Is It Legal to Drive Right-Hand Drive (RHD) Vehicles In Indiana?

Right-hand cars, also referred to as right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles are common in several countries, especially in Europe and Asia - they are not so common in America, and even less common here in Indiana. Think about it. Have you ever seen a right-hand vehicle in person, on the road? If you have, it was most likely a mail delivery vehicle - otherwise, you've probably only seen them on TV or in movies. Not me, though. I recently saw a right-hand car (a Mercedez Benz) driving around the west side of Evansville. Seeing the driver on the "wrong" side of the car certainly caught my eye, and made me question if that kind of vehicle is legal in Indiana.

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Is It Legal to Drive an RHD Vehicle in Indiana?

According to everything I have found online, there are no laws in Indiana, or the rest of the country for that matter, prohibiting you from buying, owning, or operating a right-hand drive vehicle. Drivers of RHD vehicles must still obey all normal traffic laws, which may take a bit of getting used to, considering you're driving on the right side of the road in a vehicle that was meant for the left side. But, I guess if our postal carriers can figure it out, you can too.

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Why Do Some Countries Drive on the Left?

This practice goes back to the ancient Romans - according to History.com - who used to drive their chariots and carts on the left side of the road. It became the thing to do and continued into modern-day Europe. Okay, that answers "when" but it doesn't answer "why." Archaeologists theorize that it's because most people were right-handed back then. Driving on the left side allowed them to still wield their weapons when/if necessary.