# Why do some countries drive on the right and some on the left? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 23, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573 "2006-11-23T19:16:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/1 "2006-11-23T19:16:29Z")
I am sure this has been asked and answered, but I am too lazy to look it up right now. Does anyone have a quick answer to this? Why do some countries drive on the right and some on the left? ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/2 "2006-11-23T19:27:56Z")
AFAIK, as a general rule, all the commonwealth colonies drive on the left. Everywhere else drives on the right. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Rosewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Mr.Rosewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Rosewater)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/3 "2006-11-23T19:42:56Z")
[QUOTE=Shalmanese] AFAIK, as a general rule, all the commonwealth colonies drive on the left. Everywhere else drives on the right. [/QUOTE] Don’t forget Japan, they drive on the left as well. [This](http://www.i18nguy.com/driver-side.html) site has some interesting information of left/right driving. Including some mentions of why various laws or decrees were made. At the bottom there is also a list of countries indicating which side they drive on. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/4 "2006-11-23T19:55:14Z")
[The Master speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_021b.html) ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/5 "2006-11-24T15:22:04Z")
Not to sound nitpicky, but countries can’t drive. ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/6 "2006-11-24T16:05:16Z")
[QUOTE=Shalmanese] AFAIK, as a general rule, all the commonwealth colonies drive on the left. Everywhere else drives on the right. [/QUOTE] Especially Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/7 "2006-11-24T16:12:16Z")
When I assume control of this country I’m going to make everybody drive on the right. Of course, there will be a transitional period during which people can drive on both sides of the road. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/8 "2006-11-24T16:12:19Z")
[QUOTE=hermann] Not to sound nitpicky, but countries can’t drive. [/QUOTE] Especially Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/9 "2006-11-24T16:25:16Z")
[QUOTE=aldiboronti] Especially Canada. [/QUOTE] You take that back! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/10 "2006-11-24T17:45:31Z")
[QUOTE=Chez Guevara] When I assume control of this country I’m going to make everybody drive on the right. Of course, there will be a transitional period during which people can drive on both sides of the road. [/QUOTE] No, no, NO! The transition works this way: _during the first week of transition **only trucks and busses** (lorries and coaches to you :p) drive on the right, everyone else still drives on the left._ I leave the following steps as an exercise for the reader… ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/11 "2006-11-24T17:52:44Z")
This might be an urban legend, but I’ve heard that one of the Scandanavian countries (either Norway or Sweden) used to drive on the left, but eventually they decided that they wanted to drive on the right like everyone else does. They set a date when, at midnight, the entire country would switch over to the other side of the road. The result? Nationwide gridlock, as everyone went out at the stroke of midnight so they could be the first to drive on the right :smack: ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/12 "2006-11-24T17:53:14Z")
[QUOTE=Noone Special] No, no, NO! The transition works this way: _during the first week of transition **only trucks and busses** (lorries and coaches to you :p) drive on the right, everyone else still drives on the left._ I leave the following steps as an exercise for the reader… [/QUOTE] Yup. That’s the way to do it. At least that’s how they did it in Sweden. ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/13 "2006-11-24T18:01:04Z")
While many of the former British colonies retain driving on the left, we drive on the right in Gibraltar, which is still a British colony. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/14 "2006-11-24T18:04:16Z")
Japan drives on the left. They were never in the British fold, but did probably pick it up from the British. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/15 "2006-11-24T18:11:53Z")
[QUOTE=Diceman] This might be an urban legend, but I’ve heard that one of the Scandanavian countries (either Norway or Sweden) used to drive on the left, but eventually they decided that they wanted to drive on the right like everyone else does. They set a date when, at midnight, the entire country would switch over to the other side of the road. The result? Nationwide gridlock, as everyone went out at the stroke of midnight so they could be the first to drive on the right :smack: [/QUOTE] > **[Dagen H](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagen_H)** > > Dagen H (H-day), today usually called "Högertrafikomläggningen" (lit. 'the right-hand traffic reorganisation'), was on 3 September 1967, the day on which Sweden switched from driving on the left-hand side of the road to the right. The "H" stands for "Högertrafik", the Swedish word for right-hand traffic. It was by far the largest logistical event in Sweden's history. There were various arguments for the change: ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/16 "2006-11-25T01:44:16Z")
[QUOTE=Shalmanese] all the commonwealth colonies drive on the left. Everywhere else drives on the right. [/QUOTE] Here’s a good trivia question: There’s a place in US territory where traffic keeps to the left (mostly with LHD cars). This place was never under British rule. What is it? The US Virgin Islands. It’s said they acquired the habit when under Danish rule, and never lost it. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/17 "2006-11-25T03:58:56Z")
I always enjoy seeing this question asked here because it reminds me of how, researching it some ten years ago, I first discovered The Straight Dope column (back then, only available on AOL!)… ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/18 "2006-11-25T08:06:21Z")
Nigeria changed over from driving on the left to driving on the right. One reason I heard was that the country is boarded by mostly ex-French colonies and made cross-border driving easier. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/19 "2006-11-25T09:51:58Z")
There’s a place under British rule that drives on the right hand side of the road: British Indian Ocean Territory. Another interesting tidbit is the local currency is the US Dollar. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573/20 "2006-11-25T11:14:32Z")
[QUOTE=Chez Guevara] When I assume control of this country I’m going to make everybody drive on the right. Of course, there will be a transitional period during which people can drive on both sides of the road. [/QUOTE] In Manchester city centre I’ve noticed that people drive pretty much where they bloody feel like :eek: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-on-the-left/381573.md?page=2)