As some of you read, last week marked the 100-year anniversary of the United States buying the US Virgin Islands from the Danish. All of a sudden, the Virgin Island residents went from a Danish government to a US one. One of the differences is the side of the road each country drives on. Well the Americans said welcome to the USA! We drive on the right side of the road, to which everyone said ok and switched over.
You should remember that in 1917 the Model T had only been produced for nine years. There were not a whole lot of automobiles around. Don’t get me wrong, there were some, but most people rode donkeys everywhere. In fact, they would go to the tavern on a Friday night and drink a little more than needed, as people tend to do around the world. They would then hop on their donkeys to stagger home and often fall asleep at the reins. The donkey would instinctively move back to walking on the left side of the road, as they had been trained to do their whole life. Suddenly, a car would come around the corner and BAM! You have a donkey-car head on collusion.
It took a few of these incidents before the people decided it would be easier to tell the drivers to stay on the left side of the road then it would be to retrain the donkeys to walk on the right side. After that the rule was never changed. That is how the USVI became the only American soil where you drive on the left side of the road.
Of course, the moral of this story is that just like today’s government policies, 100 years ago they were dictated by an ass! HAHA
They drive in the right side in Denmark. Just like the rest of continental Europe, and have done so for centuries.
Congrats on living down here. St Thomas has some great stuff on it.
I also have no problem driving on the left side of the road, but some people really freak out. Haha
Shane
I lived on StThomas for 3 years Great fully I was already accustomed to driving on the left having done so in England, Scotland, Wales Ireland and other UK countries Personally I enjoyed the change