• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Firsts / Who Made the First Traffic Laws?

Who Made the First Traffic Laws?

March 12, 2020 by Karen Hill

Laws regulating the direction of traffic began hundreds of years before the automobile was even invented.

England was the first country to establish any kind of law regarding its roads. In 1555, a law was passed requiring people to keep the roads in front of their property repaired at their own expense.

Because of this unpopular law, the people made the roads very narrow, creating problems for horseback riders and carriages. Some people favored the ancient Roman traffic pattern of traveling on the right, while others preferred the pattern used by knights, on the left.

Then in 1756, Parliament passed a law for traffic on London Bridge, requiring all traffic to keep to the left. It wasn’t until 1835 that this law for left-handed traffic was expanded to include the whole country.

In France in the 17th century, King Louis XIV realized that the streets of Paris were too narrow for two carriages to pass each other at the same time, so he ordered that the carriage belonging to the less important man back up and let the other pass. This, of course, led to many arguments in the streets. Men stood outside their carriages shouting their complete family histories to prove they were more important.

The first traffic law in North America was enacted in 1787. It stated that carriages, wagons, or sleighs heading north had to back up or turn aside to let those heading south have the right of way.

Related Facts

  • How does the traffic control department time stoplights to keep traffic moving efficiently?
  • Which Came First, the Traffic Light or the Automobile?
  • When Was The First Traffic Light Invented?
  • When was the first traffic light installed and where?
  • What was the Longest Traffic Jam Ever?
  • How much faster does city traffic move now compared to horse-and buggy days?

Filed Under: Firsts

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Why Do Cars Drive on the Right Side of the Road?
Next Post: How Did a Ship’s Speed Come To Be Measured in Knots? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy