One can imagine what kind of confusion would reign on city streets and modern highways if the movement of vehicles was not subject to certain rules. However, restrictive requirements for transport drivers did not always exist. The first attempts to somehow streamline the movement on the streets of cities date back to the 1st century BC.
Long before the car arrives
One of the first to try to restore order in the cities was Gaius Julius Caesar. As an ancient Roman ruler, Caesar in the last years of his reign issued a decree according to which one-way traffic was introduced on the streets of Rome. Private chariots and carts were banned from sunrise until almost sunset. Guests of the city were forced to leave their transport outside Rome and move on foot. Compliance with this requirement was monitored by a special supervisory service.
Representatives of the Roman "road inspection" had the right to settle disputes and conflicts that often arose between the owners of carts.
During medieval times, the traffic in the cities became more lively. Even simple horse-drawn carriages driving along the narrow streets of cities often collided with each other. Medieval rulers, by their decrees, introduced certain rules for horse and foot citizens. Limitations were introduced on the speed of movement and the sequence of travel was determined. There were also penalties that were severely applied to violators. However, these rules applied only to individual localities and were not universal.
New time - new solutions
The rules of the road, as everyone is used to presenting them today, originated in England only at the end of the 19th century. In 1868, a mechanical semaphore was installed in one of the squares of London, which had a color disk in its composition. The semaphore could only be controlled manually. Its wings were arranged so that they could take two positions. If the wing was horizontal, movement was prohibited. The lowered wing made it possible to move, but with the utmost caution.
This prototype of the modern traffic light was far from perfect. The design of the device was unsuccessful. The mere rattle of the chain that set the semaphore in motion was so terrible that the horses jumped away from it in fright. In addition, after a while the semaphore simply exploded for an unknown reason, injuring a nearby guardian of order.
The first road signs may well be called special plates, which indicated the direction of movement and the distance to a certain point.
How modern traffic rules were created
In 1909, a conference was held in Paris at which it was decided to introduce uniform traffic rules for Europe. This event was facilitated by a sharp increase in the number of motor vehicles, an increase in traffic intensity and vehicle speed. The Road Traffic Convention adopted at an international forum has introduced some road signs.
The first unified signs indicated an uneven or winding road, as well as a railway crossing and a pedestrian crossing.
In the following decades, the rules of the road have been significantly enriched and supplemented with new provisions. The main goal of the developers of the rules was to create uniformity and ensure safety for all road users. Gradually, those traffic rules appeared, which today every competent driver and pedestrian knows.
