Samoa switches driving side

[orudge]

Hmm, interesting, part of Japan switched from right-hand to left-hand driving in 1978 (it had been left-hand until after World War II, when the US decided to impose right-hand driving). Additionally, Iceland changed in 1968, from left to right. A couple of other Wikipedia articles on other countries changing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagen_H
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switch_to_ ... hoslovakia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and ... nd_traffic

[beeb375]

Hmm, interesting, part of Japan switched from right-hand to left-hand driving in 1978 (it had been left-hand until after World War II, when the US decided to impose right-hand driving).

I think one of the Japanese islands that the Americans had occupied changed from right to left in the seventies to bring itself into line with the rest of Japan.

[Ploes]

Hmm, interesting, part of Japan switched from right-hand to left-hand driving in 1978 (it had been left-hand until after World War II, when the US decided to impose right-hand driving).

Yeah, Wikipedia says Okinawa changed back to driving on the left six years, at 06:00 on 30 July 1978.

I think one of the Japanese islands that the Americans had occupied changed from right to left in the seventies to bring itself into line with the rest of Japan.

[AndersI]

From Wikipedia: Link (note the multiple sources):

Research in 1969 by J. J. Leeming showed countries driving on the left have a lower collision rate than countries driving on the right. It has been suggested this is partly because humans are more commonly right-eye dominant than left-eye dominant [snip]

Wouldn't the need for changing gear with the 'wrong' hand offset this? At least in Sweden, the collision rate has gone down since we changed to driving on the right side (we've always mainly used cars with the steering wheel to the left) - but there are many reasons for that, most of them much more important than 'eyedness'.

[Chrill]

Sweden changed in 1967 on "Dagen H". Apparently there was a drop in accidents for the first two years, and then accident rates went back up to their pre-switch level.

Well, yes, as Anders said. I was not around at the time, but this picture tells the tale:

[Auge]

Hello

Because all their neighbours drive on the left.

Also note, the population of the islands is only 160000.

An additional fact is, that most people (more than 100000) are working in Australia and New Zealand (-> "all their neighbours").

About Austria: They changed from the left to the right side between 1921 and 1938 (last parts of the country after the german occupation).

map of countries with right driving (red) and left driving (blue)

Tschö, Auge

[noofnoof]

Hello

Because all their neighbours drive on the left.

Also note, the population of the islands is only 160000.

An additional fact is, that most people (more than 100000) are working in Australia and New Zealand (-> "all their neighbours").

About Austria: They changed from the left to the right side between 1921 and 1938 (last parts of the country after the german occupation).

map of countries with right driving (red) and left driving (blue)

Tschö, Auge

Isnt that a map of the former british empire?

[Auge]

map of countries with right driving (red) and left driving (blue)

Isnt that a map of the former british empire?

Only a very little bit. Two examples: Canada (as a former british colony) is red, Mozambique (was a portuguese colony) is blue.

Tschö, Auge

[Kevo00]

Britain didn't colonize Japan or Indonesia either!

[lawton27]

Britain didn't colonize Japan or Indonesia either!

I think it was a joke

[teccuk]

Britain didn't colonize Japan or Indonesia either!

I think it was a joke

And additionally apart from examples such as the ones mentioned above, it basically is a map of the former British empire.

On the French metro note, Lyon's metro drives on the left. This was confusing as in many stations you have to go down to platform from street and you can't cross platforms once in the station. So you assumed that the train went the same way as the traffic, but no, it was the other way around.

[noofnoof]

Britain didn't colonize Japan or Indonesia either!

I think it was a joke

yay someone got it. hence the wink...

[sotavento]

map of countries with right driving (red) and left driving (blue)

Isnt that a map of the former british empire?

Only a very little bit. Two examples: Canada (as a former british colony) is red, Mozambique (was a portuguese colony) is blue.

Tschö, Auge

The portuguese "empire" was entirely left hand drive.

We only changed to "road" right hand drive in the european/Atlantic territories in the 1920's ... colonies isolated changed to right hand drive ... colonies neighbouring a big left hand driving country remained the same (mozambique/South Africa , Goa/India and Macau/China) due to sinergies (a.k.a. buying cars there would be cheaper in the end).

Some aditional info about right/left hand driving.

USA = changed from left to right as a reaction to the ex.imperialistic british left hand drive.
Netherlands , Egipt = right hand due to napoleon invasion ... all other british and duthc colonies have left hand drive
Canada = it was right hand drive in the french areas and left hand drive in the english areas ... after WW2 they changed entirely to right hand drive
Most of the countries where napoleon invaded got some (or all) traffic going right hand ... spain had areas that run in the left and areas that run on the right ... like portugal most southern european countries choose to "uniformize" in the 1920's /1930's in righ hand drive (well prior to any NAZI invasion wich in fact never set foot in those countries at all).

Offtopic: when I rented a car in the UK for the first time it took me as much as 10m to learn how to drive on the left ... anyone who HAD previously rode on the front passenger seat of a car on the autoestrada/motorway can easily adapt ... much more dificult is to learn how to deal with the "extensive network" of ... single lane roads in the UK.

[Auge]

... spain had areas that run in the left and areas that run on the right ... like portugal most southern european countries choose to "uniformize" in the 1920's /1930's in righ hand drive (well prior to any NAZI invasion wich in fact never set foot in those countries at all).

Wich countries you are talking about (those with no nazi foot print)?

Tschö, Auge

[JamieLei]

Offtopic: when I rented a car in the UK for the first time it took me as much as 10m to learn how to drive on the left ... anyone who HAD previously rode on the front passenger seat of a car on the autoestrada/motorway can easily adapt ... much more dificult is to learn how to deal with the "extensive network" of ... single lane roads in the UK.

Single lane roads?... - I don't follow!

[orudge]

I presume he means single-carriageway roads.

[Kevo00]

And not single track roads, of which a few still exist in the Scottish Highlands!

Surely the continent has a lot of single carriageways too?

[Ameecher]

And not single track roads, of which a few still exist in the Scottish Highlands!

Surely the continent has a lot of single carriageways too?

Single Track A roads, there are lots of single track roads in rural areas.

[JamieLei]

Actually I sortof see what he means - in many Spanish and Portugese cities, the roads are uniformly two-lanes in each way except for a few side streets.

Eg: this is a back street in Barcelona:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Barcelo ... .1,,0,5.38 (wait for StreetView to load)

[audigex]

The UK has a ridiculous variety of roads.

Motorways can vary from 1-4 lanes in each direction (possibly 5?)
Dual carriageways can vary from 1-3 lanes in each direction
Single carriageways can have 1-2 lanes in each direction
Junctions can have 1-5 lanes

An A road can just as easily be 3 lanes each direction, as a single track (ie one direction at a time)
B roads regularly have single track sections

Our system is particularly random compared to countries where the road layout was planned. Ours has a strange system of some roads being based on ancient rights of way, and others being perfectly planned.