Is it toward or towards?

I come across the wrong use of toward/towards every so often. It's one of those words that seems to confuse a lot of people. What's the big deal, and what is the difference? The words mean the same thing. The difference is that toward is the preferred form in America and Canada while towards is preferred in England. This rule applies to other directional words as well--upward, downward, backward, etc. To sum up, if you live in the US, it's best to leave off the -s. If you live outside the US, go ahead and keep the -s.