Editing Left- and right-hand traffic (section)

==Background==
[[File:Driving standards historic.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|Countries with left- and right-hand traffic, currently and formerly. Changes since 1858 when [[Finland]] changed to the right are taken into account.<br/>{{legend|#cc0000|Drives on the right}}{{legend|#f57900|Formerly drove on the left, now drives on the right}}{{legend|#204a87|Drives on the left}}{{legend|#5c3566|Formerly drove on the right, now drives on the left}}{{legend|#4e9a06|Formerly a mix of left and right in various parts of the country, now drives on the right}}{{legend|#FFFF00|Formerly a mix of left and right in various parts of the country, now drives on the left}}{{legend|#808080|No data}}]]

Historically, many places kept left, while many others kept right, often within the same country. There are many myths that attempt to explain why one or the other is preferred.<ref name="mcmanus"/> About 90 percent of people are [[handedness|right-handed]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Searing |first1=Linda |title=The Big Number: Lefties make up about 10 percent of the world |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/the-big-number-lefties-make-up-about-10-percent-of-the-world/2019/08/09/69978100-b9e2-11e9-bad6-609f75bfd97f_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=27 November 2019 |archive-date=12 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812171100/https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/the-big-number-lefties-make-up-about-10-percent-of-the-world/2019/08/09/69978100-b9e2-11e9-bad6-609f75bfd97f_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and many explanations reference this. Horses are traditionally mounted from the left, and led from the left, with the reins in the right hand. So people walking horses might use RHT, to keep the animals separated. Also referenced is the need for pedestrians to keep their swords in the right hand and pass on the left as in LHT, for self-defence. It has been suggested that wagon-drivers whipped their horses with their right hand, and thus sat on the left-hand side of the wagon, as in RHT. Academic Chris McManus notes that writers have stated that in 1300, [[Pope Boniface VIII]] directed pilgrims to keep left; others suggest that he directed them to keep to the right, and there is no documented evidence to back either claim.<ref name="mcmanus"/>

===Africa===
{{multiple image
|width = 100
|footer = Roundabout signs used in [[Southern African Development Community]]
|image1 = SADC road sign R137.svg
|caption1 = LHT roundabout
|image2 = SADC road sign R137-RHT.svg
|caption2 = RHT roundabout
}}The British Empire introduced LHT in the [[East Africa Protectorate]] (present-day [[Kenya]]), the [[Protectorate of Uganda]], [[Tanganyika Territory|Tanganyika]] (formerly part of [[German East Africa]]; present-day [[Tanzania]]), [[Rhodesia]] (present-day [[Zambia]]/[[Zimbabwe]]), [[Eswatini]] and the [[Cape Colony]] (present-day [[South Africa]] and [[Lesotho]]), as well as in [[British West Africa]] (present-day Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria);<ref name="TBD Gambia">[https://books.google.com/books?id=22wMAQAAIAAJ&q=%22drive+on+the+right%22 ''Tourist and Business Directory – The Gambia''], 1969, page 19</ref> former British West Africa, however, has now switched to RHT, as all its neighbours, which are mostly former French territories, use RHT. South Africa, formerly the Cape Colony, introduced LHT in former [[German South West Africa]], present-day [[Namibia]], after the end of [[World War I]].

Sudan, formerly part of [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan]], switched to RHT in 1973.  Most of its neighbours were RHT countries, with the exception of Uganda and Kenya, but since the independence of [[South Sudan]] in 2011, all of its neighbours drive on the right (including South Sudan, despite its land borders with two LHT countries).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/ssd_e/wtaccssd6_leg_51.pdf|title=LAWS OF SOUTH SUDAN, ROAD TRAFFIC AND SAFETY BILL, 2012|access-date=21 May 2020|archive-date=30 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730014335/https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/ssd_e/wtaccssd6_leg_51.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Although [[Portugal]] switched to RHT in 1928, its [[Portuguese Mozambique|colony of Mozambique]] remained LHT because it has land borders with former British colonies (with LHT).

France introduced RHT in [[French West Africa]] and the [[Maghreb]],{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}} where it is still used. Countries in these areas include [[Mali]], [[Mauritania]], [[Ivory Coast]], [[Burkina Faso]], [[Benin]], [[Niger]], [[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], and [[Tunisia]]. Other French former colonies that are RHT include [[Cameroon]], [[Central African Republic]], [[Chad]], [[Djibouti]], [[Gabon]], and the [[Republic of the Congo]].

[[Rwanda]] and [[Burundi]] are RHT but are considering switching to LHT (see "Potential future shifts" section below).

===Americas===
====United States====
In the late 18th century, right-hand traffic started to be introduced in the United States based on [[teamster]]s' use of large freight wagons pulled by several pairs of horses and without a driver's seat; the (typically right-handed) [[postilion]] held his whip in his right hand and thus sat on the left rear horse, and therefore preferred other wagons passing on the left so that he would have a clear view of other vehicles.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lyoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA37 |title=Why We Drive on the Right of the Road, ''Popular Science Monthly'', Vol.126, No.1, (January 1935), p.37 |access-date=25 April 2012|date=January 1935 }}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=February 2020}} The first keep-right law for [[driving in the United States]] was passed in 1792 and applied to the [[Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike]].<ref name="On The Right Side of the Road">{{cite web|url=https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/general-highway-history/right-side-road|title=On The Right Side of the Road|last=Weingroff|first=Richard|publisher=United States Department of Transportation|access-date=10 January 2014|archive-date=6 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906042810/https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/general-highway-history/right-side-road|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Massachusetts]] formalized RHT in 1821.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/110303|title=An Act Establishing the Law of the Road|publisher=Massachusetts General Court|access-date=14 February 2014|archive-date=18 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140918031615/http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/110303|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the [[National Road]] was LHT until 1850, "long after the rest of the country had settled on the keep-right convention".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hayes |first1=Brian |title=Infrastructure: a field guide to the industrial landscape |date=2005 |publisher=WW Norton |location=New York |isbn=0-393-05997-9 |page=330}}</ref> Today the United States is RHT except the [[United States Virgin Islands]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usvitourism.vi/travel_tips|title=Travel Tips &#124; US Virgin Islands|publisher=Usvitourism.vi|access-date=25 April 2012|archive-date=16 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316035344/http://www.usvitourism.vi/travel_tips|url-status=dead}}</ref> which is LHT like many neighbouring islands.

Some special-purpose vehicles in the United States, like certain postal service trucks, garbage trucks, and parking-enforcement vehicles, are built with the driver's seat on the right for safer and easier access to the curb. A common example is the [[Grumman LLV]], which is used nationwide by the [[United States Postal Service|US Postal Service]] and by [[Canada Post]].

====Other countries in the Americas====
[[File:Nb-stj-1899.jpg|thumb|Parts of Canada were LHT until the 1920s, shown here in [[Saint John, New Brunswick]], 1898.]]

In Canada, the provinces of [[Quebec]] and [[Ontario]] were always RHT because they were created out of the former French colony of [[New France]].<ref name="cbc">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-driving-laws-1.4925856|title=The day New Brunswick switched to driving on the right|publisher=CBC News|access-date=11 April 2019|archive-date=11 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411172313/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-driving-laws-1.4925856|url-status=live}}</ref> The province of [[British Columbia]] changed to RHT in stages from 1920 to 1923,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.th.gov.bc.ca/publications/roadrunners/1966/1966_03_march.pdf|title=Change of Rule of Road in British Columbia 1920|date=March 1966|work=The British Columbia Road Runner|access-date=27 August 2017|archive-date=20 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020071518/https://www.th.gov.bc.ca/publications/roadrunners/1966/1966_03_march.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/life/week+history+switching+from+left+right+thing/11625241/story.html|title=Week in History: Switching from the left was the right thing to do|last=Griffin|first=Kevin|date=1 January 2016|work=[[Vancouver Sun]]|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-date=27 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827045523/http://www.vancouversun.com/life/week+history+switching+from+left+right+thing/11625241/story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[New Brunswick]], [[Nova Scotia]], and [[Prince Edward Island]] in 1922, 1923, and 1924 respectively,<ref name="ns1758.ca">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808012644/http://ns1758.ca/auto/automobiles.html|url=http://ns1758.ca/auto/automobiles.html|title=Highway Driving Rule Changes Sides|last=Smith|first=Ivan|work=History of Automobiles – The Early Days in Nova Scotia, 1899–1949|archive-date=8 August 2018|access-date=27 August 2017}}</ref> and the [[Dominion of Newfoundland]] (part of Canada since 1949)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Snyder |first1=Timothy |last2=Rowe |first2=F.W. |title=Newfoundland Bill |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/newfoundland-bill |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=30 July 2019}}</ref> in 1947, in order to allow traffic (without side switch) to or from the United States.<ref name="A triumph for left over right">{{cite news|url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/a-triumph-for-left-over-right-56169697.html|title=A triumph for left over right|last=Dyer|first=Gwynne|date=30 August 2009|newspaper=[[Winnipeg Free Press]]|access-date=27 August 2017|archive-date=27 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827210937/https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/a-triumph-for-left-over-right-56169697.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[West Indies]], colonies and territories drive on the same side as their parent countries, except for the [[United States Virgin Islands]]. Many of the island nations are former British colonies and drive on the left, including [[Jamaica]], [[Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Barbados]], [[Dominica]], [[Grenada]], [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]], [[Saint Lucia]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], and [[The Bahamas]]. However, most vehicles in The Bahamas,<ref name="bahamas">[https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&tbm=bks&ei=wfvFXrzgILOg8gKPkoX4Dw&q=%22although+as+the+majority+of+the+hire+cars+are+left+hand+drive+American+models%22&oq=%22although+as+the+majority+of+the+hire+cars+are+left+hand+drive+American+models%22&gs_l=psy-ab.3...4639.4639.0.6200.1.1.0.0.0.0.93.93.1.1.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.tSjFg70YGpM ''Dive the Bahamas: Complete Guide to Diving and Snorkelling''], Lawson Wood, Interlink Publishing Group, 2007, page 23</ref> [[Cayman Islands]],<ref name="caymans">[https://books.google.com/books?id=8UMDsRwk10AC&dq=%22cayman+islands%22+%22left+hand+drive%22&pg=PA46 ''Adventure Guide to the Cayman Islands''], Paris Permenter, John Bigley, Hunter Publishing, Inc, 2001, page 46</ref> [[Turks and Caicos Islands]]<ref name="turks and caicos">[https://books.google.com/books?id=EkeY2SlUEkwC&dq=%22Turks+and+Caicos%22+%22left+hand+drive%22&pg=PA50 ''Turks and Caicos''], Bradt Travel Guides, Annalisa Rellie, Tricia Hayne, 2008, page 50</ref> and both the [[British Virgin Islands]],<ref name="Fodor" /> and the [[United States Virgin Islands]] are LHD due to their being imported from the United States.<ref name="Fodor">[https://books.google.com/books?id=73995EWYNEsC&q=%22british+virgin+islands%22+%22left+hand+drive%22 ''U. S. and British Virgin Islands 2006''], Fodor's Travel Publications, 2005, page 28</ref>

[[File:International bridge - Letham, Guyana (23025487324).jpg|thumb|Crossover bridge near the [[Takutu River Bridge]] between Guyana (LHT) and Brazil (RHT)]]

[[Brazil]], a Portuguese colony until the early 19th century, had in the 19th and the early 20th century mixed rules, with some regions still on LHT, switching these remaining regions to RHT in 1928, the same year Portugal switched sides.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.camara.leg.br/legin/fed/decret/1920-1929/decreto-18323-24-julho-1928-516789-publicacaooriginal-1-pe.html|title=Decreto nº 18.323, de 24 de Julho de 1928|website=Cãmara dos Deputados|access-date=11 April 2019|archive-date=28 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928082833/https://www2.camara.leg.br/legin/fed/decret/1920-1929/decreto-18323-24-julho-1928-516789-publicacaooriginal-1-pe.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Other Central and South American countries that later switched from LHT to RHT include Argentina,<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2024/06/10/el-dia-en-que-en-la-argentina-se-paralizo-el-transito-para-dejar-de-manejar-a-la-inglesa-y-circular-por-la-derecha/ El día en que en la Argentina se paralizó el tránsito para dejar de manejar “a la inglesa” y circular por la derecha] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250302170633/https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2024/06/10/el-dia-en-que-en-la-argentina-se-paralizo-el-transito-para-dejar-de-manejar-a-la-inglesa-y-circular-por-la-derecha/ |date=2 March 2025 }}, ''Infobae'', 10 June 2024 (in Spanish).</ref> Panama,<ref>[http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1943/04/25/page/10/article/panama-shifts-to-right-handed-driving-of-cars Panama Shifts To Right Handed Driving Of Cars] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111081559/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1943/04/25/page/10/article/panama-shifts-to-right-handed-driving-of-cars |date=11 January 2017 }}, ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', 25 April 1943</ref> Paraguay,<ref>[http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/abc-revista/enterese-1219611.html De izquierda a derecha] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303225444/http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/abc-revista/enterese-1219611.html |date=3 March 2018 }}, ''[[ABC Color]]'', 2 March 2014</ref> and Uruguay.<ref name="Autoblog"/>

[[Suriname]], along with neighbouring [[Guyana]], are the only two remaining LHT countries in [[South America]].<ref name="tbr2015" />

===Asia===
[[File:Lotus-bridge-macau.jpg|thumb|The [[Lótus Bridge|Lotus Bridge]] exchanges between LHT in [[Macau]] and RHT in [[mainland China]].]]

LHT was introduced by the UK in [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]] (now [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Myanmar]], and [[Bangladesh]]), [[British Malaya]] and [[British Borneo]] (now [[Malaysia]], Brunei and Singapore), as well as [[British Hong Kong]]. These countries, except Myanmar, are still LHT, as well as neighbouring countries [[Bhutan]] and [[Nepal]]. Myanmar switched to RHT in 1970,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.minordiversion.com/2012/03/the-unique-world-of-burmese-driving/|title=The Unique World of Burmese Driving|date=14 March 2012|website=a minor diversion|access-date=28 September 2015|archive-date=29 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929064533/http://www.minordiversion.com/2012/03/the-unique-world-of-burmese-driving/|url-status=live}}</ref> although much of its infrastructure is still geared to LHT as its neighbours India, Bangladesh and [[Thailand]] use LHT. Most cars are used RHD vehicles imported from Japan.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.ft.com/content/414ecaaa-cd09-11e6-b8ce-b9c03770f8b1 | title = Myanmar's car market set to take new direction | first1 = Motokazu | last1 = Matsui | first2 = Takemi | last2 = Nakagawa | newspaper = [[Financial Times]] | location = London | date = 2 January 2017 | archive-date = 22 February 2018 | access-date = 25 May 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180222230034/https://www.ft.com/content/414ecaaa-cd09-11e6-b8ce-b9c03770f8b1 | url-status = live }}</ref> [[Afghanistan]] was LHT until the 1950s, in line with Pakistan (former part of British India).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NubtDf2T3cAC&q=Right+hand+traffic+Afghanistan+by+Ghulam+Mohammad+Farhad%2C+the+Mayor+of+Kabul%2C%5B&pg=PA70|title=Inside Afghanistan: End of the Taliban Era?|first =L. R. |last = Reddy|publisher=APH|year=2002|isbn=9788176483193|access-date=31 August 2015}}</ref>

Although [[Portuguese Timor]] (present-day [[East Timor]]), which shares the island of [[Timor]] with [[Indonesia]], who is LHT, switched to RHT with [[Portugal]] in 1928,<ref name="kincaid" /> it switched back to LHT in 1976 during the [[Indonesian occupation of East Timor]].

In the 1930s, parts of [[China]] such as the [[Shanghai International Settlement]], [[Guangdong|Canton]] and Japanese-occupied [[Manchukuo|northeast China]] used LHT. However, in 1946 the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] made RHT mandatory in [[China]] (including [[Taiwan]]). Taiwan was LHT under [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Japanese colonization]] from 1895–1945. [[Portuguese Macau]] (present-day Macau) remained LHT, along with [[British Hong Kong]], despite being transferred to China in 1999 and 1997 respectively.

Both [[North Korea]] and [[South Korea]] use RHT since 1946, after liberation from [[Korea under Japanese rule|Japanese colonialization]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9QVNAQAAMAAJ&q=%22regulation+of+vehicular+and+pedestrian+traffic%22+ ''Summation: United States Army Military Government Activities in Korea''], 1946, page 12</ref>

The [[Philippines]] was mostly LHT during its [[History of the Philippines (1521–1898)|Spanish]]<ref>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/bibliotecabne/8219320037/ Plaza Mayor de Manila] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020070816/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bibliotecabne/8219320037/ |date=20 October 2017 }}, by [[José Honorato Lozano]] (1815/21(?)-1885), in the album [https://www.flickr.com/photos/bibliotecabne/sets/72157632106172948/ ''Vistas de las islas Filipinas y trajes de sus habitantes''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020070822/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bibliotecabne/sets/72157632106172948 |date=20 October 2017 }}, published 1847. Collection of the [[Biblioteca Nacional de España]].</ref> and [[History of the Philippines (1898–1946)|American]] colonial periods,<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/0m11Gs7Ubas Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160321135649/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m11Gs7Ubas Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m11Gs7Ubas|title=ESCOLTA MANILA PHILIPPINES- YEAR 1903|date=6 March 2010|via=YouTube|access-date=14 March 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ZOI6rc38Qic Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20091218073733/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOI6rc38Qic Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOI6rc38Qic|title=Manila – Castillian Memoirs 1930s|date=19 April 2008|via=YouTube|access-date=14 March 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> as well as during the [[Commonwealth of the Philippines|Commonwealth era]].<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/dvpbsyNcI3I Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20080625095622/http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=dvpbsyNcI3I Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvpbsyNcI3I|title=Manila, Queen of the Pacific 1938|date=6 May 2008|via=YouTube|access-date=14 March 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> During the [[Japanese occupation of the Philippines|Japanese occupation]], the Philippines remained LHT,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccftde6aZ4s|title=Manila Nostalgia: Dewey Boulevard during the Japanese occupation.|date=26 June 2013|via=YouTube|publisher=Manila Nostalgia|last=Goupal|first=Lou|access-date=14 March 2017|quote=Original video clips from a Japanese propaganda film shot in early 1942.|archive-date=6 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406115353/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccftde6aZ4s|url-status=live}}</ref> as was required by the Japanese;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topgear.com.ph/features/feature-articles/how-ph-became-a-left-hand-drive-country|title=How the Philippines became a left-hand-drive country|date=10 March 2015|website=[[Top Gear Philippines]]|last=Tadeo|first=Patrick Everett|access-date=14 March 2017}}</ref> but during the [[Battle of Manila (1945)|Battle of Manila]], the liberating American forces drove their tanks to the right for easier facilitation of movement. RHT was formalized in 1945 through a decree by president [[Sergio Osmeña]].<ref name="E.O. 34 1945">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1945/03/10/executive-order-no-34-s-1945/|title=Executive Order No. 34, s. 1945|work=officialgazzete.gov.ph|access-date=11 November 2017|archive-date=9 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032955/http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1945/03/10/executive-order-no-34-s-1945/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Even though RHT was formalized, RHD vehicles such as public buses were still imported into the Philippines until a law passed banning the importation of RHD vehicles except in special cases. These RHD vehicles are required to be converted to LHD.<ref name=":0" />

Japan was never part of the British Empire, but its traffic also drives on the left. Although this practice goes back to the Edo period (1603–1868), it was not until 1872 – the year Japan's first railway was introduced, built with technical aid from the British – that this unwritten rule received official acknowledgment. Gradually, a massive network of railways and tram tracks was built, with all railway vehicles driven on the left-hand side. However, it took another half-century, until 1924, until left-hand traffic was legally mandated. Post-[[World War II]] [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] was ruled by the [[United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands]] until 1972, and was RHT until [[730 (transport)|6 a.m. the morning of 30 July 1978, when it switched back to LHT]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Andrew H. |last=Malcolm |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0D1FFD355513728DDDAC0894DF405B888BF1D3 |title=U-Turn for Okinawa: From Right-Hand Driving to Left; Extra Policemen Assigned |work=The New York Times |date=5 July 1978 |page=A2 |archive-date=6 December 2013 |access-date=12 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206005913/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0D1FFD355513728DDDAC0894DF405B888BF1D3 |url-status=live }}</ref> The conversion operation was known as 730 (''Nana-San-Maru'', which refers to the date of the changeover). Okinawa is one of only a few places to have changed from RHT to LHT in the late 20th century. While Japan drives on the left and most Japanese vehicles are RHD, imported vehicles (e.g. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche) are generally bought as LHD since LHD cars are considered to be status symbols.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The birthplace of iconic cars, where cars with both left and right hand drive are allowed {{!}} Japan Motor |url=https://japan-motor.com/en/blog/post/how-popular-are-left-hand-drive-cars-japan |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=japan-motor.com |archive-date=7 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507113348/https://japan-motor.com/en/blog/post/how-popular-are-left-hand-drive-cars-japan |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Vietnam]] became RHT as part of [[French Indochina]], as did [[Laos]] and [[Cambodia]]. In Cambodia, RHD cars, many of which were smuggled from Thailand, were banned in 2001, even though they accounted for 80% of vehicles in the country.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1096303.stm|title=Cambodia bans right-hand drive cars|date=1 January 2001|publisher=BBC News|access-date=12 January 2007|archive-date=25 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225111204/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia-pacific/1096303.stm%20/default.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Europe===
In a study of the ancient traffic system of [[Pompeii]], Eric Poehler was able to show that drivers of carts drove in the middle of the road whenever possible. This was the case even on roads wide enough for two lanes.{{r|poehler|p=136}} The wear marks on the kerbstones, however, prove that when there were two lanes of traffic, and the volume of traffic made it necessary to divide the lanes, the drivers always drove on the right-hand side.{{r|poehler|pp=150–155}} These considerations can also be demonstrated in the archaeological findings of other cities in the [[Roman Empire]].<ref name="poehler">{{cite book |first=Eric E. |last=Poehler |title=The Traffic System of Pompeii |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=[[New York City|New York]] |year=2017 |isbn=9780190614676 |oclc=1105466950}}</ref>{{rp|pp=218–219}}

One of the first references in England to requiring traffic direction was an order by the London [[Court of Aldermen]] in 1669, requiring a man to be posted on [[London Bridge]] to ensure that "all cartes going to keep on the one side and all cartes coming to keep on the other side".<ref>{{cite thesis |last1=Latham |first1=Mark |title=The London Bridge Improvement Act of 1756: A Study of Early Modern Urban Finance and Administration |url=https://figshare.com/articles/The_London_Bridge_Improvement_Act_of_1756_A_Study_of_Early_Modern_Urban_Finance_and_Administration/10097465 |publisher=University of Leicester|date=18 December 2009|type=PhD}}</ref> It was later legislated as the [[London Bridge Act 1756]] ([[29 Geo. 2]] c. 40), which required that "all carriages passing over the said bridge from London shall go on the east side thereof" – those going south to remain on the east, i.e. the left-hand side by direction of travel.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Statutes at Large from the 26th to the 30th Year of King George III |date=1766 |publisher=Printed by J. Bentham |url=https://archive.org/details/statutesatlarge57britgoog/page/n574/mode/2up}}</ref> This may represent the first statutory requirement for LHT.<ref name="hamer">{{cite journal|last1=Hamer|first1=Mike|date=25 December 1986 – 1 January 1987|title=Left is right on the road|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qfak8nsMNGIC&pg=PA16|journal=New Scientist|issue=20 December 1986/1 January 1987|pages=16–18|access-date=7 October 2016}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In the [[Kingdom of Ireland]], a law of 1793 (33 Geo. 3. c. 56 (I)) provided a ten-[[shilling]] fine to anyone not driving or riding on the left side of the road within the [[county of the city]] of [[Dublin]], and required the local road overseers to erect written or printed notices informing road users of the law.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6oZRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA798 |title=Statutes Passed in the Parliaments Held in Ireland |volume=1789–1793|date=14 August 1799|publisher=George Grierson, printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty}}</ref> The [[Road in Down and Antrim Act 1798]] (38 Geo. 3. c. 28 (I)) required drivers on the road from Dublin to [[Donadea]] to keep to the left. This time, the punishment was ten shillings if the offender was not the owner of the vehicle, or one [[Irish pound]] (twenty shillings) if he/she was.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0G9BAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA416 |title=Statutes Passed in the Parliaments Held in Ireland ...: From the Third Year of Edward the Second, A.D. 1310 [to the Fortieth Year of George III A.D. 1800, Inclusive].|date=14 August 1799|publisher=G. Grierson, printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty}}</ref> The [[Grand Juries (Ireland) Act 1836]] ([[6 & 7 Will. 4]] c. 116) mandated LHT for the whole country, violators to be fined up to five shillings and imprisoned in default for up to one month.<ref>{{cite book |title=A collection of the public general statutes |date=1836 |publisher=Eyre and Spottiswoode |location=London |pages=1030–1031 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/acollectionpubl01britgoog/page/1030 |chapter=6 & 7 Will. 4 c. 116 s.156 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

An oft-repeated story is that [[Napoleon]] changed the custom from LHT to RHT in France and the countries he conquered after the [[French Revolution]]. Scholars who have looked for documentary evidence of this story have found none, and contemporary sources have not surfaced, {{as of|1999|lc=y|post=.}}<ref name="watson" /><!-- Not true there are earlier source 1954 https://www.google.de/books/edition/Einigkeit/jdFZAAAAYAAJ?hl=de&gbpv=1&bsq=napoleon+rechtsverkehr&dq=napoleon+rechtsverkehr&printsec=frontcover --> In 1827, twelve years after Napoleon's reign, Edward Planta wrote that, in [[Paris]], "The coachmen have no established rule by which they drive on the right or left of the road, but they cross and jostle one another without ceremony."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jGMDAAAAQAAJ&q=%22drive+on+the+right%22&pg=RA1-PA118|title=A New Picture of Paris, Or, The Stranger's Guide to the French Metropolis: Also, a Description of the Environs of Paris|first=Edward|last=Planta|date=30 June 1831|publisher=S. Leigh and Baldwin and Cradock}}</ref>

Rotterdam had no fixed rules until 1917,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.engelfriet.net/Alie/Hans/rechtsrijden.htm |title=De geschiedenis van het linksrijden |publisher=Engelfriet.net |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-date=25 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225111208/http://www.engelfriet.net/Alie/Hans/rechtsrijden.htm%20 |url-status=live }}</ref> although the rest of the Netherlands was RHT. In May 1917 the police in Rotterdam ended traffic chaos by enforcing right hand traffic.

In Russia, in 1709, the Danish envoy under Tsar [[Peter the Great]] noted the widespread custom for traffic in Russia to pass on the right, but it was only in 1752 that [[Elizabeth of Russia|Empress Elizabeth]] officially issued an edict for traffic to keep to the right.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldstandards.eu/cars/driving-on-the-left/ |title=Why do some countries drive on the left and others on the right? |work=WorldStandards.eu |access-date=20 July 2021 |archive-date=12 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712123607/https://www.worldstandards.eu/cars/driving-on-the-left/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Ecke Kärntnerstraße Annagasse mit Werbetafel Tabarin und Chapeau Rouge ca 1930.jpg|thumb|Left-hand traffic in [[Vienna]], Austria, {{circa|1930}}]]
[[File:Danish motorcyclists about to cross the border between Sweden and Norway in 1934.png|thumb|Border sign showing change of traffic direction between Sweden and Norway in 1934]]
After the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]] broke up, the resulting countries gradually changed to RHT. In Austria, [[Vorarlberg]] switched in 1921,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vasold |first1=Manfred |year=2010 |title=Obacht! Linksverkehr |url=http://www.deutsches-museum.de/fileadmin/Content/data/020_Dokumente/040_KuT_Artikel/2010/34-2-57.pdf |journal=Kultur & Technik |access-date=13 December 2016 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923223325/http://www.deutsches-museum.de/fileadmin/Content/data/020_Dokumente/040_KuT_Artikel/2010/34-2-57.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> [[North Tyrol]] in 1930, [[Carinthia]] and [[East Tyrol]] in 1935, and the rest of the country in 1938.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://graz.radln.net/cms/beitrag/10908163/36832857/ |title=1938 wechselte man nicht nur die Straßenseite – ARGUS Steiermark – DIE RADLOBBY |website=graz.radln.net |access-date=2019-04-04 |archive-date=4 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404115510/http://graz.radln.net/cms/beitrag/10908163/36832857/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In [[Romania]], [[Transylvania]], the [[Banat]] and [[Bukovina]] were LHT until 1919, while [[Wallachia]] and [[Moldavia]] were already RHT. [[Partitions of Poland]] belonging to the [[German Empire]] and the [[Russian Empire]] were RHT, while the former [[Austrian Partition]] changed in the 1920s.<ref name="Komunikacja.krakow.eurocity.pl">{{cite web |url=http://komunikacja.krakow.eurocity.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=412&Itemid=226 |title=Krakowska Komunikacja Miejska – autobusy, tramwaje i krakowskie inwestycje drogowe – History of the Cracow tram network |date=3 March 2006 |publisher=Komunikacja.krakow.eurocity.pl |access-date=11 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516030528/http://komunikacja.krakow.eurocity.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=412&Itemid=226 |archive-date=16 May 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Croatia-Slavonia switched on joining the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] in 1918, although [[Istria County|Istria]] and [[Dalmatia]] were already RHT.<ref name="croatiaslavonia">{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/details/01703017.5423.emory.edu |title=Austria, including Hungary, Transylvania, Dalmatia and Bosnia |last=Baedeker |first=Karl |access-date=28 July 2017 |year=1900 |page=xiii–xiv |quote="In Styria, Upper and Lower Austria, Salzburg, Carniola, Croatia, and Hungary we keep to the left, and pass to the right in overtaking; in Carinthia, Tyrol, and the Austrian Littoral (Adriatic coast: Trieste, Gorizia and Gradisca, Istria and Dalmatia) we keep to the right and overtake to the left. Troops on the march always keep to the right side of the road, so in whatever part of the Empire you meet them, keep to the left."}}</ref> The [[switch to right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia|switch in Czechoslovakia]] from LHT to RHT had been planned for 1939, but was accelerated by the start of the [[German occupation of Czechoslovakia]] that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/seventy-five-years-of-driving-on-the-right |title=Seventy-five years of driving on the right |date=18 March 2014 |publisher=[[Radio Prague]] |access-date=1 April 2017 |archive-date=1 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401233010/http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/seventy-five-years-of-driving-on-the-right |url-status=live }}</ref>

In Italy, it had been decreed in 1901 that each [[Provinces of Italy|province]] define its own [[traffic code]], including the handedness of traffic,<ref name=biocca/> and the 1903 [[Baedeker]] guide reported that the rule of the road varied by region.<ref name="mcmanus"/> For example, in [[Northern Italy]], the provinces of [[Province of Brescia|Brescia]], [[Province of Como|Como]], [[Province of Vicenza|Vicenza]], and [[Province of Ravenna|Ravenna]] were RHT while nearby provinces of [[Province of Lecco|Lecco]], [[Province of Verona|Verona]], and [[Province of Varese|Varese]] were LHT,<ref name=biocca/> as were the cities [[Milan]], [[Turin]], and [[Florence]].<ref name="mcmanus">{{cite book |last1=McManus |first1=Chris |title=Right Hand Left Hand: the origins of asymmetry in brains, bodies, atoms, and cultures |date=2002 |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=0-674-00953-3 |page=247 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=20oza63ZuG4C |access-date=5 November 2019}}</ref> In 1915, [[allies of World War I|allied]] forces of [[World War I]] imposed LHT in areas of military operation, but this was revoked in 1918. [[Rome]] was reported by [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]] as LHT in the 1780s. [[Naples]] was also LHT although surrounding areas were often RHT. In cities, LHT was considered safer since pedestrians, accustomed to keeping right, could better see oncoming vehicular traffic.<ref name=biocca/> In 1923 [[Benito Mussolini]] decreed that all LHT areas would gradually transition to RHT.<ref name=biocca>{{cite web |last1=Biocca |first1=Dario |title=Quando l' Italia si buttò a destra |url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2011/07/24/quando-italia-si-butto-destra.html |website=[[la Repubblica]] |access-date=4 November 2019 |language=it |date=2011-07-24}}</ref>

Portugal switched to RHT in 1928.<ref name="kincaid" />

Finland, formerly part of LHT Sweden, switched to RHT in 1858 as the [[Grand Duchy of Finland]] by Russian decree.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.aland.net/bosse/hogertrafik.htm|title=Högertrafik i Sverige och Finland|work=aland.net|access-date=1 April 2015|archive-date=25 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225111215/http://home.aland.net/bosse/hogertrafik.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Spain switched to RHT in 1918, but not in the entire country. In [[Madrid]] people continued to drive on the left until 1924 when a national law forced drivers in Madrid switch to RHT.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://revista.dgt.es/es/motor/noticias/2020/07JULIO/0715-Conducir-derecha.shtml#:~:text=El%2066%25%20de%20la%20poblaci%C3%B3n,se%20iba%20por%20la%20izquierda.|title=¿Por qué circulamos por la derecha?|work=dgt.es|access-date=2 January 2024|archive-date=2 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240102175451/https://revista.dgt.es/es/motor/noticias/2020/07JULIO/0715-Conducir-derecha.shtml#:~:text=El%2066%25%20de%20la%20poblaci%C3%B3n,se%20iba%20por%20la%20izquierda.|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Madrid Metro]] still uses LHT.

Sweden switched to RHT in 1967, having been LHT from about 1734<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vardo.aland.fi/hogertrafik.htm|title=Högertrafik|publisher=vardo.aland.fi|language=sv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203201537/http://www.vardo.aland.fi/hogertrafik.htm|archive-date=3 December 2007|access-date=11 August 2006}}</ref> despite having land borders with RHT countries [[Norway]] and Finland, and approximately 90% of cars being left-hand drive (LHD).<ref name="Réalités">[https://books.google.com/books?id=TdYnAQAAIAAJ&q=%22left+hand+drive%22 ''Réalités''], Issues 200–205, Société d'études et publications économiques, 1967, page 95</ref> [[1955 Swedish driving side referendum|A referendum in 1955]] overwhelmingly rejected a change to RHT, but, a few years later, the government ordered it and it occurred on Sunday, 3 September 1967<ref>{{cite web|url=http://realscandinavia.com/this-day-in-history-swedish-traffic-switches-sides-september-3-1967/|title=This Day in History: Swedish Traffic Switches Sides – September 3, 1967|date=3 September 2014|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-date=19 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519070802/http://realscandinavia.com/this-day-in-history-swedish-traffic-switches-sides-september-3-1967/|url-status=live}}</ref> at 5&nbsp;am. The accident rate then dropped sharply,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C941144%2C00.html|title=Sweden: Switch to the Right|date=15 September 1967|magazine=Time|access-date=31 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018034155/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,941144,00.html|archive-date=18 October 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> but soon rose to near its original level.<ref name="salon20090814">{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/08/14/driving_on_left/|title=Salon News: Whose side of the road are you on?|last=Mieszkowski|first=Katharine|date=14 August 2009|work=Salon|access-date=12 December 2010|archive-date=21 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121005051/http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/08/14/driving_on_left/|url-status=live}}</ref> The day was known as Högertrafikomläggningen, or [[Dagen H]] for short.

When Iceland switched to RHT the following year, it was known as ''Hægri dagurinn'' or ''[[H-dagurinn]]'' ("The H-Day").<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2013/05/26/45_ar_fra_haegri_umferd/|title=45 ár frá hægri umferð|work=[[Morgunblaðið]]|date=26 May 2013|language=is|trans-title=45 years with right-hand traffic|archive-date=7 July 2019|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707155602/https://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2013/05/26/45_ar_fra_haegri_umferd/|url-status=live}}</ref> Most passenger cars in Iceland were already LHD.

The United Kingdom is LHT, but two of its [[British Overseas Territory|overseas territories]], [[Gibraltar]] and the [[British Indian Ocean Territory]], are RHT. In the late 1960s, the British [[Department for Transport]] considered switching to RHT, but declared it unsafe and too costly for such a built-up nation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8239048.stm|title=Could the UK drive on the right?|first=Tom|last=Geoghegan|date=7 September 2009|publisher=BBC News|access-date=4 July 2012|archive-date=1 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801220244/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8239048.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Road building standards, for motorways in particular, allow asymmetrically designed road junctions, where merge and diverge lanes differ in length.<ref>{{cite journal|year=2006|title=Layout of Grade Separated Junctions|url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/dmrb/vol6/section2/td2206.pdf|publisher=The Highways Agency|journal=Design Manual for Roads and Bridges|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504112611/http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/dmrb/vol6/section2/td2206.pdf|archive-date=2011-05-04|pages=4.9ff}}
</ref>

Today, four countries in Europe continue to use LHT, all island nations: the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland (formerly part of the UK), [[Cyprus]] and [[Malta]] (both former British colonies).

=== Oceania ===
[[File:drive on left in australia.jpg|thumb|upright|A sign on the [[Great Ocean Road]], heavily visited by international tourists, reminding motorists to keep left in Australia]]

Many former British colonies in the region have always been LHT, including Australia, New Zealand, [[Fiji]], [[Kiribati]], [[Solomon Islands]], [[Tonga]], and [[Tuvalu]]; and nations that were previously administered by Australia: [[Nauru]] and [[Papua New Guinea]].

==== New Zealand ====
[[File:Drive on the left in NZ 20171228.jpg|thumb|Multilingual sign at [[Waiotapu]] to remind tourists to drive on the left in [[New Zealand]].]]
Initially traffic was slow and very sparse, but, as early as 1856, a newspaper said, "The cart was near to the right hand kerb. According to the rules of the road, it should have been on the left side. In turning sharp round a right-hand corner, a driver should keep away to the opposite side." That rule was codified when the first [[New Zealand Road Code#History|Highway Code]] was written in 1936.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 December 1936 |title=ROAD SAFETY. OTAGO DAILY TIMES |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19361204.2.13.9 |access-date=2021-10-27 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}}</ref>

==== Samoa ====
[[Samoa]], a former German colony, had been RHT for more than a century, but switched to LHT in 2009,<ref name="BBC Samoa">{{Cite news | title = Samoan cars ready to switch sides | publisher = BBC News | date = 7 September 2009 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8240992.stm | access-date = 7 September 2009 | first = Nick | last = Bryant | archive-date = 25 February 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210225045819/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8240992.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> making it the first territory in almost 30 years to change sides.<ref name="reuters Samoa" /> The move was legislated in 2008 to allow Samoans to use cheaper vehicles imported from Australia, New Zealand, or Japan, and to harmonise with other South Pacific nations. A political party, [[The People's Party (Samoa)|The People's Party]], was formed by the group People Against Switching Sides (PASS) to protest against the change, with PASS launching a legal challenge;<ref>{{cite web |last1=Whitley |first1=David |title=Samoa provokes fury by switching sides of the road |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/5732906/Samoa-provokes-fury-by-switching-sides-of-the-road.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/5732906/Samoa-provokes-fury-by-switching-sides-of-the-road.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | date = 3 July 2009 | website=The Telegraph |access-date=12 September 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> in April 2008 an estimated 18,000 people attended demonstrations against switching.<ref name="BBC Samoa2">{{Cite news | title = Samoa drivers brace for left turn | publisher = BBC News | date = 6 September 2009 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8236773.stm | access-date = 7 September 2009 | first = Michael | last = Dobie | archive-date = 24 February 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220224122801/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8236773.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> The motor industry was also opposed, as 14,000 of Samoa's 18,000 vehicles were designed for RHT and the government refused to meet the cost of conversion.<ref name="reuters Samoa">{{Cite news|  title =Outcry as Samoa motorists prepare to drive on left|  work =Reuters| date = 7 September 2009 | url = https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE5861QV20090907| access-date = 7 September 2009| first=Pauline| last=Askin}}</ref> After months of preparation, the switch from right to left happened in an atmosphere of national celebration. There were no reported incidents.<ref name="wsj" /> At 05:50 local time, Monday 7 September, a radio announcement halted traffic, and an announcement at 6:00 ordered traffic to switch to LHT.<ref name="BBC Samoa" /> The change coincided with more restrictive enforcement of speeding and seat-belt laws.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/samoan-drivers-change-from-right-hand-side-of-the-road-to-the-left/story-e6frf7lf-1225770454009 |title=Samoan drivers change from right-hand side of the road to the left |work=Herald Sun |access-date=31 October 2012}}</ref> That day and the following were declared public holidays, to reduce traffic.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10523412 |title=Samoa announces driving switch date|work=The New Zealand Herald |date= 25 July 2008|access-date=10 June 2012 |first=Cherelle |last=Jackson}}</ref> The change included a three-day ban on alcohol sales, while police mounted dozens of checkpoints, warning drivers to drive slowly.<ref name="wsj" />

=== Potential future shifts ===
{{update section|date=September 2023}}
[[Rwanda]] and [[Burundi]], former Belgian colonies in [[Central Africa]], are RHT but are considering switching to LHT<ref name="rwandaburundi">{{cite news|url=https://24tanzania.com/burundi-rwanda-to-start-driving-on-the-left/|title=Burundi, Rwanda to start driving on the left|last=Nkwame|first=Marc|date=27 July 2013|newspaper=DailyNews Online|access-date=28 May 2016|archive-date=25 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225111224/https://24tanzania.com/burundi-rwanda-to-start-driving-on-the-left/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="rwandatransport">{{cite web|url=http://www.rwandatransport.com/2013/07/rwanda-to-adopt-eac-driving-standards/|title=Rwanda to adopt EAC driving standards|author=Peter|work=Rwanda Transport|access-date=12 August 2013|archive-date=25 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225111124/http://www.rwandatransport.com/2013/07/rwanda-to-adopt-eac-driving-standards/|url-status=dead}}</ref> like neighbouring members of the [[East African Community]] (EAC).<ref name="independent1">{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.co.ug/index.php/news/regional-news/78-regional-news/1458-rwanda-wants-to-drive-on-the-left |title=Rwanda wants to drive on the left |publisher=Independent.co.ug |date=3 June 2012 |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-date=14 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314061551/http://www.independent.co.ug/index.php/news/regional-news/78-regional-news/1458-rwanda-wants-to-drive-on-the-left |url-status=dead }}</ref> A survey in 2009 found that 54% of Rwandans favoured the switch. Reasons cited were the perceived lower costs of RHD vehicles, easier maintenance and the political benefit of harmonising traffic regulations with other EAC countries. The survey indicated that RHD cars were 16% to 49% cheaper than their LHD counterparts.<ref name="business">{{cite web |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201009271438.html |title=East Africa: Rwanda Looks to the Left |publisher=allAfrica.com |date=27 September 2010 |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-date=20 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020071830/http://allafrica.com/stories/201009271438.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014, an internal report by consultants to the Ministry of Infrastructure recommended a switch to LHT.<ref name="ETRR">{{cite journal|last1=Bari|first1=Mahabubul|title=The study of the possibility of switching driving side in Rwanda|journal=European Transport Research Review|volume=6|issue=4|pages=439–453|date=29 July 2014|doi=10.1007/s12544-014-0144-2|bibcode=2014ETRR....6..439B |doi-access=free | issn=1866-8887}}</ref> In 2015, the ban on RHD vehicles was lifted; RHD trucks from neighbouring countries cost $1,000 less than LHD models imported from Europe.<ref>[https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/Business/Right-hand-drive-vehicles-return-on-Rwandan-roads-/1433224-2652722-1hwl76/index.html Right-hand-drive vehicles return on Rwandan roads] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319050229/https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/Business/Right-hand-drive-vehicles-return-on-Rwandan-roads-/1433224-2652722-1hwl76/index.html |date=19 March 2020 }}, ''[[The East African]]'', 13 March 2015</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Tumwebaze|first1=Peterson|title=Govt okays importation of RHD trucks, to decide on other vehicle categories in October|url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2014-09-09/538/business-govt-okays-importation-of-right-hand-drive-trucks,-to-decide-on-other-vehicle-categories-in-october|access-date=29 October 2014|work=The New Times|date=9 September 2014|ref=newtimes2}}</ref>