(WHTM) – Driving is common in the United States, with over 228 million people on the road in 2019. But have you ever thought about why in the United States we drive on the right side of the road and not the left?

Accordingly According to National Geographic, around 75% of the world’s population also drives on the right side of the road, with most of the United Kingdom and its colonies driving on the left side of the road. So why can’t there be a unified system when it comes to driving?

According to National Geographic, it was a cultural custom to drive a certain way on a road. It also had to do with the fact that most people were dominated by the right hand.

In ancient Rome, Romans drove their chariots with their dominant hand, which was usually the right hand. This would allow them to whip the horse with the less dominant left hand.

This was done to reduce the risk of accidentally hitting a passing chariot. But when the driver had to fight from the chariot, the right, more dominant hand was ready to fight. Therefore they would drive on the left side of the road to explain this.

In later centuries, Henry Ford designed his Model T with the driver on the left side. This decision itself meant that cars would drive on the right side of the road, allowing passengers in both the front and back seats to get in and out of the car when it went up to the curb. This led to many other countries such as Canada and Italy switching to right-hand traffic in the 1920s.

National Geographic cities believe there may be a stubborn reason why about 50 countries still drive on the left. It could also be urban design. London, for example, was designed to allow left-hand traffic, so switching to right-hand traffic would not be easy to accomplish. The fact that there are more and more cars on the roads is also hindering change.