Has any country changed the side of the road they drive on?

H stands for Högertrafikomläggningen, or the Right-Hand Traffic Diversion. On Sunday, September 3, 1967, Sweden changed from driving on the left-hand side of the road to driving on the right. As you might imagine, this switch was anything but easy.

Will the UK ever switch to left hand drive?

Could Britain drive on the right? It is not impossible for a country to switch from one side of the road to the other. It isn’t impossible for a country to switch from one side of the road to the other.

How do countries decide which side of the road to drive on?

It depends on who you ask. About 75\% of the world drives on the right side of the road. Once traffic regulation laws started becoming more common, most countries chose right-hand driving, while in 1835, Britain and its colonies made left handed driving mandatory.

How did countries end up driving on different sides of the road?

The practice is believed to date back to ancient Rome. Romans steered their carts and chariots with the left hand, to free up the right so they could use weapons to defend against enemy attacks. This carried over into medieval Europe and in 1773, the British government passed measures to make left-hand traffic the law.

Does Saudi Arabia drive on the left?

Cars in Saudi Arabia are left-hand drive. Automatic transmission is standard.

Why did Sweden switch sides?

Sweden initiated the driving change in part because its neighbors already drove on the right side of the road. Many members of the Swedish parliament also argued that the left-hand vehicles Swedes drove had caused too many head-on collisions.

Why do US and UK drive on different sides?

In the early years of English colonisation of North America, English driving customs were followed and the colonies drove on the left. After gaining independence from England, however, they were anxious to cast off all remaining links with their British colonial past and gradually changed to right-hand driving.

Did Norway ever drive on the left?

At the time, Sweden was the only country in the vicinity with left-hand driving, creating traffic flow inconsistencies with neighbors Norway and Finland. Most Swedes drove left-hand drive vehicles like we have here in the States, making the original traffic arrangement a bit awkward as far as visibility.

Should Britain switch from one side of the road to another?

It is perfectly possible for a country to switch from one side of the road to the other. In the sixties and seventies, Sweden, Iceland, Nigeria and Ghana all swapped sides without much of a problem. But is Britain ever going to drive on the right side of the road?

When did driving change from left to right?

Over the course of the 20th century, there was a gradual worldwide shift from driving on the left to the right. Portugal changed to right-hand traffic in 1928, and the parts of Canada which were still driving on the left changed over by 1923.

When did Sweden change from left side to right side driving?

On Sunday, September 3, 1967, Sweden changed from driving on the left-hand side of the road to driving on the right. As you might imagine, this switch was anything but easy. However, in May 1963 the Swedish Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of implementing the switch to right-side driving.

Which countries have changed the direction of the road?

The Latin American countries of Panama and Argentina changed in 1943 and 1945 respectively, and the Philippines and China followed suit in 1945 and 1946 respectively. Belize changed to right-hand traffic in 1961. Sweden changed in 1967 and Iceland did as well in 1968. Burma changed, allegedly on the advice of a wizard, [15] in 1970.