Left- and right-hand traffic

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/left-and-right-hand-traffic

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the historical traffic handedness shifts?Between 1919 and 1986, 34 territories transitioned from LHT to RHT
2. Why do some countries drive on the left side of the road?Knights who used their right hand wanted to keep to the left so they could use their sword against oncoming opponents. The British Empire spread this practice to many of its colonies.
3. Why do most countries drive on the right side of the road?Many countries chose right-hand traffic to match neighboring states and make trade easier. Today, 165 countries use right-hand traffic.

Left-hand traffic (LHT): The practice of driving on the left side of the road.
Right-hand traffic (RHT): The practice of driving on the right side of the road.
Dagen H: The Swedish name for the day (September 3, 1967) when the country switched to RHT.
Starboard: The right-hand side of a vessel or aircraft, facing forward.