この【its】は何を指しているんでしょうか?
この【its】は何を指しているんでしょうか?
The early experiments in America were with horseless carriages- strange machines entirely different from cars today. The French machine first put on show in Paris in 1984 looks like an automobile, while the American models of the 1890's look more like horse-carriages from which the horses have run away in surprise. One reason why driving by cars began in Europe and, at the beginning, progressed more quickly there was that the roads were so much better. In no branch of social development was America so far behind Europe as in 【its】 roads.
英文自体の意味はヨーロッパとアメリカの車の歴史の対比であることは分かるんですが、【】内のitsが何を指しているのか分かりません。アメリカかヨーロッパのどちらかであるとは思うんですが、文法的な根拠が見つかりません。どなたかご教授お願いします。