- Aug 7, 2003
- 8,026
That's certainly the explanation I was given as a child. People automatically walked/rode on the left so that your right hand was free to draw your sword. Apparently it started in towns (so that your sword hand wasn't stuck against the wall of an alley or narrow street if you were jumped) and the convention carried on to open roads.
I was also told that it was after the French Revolution that travelling on the right was introduced as they wanted a complete break with the past.
I was told, as a child, that Napoleon changed from left to right as he was left handed - probably rubbish.