Standardized steering wheel location?

[Guest bofusmosby]

I have noticed while looking at old photos, as well as old movies (early 1900s) that here in the US, some of the cars had the steering wheel located on the right side, and some on the left. When did they finally standardize the left hand side steering here in the US? Also, in places like England, was it standardized with the steering on the right hand side at about the same time?

I am sure that most know this info, but I have been wondering this for quite some time. (yeah, a newbee)

[Rusty_OToole]

Some cars like Stutz and Pierce Arrow kept the steering wheel on the right for a surprising long time. I believe the last RHD US car was 1921 or 22. Of course they were available for export to RHD countries after that.

-------------------------------------

Update. Did a quick Google search and it seems Pierce went to LHD in 1921 and Stutz in 1922. So I was not far wrong.

Edited February 20, 2011 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

There are still a few RHD cars on US roads, such as privately imported English cars and postal vans. So it must be legal to have RHD.

[Guest bofusmosby]

Yes, I believe that it is still legal to drive a RHD car here in the states, I was just wondering when all the manufacturers went to the LHD for cars here in the states. I guess it must have been a slow progress to get them standerized for the LHD here in the states. All this time, I was assuming that there was a particular year that they all switched, but I see that I was wrong.

[50jetback]

From advertising I've seen it appears most manufacturers made the change from the years 1913, 14,15 and 16.

My question is why?

As far as I know reason we have right hand drive cars in Australia is because that's what was used in the US and most of our early imported vehicles were American.

I have never heard the reason why American manufacturers decided to make the change.

Beside changing sides for the steering did you also change the side of the road you drive on?

Here we have right hand drive controls and drive on the left side of the road. In the US you have left hand drive controls and drive on the right side of the road. Was this always the case or were the early RHD cars using the left side of the road like we do?

I have attached 1913 Packard advertising announcing the change from right to left drive positions. One of the selling points is

Left Drive

Avoids the necessity of stepping into the street.

This would indicate that while Packard went to LHD they were expecting you to be driving on the right hand side of the road. True the driver wouldn't have to step into the street and could alight onto the footpath but the poor front passenger would have to step into the street!

So - in the early photos and film footage, what side of the road are these right hand drive cars travelling on?

[DavidAU]

I have always understood that Henry Ford decided early on in the T manufacturing that driving on the left side was the best way and apparently it some how suited his newly developed production line manufacturing system so thats how he made them.

The volume of cars he produced outstripped everyone else so they all fell in line with him and made their cars left hand drive.

David

1923 Metallurgique Torpedo

1931 Rolls Royce Phantom 2 Continental

1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe

1947 Mercury Coupe

[50jetback]

I have always understood that Henry Ford decided early on in the T manufacturing that driving on the left side was the best way and apparently it some how suited his newly developed production line manufacturing system so thats how he made them.

The volume of cars he produced outstripped everyone else so they all fell in line with him and made their cars left hand drive.

David

1923 Metallurgique Torpedo

1931 Rolls Royce Phantom 2 Continental

1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe

1947 Mercury Coupe

I think you're on the money David.

After your hint I had a look at The Illustrated History of Ford by George Dammann and it seems that all pre T model Fords were right hand drive but left hand drive was standard for all T models.

Amazing that one man could make such a dramatic change to the driving habits of an entire country just because it suited him!!

[Guest bofusmosby]

Stuart

One of the movies I enjoy watching (watched it many times) is the footage that was taken in SanFrancisco in 1906 just before the devistating earthquake and fire occured. I see that for the most part, the cars AND wagons traveled as we do today, but not all of them. Also, you see both the RHD, as well as the LHD cars. Now remember, this was 1906. The link to this was posted on this site a while back, but since we are on the subject, I'll post it again. It makes for an interesting view of the past.

San Francisco on Film: Days before the 1906 Quake - 60 Minutes - CBS News

I have also wondered if the way that cars are now (LHD cars on the right side of the road and RHD on the left side of the road), if this could have had anything to do with judging the "center-line" against the on-coming traffic.

[Curti]

This is a related question, before we had automobiles did all wagon drivers sit on the right side? If so, why?

I think wagon drivers for the most part sat in the middle directly behind the horse.

When did the laws change as to which side of the street to drive on?

[R Walling]

I believe that the reason drivers sit and drive on the left side comes from horse and oxen wagon.

The driver used a whip with his right hand over his rght sholder. and driving on the right prevented hitting an on comeing driver with his whip as the tip of the whip would extend over the side of thw wagon as he wound up over his sholder for a good stroke.

[Rusty_OToole]

Here is a theory I cooked up myself, take it for what it is worth.

When the first cars were built traffic was light outside of a few big cities, and roads were bad. The side of the roads not clearly marked. If the driver rode on the right side and drove on the right side he could judge better if he was too close to the edge. When 2 vehicles passed on a narrow road, both would slow down and pull over to the side as far as possible. Most of the time no other vehicles were in sight and you drove down the middle of the road. This is still the custom in rural areas.

This notion occurred to me after reading about the restoration of a 1917 car. The owner was surprised that the springs, shackles, bearings etc on the right side were beaten to death while the left side showed much less wear. An old timer pointed out that the old dirt roads and gravel roads were a lot rougher on the edges than in the middle.

[trimacar]

This is a much deeper topic than just left or right, when cars changed sides in the United States.

As mentioned, in the US, most cars were right hand drive, even if driving on the right side of road, up until the mid-teens. A couple of cars, including my favorite, Pierce, kept steering on the right until early 20's, with most going to left hand, and of course Model T had it from the first car.

Worldwide, it's still an ongoing issue. We might tend to think that we're "right", so to speak, but one-third of the world's population drives on the left side of the road, including Britain and Japan. On two trips to Japan last year, I never drove, but it was still disconcerting to be in a car making turns, it's just not linear with what I'm used to, and right hand turns from the left lane are particularly disorienting......

It's actually a fascinating discussion, see the link to read much more..

Right- and left-hand traffic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[John_Maine]

I remember reading something about this in one of my car magazines awhile ago. I just don't remember the "official" reason.

[Guest bofusmosby]

I'm glad I finally posted this question. It seems that I have opened up an entire discussion, including the theory of the RHD/LHD reasons. I had always assumed that the change-over took place over a 1 year period.

Do you believe that the judgment of the center line/on coming traffic had anything to do with it?

[huptoy]

In the 1970's I was reading a book on decisions based on politics. One of the items was the US driving on the right side and the British on the left. Their theory was after Revolution war or the war of 1812, the US switched from the left side to the right side as a protest and a desire to not be British. I don't remember any comments about the location of the tiller or steering wheel.

[Rusty_OToole]

I'm glad I finally posted this question. It seems that I have opened up an entire discussion, including the theory of the RHD/LHD reasons. I had always assumed that the change-over took place over a 1 year period.

Do you believe that the judgment of the center line/on coming traffic had anything to do with it?

As roads got better, speeds higher, and traffic thicker it made sense to change to LHD for the reason you state.

[50jetback]

As roads got better, speeds higher, and traffic thicker it made sense to change to LHD for the reason you state.

But wouldn't it have been easier just to drive on the other side of the road?

i.e. leave the cars RHD and instead of driving on the right like they apparently were, legislate to drive on the left - this would have solved the problem with oncoming traffic.

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

First is is legal to drive a right hand drive vehicle on any street or highway in the United States........think about all the postal vehicles that are right hand drive folks.

Second, regardless of what the Brits or Aussies choose to do, the majority of folks in this world are right handed and tend to operate manual controls better with their right hand than left hand. I'm sure all the lefties would be happier with right hand drive for the reason they would find operating the manual controls easier.

All you power boaters would know most boats are right hand or center drive. Reason? Who knows?

[50jetback]

First is is legal to drive a right hand drive vehicle on any street or highway in the United States........think about all the postal vehicles that are right hand drive folks.

Second, regardless of what the Brits or Aussies choose to do, the majority of folks in this world are right handed and tend to operate manual controls better with their right hand than left hand. I'm sure all the lefties would be happier with right hand drive for the reason they would find operating the manual controls easier.

All you power boaters would know most boats are right hand or center drive. Reason? Who knows?

Jim, yes you are right, it matters not what the Brits and Aussies choose to do but the thread started about when and why the US changed from RHD to LHD. In the beginning it seems we all had our steering wheels on the same side, the right!!

Now it seems that Henry may be the culprit, he was RHD until the T Ford eventuated around 1908 and for some reason he made them all LHD.

I accept some people may have trouble using their left hand to operate a gearshift ( although I haven't met any in this country! ) but of course it doesn't matter in a T Ford if you are left or right handed - not many controls to worry about for your hands and of course no gear stick at all.

I suspect there are a number of contributing factors in the change from RHD to LHD in the US 100 years ago but I tend to agree with a previous suggestion that it largely related to a commercial/manufacturing decision to accommodate Henry Fords assembly line.

It really seems to have been a decision made by car manufacturers, not legislators.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

I was told the right hand drive preference had its roots in jousting which is in line with wikipedia and it stands to reason that Napoleon would want to differ from England but I Question the Romans driving on the left,at least not in chariots.

In right hand drive countries racing is done counter clockwise,even on horse tracks while the LHD countries race clockwise. Think of the movie,"Gladiator" where they're riding around the Colisseum whipping the horses they would have to go CCW to see the action.

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

I would suggest the answer may well lie in the actions of the first city to institute some sort of traffic controls or how parking spaces were chosen to exist along curbs. Of course larger cities may have already determined the flow of traffic even when horses drawn wagons, carriages, and trolleys may have represented the majority of traffic.

If Ford was responsible, it more than likely had to do with efficiency on the assembly line, and how the steering components were designed. Or could it have been solely an accident of design so to speak?

Jim

[Guest 34ACD]

Initially the shift gate was outside of the body of the car on most pre-T vehicles. So with a right hand drive you shift with your right hand (in fact most people would probably have a hard time with those big shift gates using their left hand). The Model T, of course, uses foot pedals to shift so it could be driven from either the left or right with nothing more to do with your right hand than operate the throttle. I have no idea why Henry changed sides with the T though, and if it was for some manufacturing reason as mentioned, it is the first time I have heard that explanation. All of the "Alphabet" Fords that preceded the Model T, including the pedal-shifted "N' and "R" that were its immediate predecessors, had right hand drive. It is probably true as someone also mentioned, that the T became the standard that just about everyone else conformed to since more than 3 out of 4 cars sold in the USA were Models T's for a number of years. But another possible reason is that at about the same time as the Model T introduction in 1908, many other cars transitioned to a central shift lever mounted on a three speed transmission, so it would then be more convenient to sit on the left to still shift right-handed on those vehicles as well.

Another possible reason is that with left hand drive/right side travel lanes, a passenger (such as a woman) can enter and exit from the sidewalk without stepping into the muddy, unpaved roads of the time. On Model T's most don't even have a driver side door, so everyone gets out on the right side of the vehicle.

As a docent at the California Auto Museum this question comes up on at least half the tours I give when going through the brass era displays and visitors notice that many cars have steering wheels "on the wrong side". I suspect the truth is there probably is no single reason for the shift to left hand drive, but it is a fact that shortly after the Model T introduction, left hand drive became nearly universal so you have to give the "T" some of the credit.

[50jetback]

Initially the shift gate was outside of the body of the car on most pre-T vehicles. So with a right hand drive you shift with your right hand (in fact most people would probably have a hard time with those big shift gates using their left hand).

But another possible reason is that at about the same time as the Model T introduction in 1908, many other cars transitioned to a central shift lever mounted on a three speed transmission, so it would then be more convenient to sit on the left to still shift right-handed on those vehicles as well.

.

34ACD

This sounds possible/probable.

I dug out some other old advertising, this 1912 REO is supportive.

It does seem to indicate that while the steering on early cars in the US was RHD, vehicles were driving on the right hand or kerb side of the road ( not the left as we do )

Edited February 21, 2011 by 50jetback (see edit history)

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

A little research reveals the basic Right/Left issue goes back as far as the days of the Roman Empire.......No chariots didn't have steering wheels!

However the reasons for the necessity of controlling the direction of traffic flow has everything to do with why steering wheels are where they are and why they are different in the U.S.A. verses other parts of the world (actually only 28% of the world's countries).

To understand why the Brits and Aussies have right hand drive vehicles and drive on the left side of the road, one has to go back to 1773 and most specifically a Highway Act in 1835 which is still in effect and was applied to most if not all British Colonies, including Canada which elected to adopt the U.S.A.'s accepted traffic flow direction in 1923.

In the United States the steering wheel being on the left side of the vehicle was actually decided by horse drawn heavy load freight wagon teamsters who would ride the back of the last horse on the left side of the often four to eight horse teams used to pull wagons which had no seat (the movies are wrong). Who knows how that practice came to be, but it also influenced the direction of traffic flow as by adopting one side or another as a standard teamsters were able to insure when passing another wagon they had clearance. It could have gone to the other side, but I suspect given many of the early teamsters were Irish and they hated the British, left might have been chosen since right was the law of the land among the Brits.

Without looking at the design of early trucks in this country, I'm guessing the early truck makers honored the teamster tradition by most placing steering wheels on the left as opposed to the right. So antique truck guys with a lot of knowledge of pre WWI truck designs let us know. I'm pretty certain that most MACK trucks were so designed. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

A bit of trivia indicates that the State of Michigan was the first state to officially place a center stripe on hard surfaced paved roads in 1910. Detroit was the first city to have electric traffic control signals employing the railroads color system of Red, Yellow, and Green.

Jim

[Guest 34ACD]

You can see a nice collection of very early trucks at the Hays Truck Museum in Woodland CA.

Hays Antique Truck Museum, Woodland, CA pictures from trucks photos on webshots

They have two 1910 Packard Trucks—the 1 Ton model has LH drive, the 3 Ton model has RH drive, but like cars, most of the earliest trucks seemed to have the steering on the right. By WWI most seem to have gone to LH drive just like cars. The 1920 Mack has steering on the left.

Great little museum BTW.

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

You can see a nice collection of very early trucks at the Hays Truck Museum in Woodland CA.

Hays Antique Truck Museum, Woodland, CA pictures from trucks photos on webshots

They have two 1910 Packard Trucks—the 1 Ton model has LH drive, the 3 Ton model has RH drive, but like cars, most of the earliest trucks seemed to have the steering on the right. By WWI most seem to have gone to LH drive just like cars. The 1920 Mack has steering on the left.

Great little museum BTW.

Just for grins I E-Mailed Mack to hopefully find out when and why they went to left side steering wheels. Pictures of their very early vehicles seem to indicate drivers sitting on the right, not on the left.

Given the trivia I presented about the State of Michigan and road striping it would be obvious that was done to direct traffic flow and to keep the streets and roads from being a free for all so to speak. So, the real answer to the question would probably lie with the original Michigan law or practice in 1910. Whatever took place would have likely involved fixed stop signs at intersections and at that point the combination of fixed Stop signs and road striping would have virtually dictated the side of the vehicle the driver would be seated as visibility to determine if a slower car could be passed would be for all purposes seriously obstructed by the slower vehicle.

Jim

[Restorer32]

Many Fire Trucks were right hand drive even as late as 1928.

[trimacar]

There are actually two different discussions on this thread.

One, why do we drive on the right side of the road, and in the United States, that goes back to a Pennsylvania turnpike in "1792. In that year, Pennsylvania adopted legislation to establish a turnpike from Lancaster to Philadelphia. The charter legislation provided that travel would be on the right hand side of the turnpike. New York, in 1804, became the first State to prescribe right hand travel on all public highways. By the Civil War, right hand travel was followed in every State. Drivers tended to sit on the right so they could ensure their buggy, wagon, or other vehicle didn't run into a roadside ditch. " [from the Internet, DOT history]

The second question is when the switch to left hand drive in automobiles, and that has been pretty much answered. Ford seemed to lead the way with Model T steering wheel location, most other followed in the mid-teens, and a couple of "hold outs" (including Pierce) switched in the early 20's.

[Rusty_OToole]

The traffic problem is not a new one. In the Bible, it is described this way:

"And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?"

Jonah 4:10

Edited February 21, 2011 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[john2dameron]

It's true that originally some cars were RHD and some were LHD. Then Henry decided the T's would be LHD and as they say, "Majority rules." The Model T also predated the assembly line at Highland Park so that had nothing to do with it. By 1912-1914 almost everyone had switched to LHD. Pierce-Arrow was probably the last holdout, making the switch in 1921. Many fire trucks continued to be maniufactured with RHD into the '30's. Notably Seagrave built whichever the customer wanted as late as 1931-1932. The reason I have read time and again for RHD was it let the driver dismount onto the curb and not have to wade through a muddy street. I guess Henry decided the ladies should have that courtesy. Makes sense to me. Also paved streets were becoming more common.

[John_Maine]

One other theory I've heard was the US went with left hand drive because the British were right hand - one more break with the past.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

[quote=Jim_Edwards;

All you power boaters would know most boats are right hand or center drive. Reason? Who knows?

This is pretty obvious. You embark or disembark from the starboard side. The same goes for most trains and amusement rides. I suppose the opposite is true in the left-hand traffic countries but it occurred to me that in planes the pilot is on the left in a two seat,even in the British empire and Japan. this is probably due to the dominant right hand majority. In aircraft carrier landings the planes swoop around from the port astern to get a clear view,if they approached from the center the flight deck would be obscured. Anybody from Britain or Japan care to comment?

[dictator27]

One Canadian province drove on the left side of the road until 1922, that being British Columbia. There is a 1913 Model T in the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria which has RHD.

Terry

[ply33]

This is pretty obvious. You embark or disembark from the starboard side. ...

Originally it was steorbord, the side with the "steering board" before the rudder was put in the center. Since you did not want that to get crushed against the dock, the other side of the boat ("larboard" -- lading side, now port side) was tied to the dock.

[Richard Lichtfel]

France also drove on the LH side until the 2nd world war. I think George Patton had something to do with them switching.

[ply33]

France also drove on the LH side until the 2nd world war. I think George Patton had something to do with them switching.

I was under the impression that in France traffic was on the right and that Napoleon in his conquests converted most of Europe to that standard. Seems like that would pre-date WW2.

The legend/rumor/fable I've recall about all this is that in countries with a coaching tradition where the driver rode on the carriage (England) the driver was on the right so the whip, held in the right hand, could be used without interference from the carriage. In order for the driver to be on the side with passing traffic (to better control things) the carriage was kept on the left side of the road.

In countries with a postilon tradition, where the driver rode on one of the horses, the driver road one of the left hand horses so he could direct the whip to all the horses (assuming a right handed driver). Since the driver was on the left, the carriage was on the right side of the road.

It is my understanding that eastern states with a more direct connection to the coaching traditions of England, like Massachusetts, people drove on the left. While in the states where the bulk of the freight wagons were of the Conestoga type where the driver did not ride on the wagon, traffic kept to the right.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Newfoundland did not change until 1947 (but it did not join Canada for a few more years after that)

there's still an island off the coast of Canada that's part of France.

What country was Newfoundland formerly a part of? Denmark? How about Labrador and Greenland?

[Dave Mellor NJ]

In answer to my own question,Greenland is a part of Denmark. During WWII when the nazis took Denmark,Greenland and Iceland were pretty much taken over by Canada and US. Iceland declared independence in 1944 and Greenland returned to Denmark in 1953 althoughit is autonomous.

[Rusty_OToole]

Newfoundland is the island part of the Canadian Province that was formerly a Dominion "country" in the British Empire from around the turn of the century to 1949 when it joined Canada. Before that, it was a British colony. Labrador is the mainland part of the Province commonly called "Newfoundland". (I'll let one of our northern neighbors correct me if the proper name is "Newfoundland and Labrador")

France has DEFINITELY driven, by legal statue, on the Right Hand side of the road since Napoleonic times which was 150 years before WW2. Before the revolution, customs were a bit bizarre with some classes driving on the left and others on the right. (I think it the Upper class was left and lower on the right). I cannot imagine applying anything like that to modern traffic but somehow suspect that it is reflected in the location of the steering wheel on French cars from a certain era.

Newfoundland was an English colony from 1610 until 1949 when it joined the Dominion of Canada. The Dominion of Canada was formed in 1867 by the union of British provinces Ontario Quebec (then known as Upper Canada and Lower Canada) New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. So far as I know, Canada is the only country in the world to call itself a Dominion.

[oldcarfudd]

My Canadian friends tell me Canada is no longer called a dominion.

Gil Fitzhugh, Morristown, NJ