The Rule of the Road - by Peter Kincaid (Hardcover)

About the Book

The rule of the road--the simple requirement that traffic keep either to the left or to the right--has a history long antedating the appearance of the automobile. This volume, the first book-length treatment of the subject, discusses the origins and history of the rule of the road and provides complete information on current practice throughout the world. A well-written account of a universal arrangement that has largely gone unnoticed by scholars, this book fills a gap in scholarship on the history of transportation.

Book Synopsis

The rule of the road--the simple requirement that traffic keep either to the left or to the right--has a history long antedating the appearance of the automobile. This volume, the first book-length treatment of the subject, discusses the origins and history of the rule of the road and provides complete information on current practice throughout the world. A well-written account of a universal arrangement that has largely gone unnoticed by scholars, this book fills a gap in scholarship on the history of transportation.

Review Quotes

?. . . this book has all the answers, brilliantly researched and beautifully presented, but as far as I'm personally concerned, Rules of the Road is one of the most interesting and revealing books on automobilia I have ever read. Keith Marvin?-Bulb Horn

?The Rule of the Road--the simple requirement that traffic keep either to the right or to the left--has a history long antedating the appearance of the automobile. The author provides the first book-length treatment of the subject by discussing the origins and history of the rule of the road and provides information on the current practices throughout the world. The author shows that the choice of right or left has been dependent upon the dominant form of transportation in a society and also upon influences ranging from colonialism, geography, and military and economic circumstances to papal decrees and customs handed down from the ancient world. The effects of the rule on pedestrian traffic, traffic at intersections, the relative advantage of each choice and the possibility of imposing a uniform rule are considered by the book. Events and developments that have led to changes from one rule to the other are explored in the context of each country's history. This book is a must for all those history buffs who just want to know how and why we are where we are today.?-Defense Transportation Journal

." . . this book has all the answers, brilliantly researched and beautifully presented, but as far as I'm personally concerned, Rules of the Road is one of the most interesting and revealing books on automobilia I have ever read. Keith Marvin"-Bulb Horn

"The Rule of the Road--the simple requirement that traffic keep either to the right or to the left--has a history long antedating the appearance of the automobile. The author provides the first book-length treatment of the subject by discussing the origins and history of the rule of the road and provides information on the current practices throughout the world. The author shows that the choice of right or left has been dependent upon the dominant form of transportation in a society and also upon influences ranging from colonialism, geography, and military and economic circumstances to papal decrees and customs handed down from the ancient world. The effects of the rule on pedestrian traffic, traffic at intersections, the relative advantage of each choice and the possibility of imposing a uniform rule are considered by the book. Events and developments that have led to changes from one rule to the other are explored in the context of each country's history. This book is a must for all those history buffs who just want to know how and why we are where we are today."-Defense Transportation Journal