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Driving on the left or right

Encyclopedia : D : DR : DRI : Driving on the left or right

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In organized traffic, vehicles going in opposite directions are separated to a side of the road so they will not block each other's way. By keeping to the left or right, vehicles traveling in opposite directions will not run into each other. This is so fundamental that it is sometimes known simply as the rule of the road. About 34% of the world by country population drives on the left, and 66% keeps right. By roadway miles, about 28% drive on the left, and 72% on the right.[link]

In more sophisticated systems such as large cities, this concept is further extended: some streets are marked as being one-way, and on those streets all traffic must flow in only one direction. A driver wishing to reach a destination already passed must use other streets in order to return.

Contents

History

had different rules of the road within borders, now drives on right}}
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had different rules of the road within borders, now drives on right}}

In most early motor vehicles the driving seat was in the middle. Later some carmakers chose to have it nearest the centre of the road to help drivers look out for oncoming traffic, whilst others chose to put the seat on the other side so that the drivers could avoid damaging their vehicles on walls, hedges, roadside gutters and other obstacles. Eventually the former idea prevailed.

The advantages of driving on one side or the other typically concern conformity and uniformity rather than practical or natural benefits. There are historical exceptions such as postilion riders in France, but such historical advantages do not apply to modern road vehicles.

There is some evidence of cart tracks from a quarry in Blunsdon Ridge near Swindon, England, which suggests that local traffic was on the left, but no definitive references to a convention of driving on either the left or the right in the ancient world have so far come to light.

Driving on the right

Advantages

Driving on the left

Advantages

Myths

The M1 in Johannesburg, South Africa during rush hour as it passes through the suburb of Sandton. Like most former British colonies in Africa, South Africa drives on the left.
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The M1 in Johannesburg, South Africa during rush hour as it passes through the suburb of Sandton. Like most former British colonies in Africa, South Africa drives on the left.

A sign on Australia's Great Ocean Road reminding foreign motorists to keep left
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A sign on Australia's Great Ocean Road reminding foreign motorists to keep left

Approximately one quarter to one third of the world's traffic goes on the left-hand side of the road. Some claim that this practice arose from the prevalence of right-handedness, although such prevalence occurs in virtually all populations, regardless of which side of the road is used. In any case, the need to be ready for self-defence on rural roads inclined most horse-riders to keep to their left when encountering oncoming wayfarers, so as to be able to deploy a sword or other hand-weapon more swiftly and effectively should the need arise. Also, those on foot and in charge of horse-drawn vehicles would more usually hold the animals' heads with their right hand, and thus walk along the left hand side of the road.

The first legal reference in Britain to an order for traffic to remain on the left occurred in 1756 with regard to London Bridge. The General Highways Act of 1773, contained a recommendation that horse traffic should remain on the left and this was enshrined in the Highways Bill in 1835.

The British author C. Northcote Parkinson has presented what he calls "proof" that the British way of driving (on the left side of the road) is the natural one.

It is commonly asserted that left-hand traffic is a singularly British custom, the corollary being that the rest of the world "naturally" keeps to the right when meeting. The historical record suggests otherwise. (See "Places of Interest" section below.) Prior to World War I, countries observing the left-hand rule included parts of Canada, Russia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, parts of Austria, Sweden, Iceland, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, parts of Brazil, parts of Chile, parts of Italy, China, the Philippines, and Burma. Russia changed near the end of the Tsarist period, Italy when Mussolini came to power, Austria and Czechoslovakia when Hitler annexed them, the Latin American countries by 1945, the Philippines and China in 1946 (leaving Hong Kong and Macau isolated), and Burma/Myanmar in the 1970s on the advice of a soothsayer.

Some ex-colonies of the British Empire continue to drive on the left, but others, such as Canada, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the United States switched to the other side.

Apart from former British colonies, most countries' traffic moves on the right side, but Japan, Indonesia, Macau, Mozambique, Thailand and the U.S. Virgin Islands are exceptions to this rule.

One frequently hears the story that Napoleon changed the rule of the road in the countries he conquered from keep-left to keep-right. The justifications mentioned are usually symbolic, such as that Napoleon himself was left- (or right-) handed, or that Britain, Napoleon's enemy, kept left. This story has never been shown to have a factual basis and it appears to be a legend.

Changing sides

There are still many instances of traffic having to change sides at border crossings, such as at those between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Laos and Thailand, Sudan and Uganda. Thailand is particularly notable in the context of border crossings, as it is the only sizeable country that has nearly all of its borders with countries that drive on the opposite side. It drives on the left, but 90% (4357km or 2707 miles) of its borders are with countries that drive on the right, with only Malaysia driving on the left since Burma (now Myanmar) changed from driving on the left to driving on the right in 1970.

Change of traffic directions at the Laos-Thai border
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Change of traffic directions at the Laos-Thai border

Some countries have changed the side of the road on which their motorists drive in order to increase the safety of cross-border traffic. For example, former British colonies in Africa, such as Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Ghana, have all changed from left- to right-hand traffic, as they all share borders with former French colonies, which drive on the right. The former Portuguese colony of Mozambique has always driven on the left, as all its neighbours are former British colonies.

In the former British Crown colony of Hong Kong and the former Portuguese enclave of Macau, traffic continues to drive on the left, unlike in mainland China, despite the fact that they are now its Special Administrative Regions. However, Taiwan, formerly under Japanese rule, changed to driving on the right in 1946 after the government of the Republic of China assumed administration; the same happened in Korea (both North and South), a former Japanese colony under US and Soviet occupation.

Foreign occupation and military transit

Many countries have temporarily or permanently changed their rule of the road as a result of foreign occupation. Recent examples include Austria, Czechoslovakia (details) and Hungary under German rule or military transit in the 1930s and '40s. The Channel Islands also changed to driving on the right under German occupation, but changed back after liberation in 1945. The Falkland Islands did the same under Argentine control during the 1982 Falklands War, (although the Argentine government officially ordered the islanders to drive on the right, they often drove on the left to assert their defiance to occupation). East Timor changed to driving on the left under Indonesian rule in 1976, and continues the practice as an independent state. The Japanese region of Okinawa changed from left to right under US occupation; after the occupation ended, it changed back to driving on the left to match the rest of Japan.

Vehicles

For safety reasons (and in some cases political or economic reasons), some countries have banned the sale or import of vehicles with the steering wheel on the "wrong" side.

In Australia, with one exception, this is the case with non-vintage LHD vehicles, with the result that Australians who import such vehicles usually must pay sometimes thousands of dollars to convert them to RHD. The exception is for vehicles registered in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT); because the ACT is the seat of Canberra, the national capital, more than a few diplomats bring LHD vehicles with them and are permitted to use them unchanged. This privilege has been extended to residents of the A.C.T. also.

In New Zealand, LHD vehicles may be privately imported, and driven locally under a LHD permit. Since 1999, only LHD vehicles older than 20 years or cars owned and operated for at least 90 days may be privately imported.

In the Philippines, RHD cars are banned. Public buses and vans imported from Japan are converted to LHD, and passenger doors are created on the right side. However, some vans keep their doors on the left side, leading to the odd (and dangerous) situation in which passengers have to exit toward oncoming traffic.

Cambodia banned the use of RHD cars, most of which were smuggled from Thailand, from 2001, even though these accounted for 80 per cent of vehicles in the country. The government threatened to confiscate all such vehicles unless they were converted to LHD, in spite of the considerable expense involved. According to a BBC [report], changing the steering column from right to left would cost between US$600 and US$2000, in a country where average annual income was less than US$1000.

a RHD Toyota Landcruiser in front of a Pyongyang hotel
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a RHD Toyota Landcruiser in front of a Pyongyang hotel

North Korea, although it drives on the right, imported various used RHD vehicles from Japan, from tourist buses to Toyota Land Cruisers for its army and secret police, and cars for high rank party members.

However, many used vehicles exported from Japan to countries like Russia, Peru are already converted to LHD. But even if the driver's position is left unchanged some jurisdictions require at least headlights readjustment.

Singapore bans LHD vehicles from being imported for personal local registration, but temporary usage by tourists of LHD vehicles is allowed. It is also notable that embassy vehicles in Singapore are exempt from the RHD-only ruling, and that there are few hydrogen and fuel cell powered LHD vehicles currently undergoing trials in Singapore.

In Taiwan, Article 39 of the Road Traffic Security Rules () require a steering wheel to be on the left side of a vehicle to pass a inspection when registering the vehicle, so RHD vehicles may not be registered in Taiwan.

In Trinidad and Tobago LHD vehicles are banned except for returning nationals who were resident in a foreign country and are importing a vehicle for personal use. LHD vehicles are also allowed to be imported for use as funeral hearses.

In West Africa, Ghana and Gambia have also banned RHD vehicles.

Most of the above bans on RHD and LHD vehicles apply only to locally-registered vehicles. Countries that have signed the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic are not allowed to make such restrictions on foreign-registered vehicles. Paragraph 1 of Annex 5 states "All vehicles in international traffic must meet the technical requirements in force in their country of registration when they first entered into service". Therefore all signatory countries and most non-signatory countries allow the temporary import (e.g. by tourists) of foreign-registered vehicles, no matter which side the steering wheel is on. Oman, which has not signed the convention. bans all foreign-registered RHD vehicles. [link]

Both RHD and LHD vehicles may generally be registered in any European Union member state, but there are some restrictions and regulations. Slovakia, despite being a member of the European Union, does not allow the local registration of RHD vehicles [link], even if the vehicle is imported from one of the four EU countries that drive on the left (UK, Ireland, Cyprus, and Malta). If a LHD vehicle is registered in the United Kingdom, then its headlights must be permanently adjusted to dip to the left, which often involves the lenses being replaced.

Most headlights are manufactured so that when dipped, they are aimed slightly towards the kerb side. In this way, RHD vehicles' headlights dip to the left and LHD vehicles' headlights dip to the right. Within Europe, when driving a RHD vehicle in a country that drives on the right or a LHD vehicle in a country that drives on the left, it is a legal requirement to adjust headlights so that they do not shine towards oncoming vehicles when dipped. This may be achieved by fixing adhesive blackout strips to the part of the lens that deflects light to one side, but an increasing number of vehicles, particularly those with xenon headlights, can be more simply adjusted by a lever or switch on the back of the headlights, whenever switching sides of the road. However, the requirement to adjust headlights is respected by a decreasing number of drivers, and is now rarely enforced by European police forces. In France, this is probably because, since amber-tinted headlights were abolished in 1993, foreign-registered vehicles have been much less conspicuous at night.

Trains

Trains often don't operate on the same side of the road as cars do. In France for instance, trains drive on the left, while cars go on the right. Moreover the exceptions of left or right hand driving are much more common for trains than for cars. Initially, most steam engines had RHD, with the engineer sitting on the right, and the conductor sitting on the left. This was customary in the UK and it spread to the USA and elsewhere in the world. RHD was never converted to LHD even if the trains switched to right-hand running. RHD remains the customary way for operating trains, with the engineer/driver on the right and conductor/assistant, sitting on the left side of the cab. Ironically, some railroads, particularly, the London Underground, switched to LHD with left-hand running.

In countries with trains keeping to the right it is often said that RHD is safer, as it is possible, that something from a train passing on the left track (like opened cargo doors) may hit the train. In such case driver on the right is more safe than if he was sitting to the left.

Countries with trains generally keeping to the right (incomplete list) http://www.brianlucas.ca/roadside/

Countries with trains generally keeping to the left (incomplete list) :
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Belgium
  • Denmark
  • France
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Portugal
  • Singapore
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • UK

Boats

Generally all water traffic keeps to the right. Although there are many exceptions, often indicated on the particular bridge itself.

Priority

Main article: Priority in Traffic
As well as the side of the road, priority rules also differ between countries. In the United Kingdom, priority is always indicated by signs or road markings, in that every junction not governed by traffic lights or a roundabout has a concept of a major road and minor road. In most of Continental Europe, the default priority is to give way to the right, but this default is overridden by signs or road markings on all but very minor roads. In France, until the 1980s, the "priorité à droite" (give way to the right) rule was employed at most roundabouts, in that traffic already on the roundabout had to give way to traffic entering the roundabout. Most French roundabouts now have give-way signs for traffic entering the roundabout, but there remain some notable exceptions that operate on the old rule, such as the Place de l'Étoile around the Arc de Triomphe. Traffic on this particular roundabout is so chaotic that French insurance companies deem any accident on the roundabout to be equal liability. British and Irish drivers, who are accustomed to having right of way by default unless they are specifically told to give way, are often more confused by the default give-way-to-the-right rule used on minor roads in nearby Continental Europe than they are by switching sides of the road.

Lanes

Main article: Lanes in Traffic
When driving on the right:
  • The lane designated for faster traffic is on the left
  • The lane designated for slower traffic is on the right
  • Most freeway exits are on the right
  • Overtaking (passing) is permitted to the left, and sometimes to the right.
When driving on the left:
  • The lane designated for faster traffic is on the right
  • The lane designated for slower traffic is on the left
  • Most freeway exits are on the left
  • Overtaking (passing) is permitted to the right, and sometimes to the left. In the UK "undertaking" (overtaking on the left) is illegal on motorways and dual carriage-ways.

Places of interest

Australia

For many decades Australia inflicted a "give way to the right" rule on its motorists, surprisingly the same rule as used in some countries with right-hand traffic. This rule required vehicles, even on major, multi-lane roads, to give way to another vehicle entering (however abruptly) from a side road and turning right onto the major road. As traffic densities and speeds increased the collision rate became too great and the rule was changed in the early 1980s, with turning movements made much safer by various combinations of line marking, signposting and the introduction of the "T rule". However, the old rule can still apply in cases such as at unmarked rural crossroads.

This situation compares interestingly with the "give way to the right" rule in most countries of Continental Europe, where a vehicle turning left (onto another road usually of similar hierarchy) can completely stop all traffic in the lane to its left while giving way to traffic on its right and waiting, however long, for a gap to move into.

Canada

Until the 1920s, the rule of the road in Canada varied from province to province, with British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island having cars driving on the left, and the other provinces and territories having motorists driving on the right. Starting with the interior of British Columbia on 15 July 1920 and ending with Prince Edward Island on 1 May 1924, these provinces changed to driving on the right. Newfoundland was not part of Canada until 1949, and its motorists drove on the left until 2 January 1947.

Caribbean

In many Caribbean islands where traffic drives on the left, such as the British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, most passenger cars are LHD, being imported from the United States. Only government cars and those imported from Asia are RHD. The U.S. Virgin Islands are particularly known for having a high accident rate caused by American tourists from the mainland who are unfamiliar with driving on the left in their rental cars - the confusion from which is obviously compounded by using a LHD vehicle.

China (mainland)

Until 1946, driving in mainland China was mixed, with cars in the northern provinces driving on the right (probably to concur with Russian practice, which was "keep right" from 1920), and cars in the southern provinces such as Guangdong driving on the left, probably a result of their proximity to the British crown colony of Hong Kong and the Portuguese enclave of Macau.

After 1946, China followed the United States, by changing to driving on the right, due to political reasons that the United States helped China to fight against Japanese occupation during World War II and American cars (mostly LHD) were already popular in China.

During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Red Guards in some cities considered that to drive on the right side of road was to take the "rightist's route/policy", and they were said to have ordered vehicles to drive on the left side. Some also attempted to reverse the traditional meaning of traffic signals by having the red light mean "go" and the green light "stop". These two changes caused a great deal of confusion and resistance so both were abolished within several months. [[Citing sources citation needed]]

Gibraltar

Although the British overseas territory of Gibraltar changed to driving on the right on 16 June 1929, in order to avoid accidents involving vehicles from Spain, some public buses until recently were RHD, with a special door allowing passengers to enter on the right hand side. However, most passenger cars are LHD, as in Spain, with the exception of second-hand cars brought in from the UK and Japan and some vehicles used by the British forces.

Guyana and Suriname

Guyana and Suriname are the only two remaining countries in the mainland Americas that still drive on the left. As a result of the construction of the Pan-American Highway, four mainland American countries switched to driving on the right between 1943 and 1961, the last of which was Belize. Both Guyana and Suriname are separated from their neighbours by large rivers, over which no road bridges have yet been built. The inland south of both countries is sparsely populated with very few roads and hence no border crossings. However, in the south west of Guyana near Lethem, work is underway to build the Takutu Bridge across the Takutu river into neighbouring Brazil, which drives on the right. Unlike road bridges between other countries that drive on opposite sides of the road, the changeover system will unusually be in the country that drives on the left, i.e. Guyana, where one lane will pass under the other on the bridge's access road. Despite stalling construction in recent years, Brazil is keen to open the bridge, as it will give Brazil access to Caribbean sea ports on the north coast of South America. Brazil intends to limit Guyana registered (RHD) vehicles to no further than the Brazilian border town of Bonfim, but it is expected that Brazilian (LHD) vehicles will be able to drive all the way through Guyana to the coast. Once opened, the Takutu Bridge will be the Americas' only border crossing where traffic changes sides of the road.

In Suriname most of the privately owned buses are imported from Japan, since they're already made of conform to driving on the left. Most state owned buses, however, are from the US and often the placement of the exits has to be adjusted.

Hong Kong and Macau

Being a former British colony, Hong Kong follows the United Kingdom in driving on the left. Macau, a former Portuguese exclave, follows Hong Kong in driving on the left because most of the RHD cars in Macau are imported through Hong Kong. It is such a separate entity that Macau did not follow either Mainland China in 1946 or Portugal in 1928 in switching to driving on the right.

Under the auspices of the one country, two systems arrangement, traffic continues to move on the left in Hong Kong and Macau, now Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China, unlike in the mainland. Most vehicles are RHD and even suppliers for the People's Liberation Army have specially made RHD version vehicles for the garrison to drive in Hong Kong and Macau. LHD exceptions include some buses providing services to and from the mainland. Vehicles registered in Hong Kong and Macau are required to have a special number plate issued by the authorities in Guangdong province to drive legally on the mainland.

There are three road border crossing points between mainland China and Hong Kong. The largest and busiest is Lok Ma Chau ([view it on Google Maps]), which features two separate changeover systems on the mainland side. The next largest is Man Kam To, where there is no changeover system and the border roads on the mainland side simply intersect as one-way streets with a main road. There are two border crossing points between mainland China and Macau. The newer crossing point is the Lotus Bridge, which crosses a narrow channel of sea between the mainland and Macau, and was opened at the end of 1999 ([see photo on Google Maps]). The Lotus Bridge was designed to cater for high traffic volumes and features three lanes in each direction as well as a full changeover system on the mainland side, comprising bridges that loop around each other by 360° to swap the direction of the traffic. At the older Macau crossing point, there is no changeover system and the border roads continue with traffic on the left on the mainland side, and simply intersect on to a roundabout. All of these Chinese changeover systems can be viewed in high resolution using Google Earth.

Iceland

Iceland followed in switching traffic from left to right at 6am on Sunday, May 26, 1968. The only injury from the changeover was a boy on a bicycle who broke his leg (New York Times, May 28, 1968, p. 94). Numerous buses were also stuck in traffic jams.

India

India adopted the practice of driving on the left hand side of the road, as a continuation of the colonial past. Drivers on Indian roads tend to disregard road safety in general and one could find the overtaking being done from any side which is relatively free of traffic. This is further exaggerated by the fact that most of the drivers tend to stay in the middle of the road.

Italy

Ancient Rome drove on the left. In Italy the practice of traffic driving on the right first began in the late 1890s, but it was not until the mid 1920s that it became standard throughout the country. There was a long period when traffic in the countryside drove on the right while major cities continued to drive on the left. Rome, for example, did not change from left to right until 20 October 1924. Cars had remained right-hand drive (RHD) until this time. Lancia did not produce LHD cars until as late as the early 1960s, and stopped making RHD cars altogether in 1994. Lancia is expected to start manufacturing RHD cars again in 2008.

Japan

Japan is one of the few countries outside the former British Empire to drive on the left. An informal practice of left-side passage dates at least to the Edo period, when samurai are said to have passed each other to the left in order to avoid knocking swords with each other (as swords were always worn to the left side). During the late 1800s, Japan built its first railways with British technical assistance, and double-tracked railways adopted the British practice of running on the left. However, army troops were ordered to keep to the right while traveling on roads, creating a double standard that was not legally resolved until 1924, when all road travel in Japan switched to the left. http://www.2pass.co.uk/japan.htm

After the defeat of Japan during World War II, Okinawa was occupied by the United States and made to drive on the right side. Okinawa changed back to driving on the left when it was returned to Japan. The change took place at 06:00 on 30 July 1978. It is one of very few places to have changed from right to left side driving in the late twentieth century.

In Japan, foreign cars sold locally have traditionally been LHD, which is regarded as exotic or a status symbol. This even applies to British brands (although cars for the British market have the steering wheel on the right), in part because many have been imported via the US. However, some US manufacturers have made RHD models for the Japanese market, though with limited success; and as continental European brands become more popular, the preference is increasingly for LHD models (as all of continental Europe drives on the right, that is, their vehicles are LHD). Many tollbooths in Japan have a special lane for LHD vehicles.

Myanmar (Burma)

As a former British colony, cars in Myanmar (formerly Burma) drove on the left side until 1970, when the military administration of Ne Win decreed that traffic would drive on the right side of the road. It is alleged that this was because Ne Win had been advised by his soothsayer, who had said "move to the right", although this was in fact a reference to economic policy. In spite of the change, most passenger cars in the country today are RHD, being second-hand vehicles imported from Japan, Thailand, and Singapore. However, government limousines, imported from China, are LHD. Virtually all vehicles are driven with a passenger in place to watch the oncoming traffic and inform the driver as to whether it is safe to overtake or not, as the driver cannot see this from his RHD position.

New Zealand

Even though New Zealand drives on the left, drivers must give way to traffic coming from their right at intersections. Thus, the give way rules have more in common with those of countries that drive on the right than of other countries that drive on the left.

Russian Federation

Although Russia drives on the right, cheaper grey import cars from Japan are more popular than LHD cars of the same class. Russia is estimated to have more than 1.5 million RHD vehicles on its roads. In the far eastern regions, such as Vladivostok or Khabarovsk, RHD vehicles make up to 90% of the total. This includes not only private cars, but also police cars, ambulances, and many other municipal and governmental vehicles.

Considering that RHD vehicles by far outnumber the LHD ones (better suited to the rules) on the Pacific side of Russia, drivers in those regions have made multiple proposals about switching the sides of the road. However, they were denied by Russian government. During spring 2005, the rumour that RHD vehicles would be completely banned from the roads drove thousands of protestors to the streets everywhere in the country. On 4 July 2005 Russian minister of industry and energy Viktor Khristenko announced that RHD vehicles would be allowed on the roads but would have to conform to all Russian traffic safety requirements.

Sweden

Stockholm on Dagen H
Stockholm on Dagen H

Sweden had left-hand traffic (Vänstertrafik in Swedish) from approximately 1734, when it changed back from a short period of right-hand traffic starting in 1718. Finland, under Swedish rule until 1809, also drove on the left, and continued to do so as a Russian Grand Duchy until 1858. http://www.vardo.aland.fi/hogertrafik.htm

This continued well into the 20th century, despite the fact that virtually all the cars on the road in Sweden were LHD. (One argument for this was that it was necessary to keep an eye on the edge of the road, something that was important on the narrow roads in use at the time.) Also, Sweden's neighbours, Norway and Finland already drove on the right, leading to confusion at border crossings.

In 1955 a referendum was held on the issue, resulting in an 82.9%-to-15.5% vote against a change to driving on the right. Nevertheless, in 1963 the Swedish parliament passed legislation ordering the switch to right-hand traffic. The changeover took place at 5am on Sunday, September 3, 1967, which was known in Swedish as Dagen H (H-Day), the 'H' being for Högertrafik or right-hand traffic.

Since Swedish cars were LHD, experts had suggested that changing to driving on the right would be safer, because drivers would have a better view of the road ahead. Indeed, fatal car-to-car and car-to-pedestrian accidents dropped sharply as a result. However, the accident rate rose back to its original position within two years.

Finland

Although the traffic in Finland has driven on the right-hand side since 1858, and the cars have the steering wheel on the left side, some cars, especially the cars of the Post Office (Suomen Posti) have the steering wheel on the right side.

United Kingdom

One of many road signs in the English county of Kent placed on the right hand side of the road
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One of many road signs in the English county of Kent placed on the right hand side of the road

  • Vehicles within United States visiting forces bases in the UK drive on the left, even though the US does not provide specific right-hand drive vehicles for their green fleet. But their white fleet does have right-hand drive vehicles. This is unlike British practice in Germany where even UK green fleet vehicles for British Forces Germany have been left-hand drive.
  • On some British Army training locations, where the army once trained for conflict in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, traffic is meant to travel on the right. Most military bases in the UK though have the normal rule of driving on the left.
  • There are several locations in the UK where traffic passes other traffic coming in the opposite direction on the left hand side, but most locations are separated by a barrier (such as on the south side of Portman Square in London). In Savoy Court outside the Savoy Hotel, among other places, however, there is no barrier.
  • As a result of European Union legislation ensuring the free movement of goods, many British consumers exercise their right to buy RHD cars from car dealers in any other EU country, where they are often cheaper, despite originating from the same factories as UK-sourced cars.
  • During the Lockerbie bomb trial of 2000-02, Camp Zeist in the Netherlands was decreed to be British territory subject to Scottish law. However, Dumfries and Galloway Police, who were responsible for policing traffic movements within the compound, effected a clause which subjected drivers to the Continental European practice of driving on the right.
  • Although the United Kingdom is separated from Continental Europe by the English Channel, the level of cross-Channel traffic is higher than any other place in the world where road traffic changes sides of the road; the Channel Tunnel alone carries 3.5 million vehicles per year between the UK and France. Most vehicles crossing the English Channel, whether via the Channel Tunnel or on ferries, are UK-registered RHD vehicles. Relatively few drivers from Continental Europe take their LHD cars to the UK, but large numbers of British drivers take their RHD cars to Continental Europe for holidays and even for one-day shopping trips. It was reported in 2000 that Eurotunnel wished to build a second Channel Tunnel because the existing rail services are expected to outgrow their capacity by 2025. Unlike the existing rail tunnels, a drive-through road tunnel was planned, comprising a single bore tunnel containing one carriageway on top of the other. Each carriageway would have at least two lanes in each direction and it is likely that the rule of the road would change upon passing through immigration entry controls. When using the existing Channel Tunnel, one passes through immigration entry controls of the destination country before entering the tunnel. This principle would no doubt also be used for a road tunnel, particularly to prevent any queuing of vehicles back into the tunnel. This being the case, vehicles travelling to France would keep to the right and vehicles travelling to the UK would keep to the left. Therefore when exiting the tunnel, drivers would continue directly on to the road network in the destination country without stopping. The current status of this project is unclear.

United States

Since colonial times, traffic in the United States has always been on the right-hand side, which was greatly influenced by France, a "founder" of drive-on-the-right rule, which indirectly supported American Independence from British colonial rule. There is a common story that this may be due to the construction of Conestoga wagons, which had a high driver's seat on the left side. However, the Conestoga wagon does not date all the way back to the colonial period so this story is likely apocryphal. Many imported RHD cars are also found on the road in the U.S., especially classic cars or other collectors' items.

Today, U.S. motor vehicles are always LHD (except some postal service vehicles, garbage trucks, many parking enforcement vehicles and uncommon specialty vehicles), and motorists always drive on the right and overtake on the left, except in the US Virgin Islands.

American rules of the road sometimes permit overtaking on the right side (multi-lane highways, one-way streets, or when overtaking other vehicles preparing to turn left). The laws vary from state to state.

Places with right-hand traffic

Note: Italics indicates year of change to right-hand traffic.

Afghanistan
Åland Islands (Finland)
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa (US)
Andorra
Angola (1928)
Argentina (1945)
Armenia
Aruba (Netherlands)
Austria (1935-38)
Azerbaijan
Bahrain (1967)
Belarus
Belgium
Belize (1961)
Benin
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon (1961)
Canada
Cape Verde (1928)
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China, mainland (1946)
Colombia
Comoros
Congo (Brazzaville)
Congo (Kinsasha)
Costa Rica
Côte d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Czech Republic (1939) details
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominican Rep.
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea (1964)
Estonia
Ethiopia (1964)
Faroe Islands
Finland (1858)
France (1789)
French Guiana
French Polynesia 		Gabon
Gambia (1965)
Georgia
Germany
Ghana (1974)
Gibraltar (1929)
Greece
Greenland
Guadeloupe
Guam (US)
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau (1928)
Haiti
Vatican City
Honduras
Hungary (1941)
Iceland (1968)
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Italy
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Korea DPR
Korea (1946)
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao
Latvia
Lebanon
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Madagascar
Mali
Marshall Islands
Martinique (France)
Mauritania
Mayotte (France)
Mexico
Micronesia
Midway Atoll (US)
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Myanmar (1970)
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
Nicaragua 		Niger
Nigeria (1972)
Northern Mariana Is. (US)
Norway
Oman
Palau
Panama (1943)
Paraguay (1945)
Peru
Philippines (1946)
Poland
Portugal (1928)
Puerto Rico (US)
Qatar
Réunion (France)
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France)
Samoa (mid-1940s?)
San Marino
São Tomé and Príncipe (1928)
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Sierra Leone (1971)
Slovakia (1939-41, details)
Slovenia
Somalia (1968)
Spain (Madrid, Oct 1924)
Sudan (1973)
Svalbard (Norway)
Sweden (1967, details)
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Republic
Taiwan (1946)
Tajikistan
Togo
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uruguay (1945)
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Wake Island (US)
Wallis and Futuna (France)
Western Sahara
Yemen

Places with left-hand traffic

Note: Italics indicates year of change to left-hand traffic.
Alderney (UK)
Anguilla (UK)
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bermuda (UK)
Bhutan
Botswana
Brunei
Cayman Islands (UK)
Christmas Island (Australia)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia)
Cook Islands (New Zealand)
Cyprus
Dominica
East Timor (drove on right 1928-1976)
Falkland Islands (UK)
Fiji
Grenada
Guernsey (UK)
Guyana
Hong Kong (unlike mainland China)
India 		Indonesia
Ireland
Isle of Man (UK)
Jamaica
Japan ''(Okinawa 1978)
Jersey (UK)
Kenya
Kiribati
Lesotho
Macau (unlike mainland China & Portugal)
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Malta
Mauritius
Montserrat (UK)
Mozambique
Namibia (1918)
Nauru (1918)
Nepal
New Zealand
Niue (New Zealand)
Norfolk Island (Australia)
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea 		Pitcairn Islands (UK)
Saint Helena (UK)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Seychelles
Singapore
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Suriname
Swaziland
Tanzania
Thailand
Tokelau (New Zealand)
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)
Tuvalu
Uganda
United Kingdom
British Virgin Islands (UK)
US Virgin Islands (unlike rest of US)
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Notes and references

  • Rule of the Road by Peter Kincaid, 239 pages, published by Greenwood Press in 1986 - ISBN 0-313-25249-1

See also

External links

 

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