. Their neighbors who drove on the right side, joined the practice of their surroundings, this to facilitate the movement and trade of cars between the islands.