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{{short description|Directionality of traffic flow by jurisdiction}}
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[[Image:Sens de circulation.png|right|thumb|400px|{{legend|#b41624|drive on right}}{{legend|#2c2edc|drive on left}}]]
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Keeping to either the left or the right prevents vehicles moving in opposite directions from colliding with each other. This is so fundamental that it is sometimes known simply as ''the rule of the road''. About 34% of the world by [[population]] drive on the left, and 66% on the right. By roadway distances, about 28% drive on the left, and 72% on the right,<ref name="brianlucas">{{cite web
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
|last=Lucas | first=Brian | title= Which side of the road do they drive on? | year=2005 | url=http://www.brianlucas.ca/roadside/ | accessdate=2006-08-03}}</ref> even though originally most traffic drove on the left worldwide.<ref>{{cite web | title=Why do some countries drive on the right and others on the left? | url=http://users.pandora.be/worldstandards/driving%20on%20the%20left.htm }}</ref>
[[File:Countries driving on the left or right.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|Countries by direction of road traffic, {{circa|2020}}
{{legend|#204A87|⇅ Left-hand traffic}} {{legend|#CC0000|⇵ Right-hand traffic}} {{legend|#808080|No data}}]]


'''Left-hand traffic''' ('''LHT''') and '''right-hand traffic''' ('''RHT''') are the practices, in [[bidirectional traffic]], of keeping to the left side and to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to [[traffic flow]], and are sometimes called the ''[[Traffic#Rules of the road|rule of the road]]''.<ref name="kincaid">{{Cite book |last=Kincaid |first=Peter |title=The Rule of the Road: An International Guide to History and Practice |publisher=Greenwood Press |date=December 1986 |pages=50, 86–88, 99–100, 121–122, 198–202 |isbn=978-0-313-25249-5}}</ref> The terms right- and left-hand ''drive'' refer to the position of the driver and the [[steering wheel]] in the vehicle and are, in automobiles, the reverse of the terms right- and left-hand ''traffic''. The rule also includes where on the road a vehicle is to be driven, if there is room for more than one vehicle in the one direction, and the side on which the vehicle in the rear overtakes the one in the front. For example, a driver in an LHT country would typically overtake on the right of the vehicle being overtaken.
==History==
{{Unreferencedsect|date=December 2006}}
[[Image:Driving standards historic.png|right|thumb|400px|Map of the world showing the driving directions for all countries and any changes that have occurred, beginning with [[Finland]]'s change in 1858<br>{{legend|#b41624|drives on right}}{{legend|#E10000|drove on left, now drives on right}}{{legend|#2c2edc|drives on left}}{{legend|#7DAEFF|drove on right, now drives on left}}{{legend|#ab12bc|had different rules of the road within borders, now drives on right}}]]


RHT is used in 165 countries and territories, mainly in the [[Americas]], [[Continental Europe]], most of [[Africa]] and mainland [[Asia]] (except [[South Asia]]), while 75 countries use LHT,<ref name="chartsbin">{{cite web|title=Worldwide Driving Orientation by Country|url=http://chartsbin.com/view/edr|access-date=13 December 2016}}{{Circular reference|date=November 2020}}</ref> which account for about a sixth of the world's land area, a quarter of its roads, and about a third of its population.<ref name="wsj">{{cite news |last1=Barta|first1=Patrick |title=Shifting the Right of Way to the Left Leaves Some Samoans Feeling Wronged |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125086852452149513 |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=4 December 2016}}{{subscription required}}</ref> In 1919, 104 of the world's territories were LHT and an equal number were RHT. Between 1919 and 1986, 34 of the LHT territories switched to RHT.<ref name="watson">{{cite web|last1=Watson|first1=Ian|title=The rule of the road, 1919–1986: A case study of standards change|url=http://www.ianwatson.org/rule_of_the_road.pdf|access-date=30 November 2016}}</ref>
In 1998, archaeologists found a well-preserved track leading to a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[quarry]] near [[Swindon, England]]. The grooves in the road on one side were observed to be much deeper than those on the other side, which would make sense given that [[carts]] would be driven without any load on the way to the quarry, but would return laden with stone. These grooves suggest that the Romans drove on the left, at least in this particular location.


While many of the countries using LHT were part of the [[British Empire]], others such as [[Indonesia]], [[Japan]], [[Nepal]], [[Bhutan]], [[Macao]], [[Thailand]], [[Mozambique]] and [[Suriname]] were not, as well as formerly, [[Sweden]] and [[Iceland]], which have used RHT since [[Dagen H|September 1967]] and [[H-dagurinn|late May 1968]] respectively. Most of the countries that were part of the [[French colonial empire]] adopted RHT.
In fact, some believe that ancient travellers on horseback generally rode on the left side of the road. As more people are right-handed, [[horsemen]] would thus be able to hold the reins with their left hands and keep their right hand free—to offer in friendship to passing riders or to defend themselves with [[sword]]s, if necessary. <!-- This is interesting but irrelevant to the topic. Choice of pocket side or cloak flap would happen regardless of whether or not a the right-handed person was a driver. -->This also explains why men's jackets and shirts have the buttons on the right. It was important to be able to reach a weapon inside a [[cloak]], so for a right-handed person, the cloak had the left flap over the right flap and the right hand could easily reach in and grab the weapon.


Historical switches of traffic handedness have often been motivated by factors such as changes in political administration, a desire for uniformity within a country or with neighboring states, or availability and affordability of vehicles.
In the late 1700s, a shift from left to right took place in countries such as the [[United States]], when [[teamster]]s started using large freight [[wagons]] pulled by several pairs of horses. The wagons had no driver’s seat, so the driver sat on the left rear horse and held his whip in his right hand. Seated on the left, the driver naturally preferred that other wagons overtake him on the left so that he could be sure to keep clear of the wheels of oncoming wagons. He did that by driving on the right side of the road.


In LHT, traffic keeps left and cars usually have the steering wheel on the right (RHD: right-hand drive) and [[roundabout]]s circulate clockwise. RHT is the opposite: traffic keeps right, the driver usually sits on the left side of the car (LHD: left-hand drive), and roundabouts circulate anticlockwise.
The British, however, kept to the left. They had smaller wagons, and the driver sat on the wagon, usually on the right side of the front seat. From there he could use his long whip in his right hand without entangling it in the cargo behind him. In that position, on the right side of the wagon, the driver could judge the safety margin of overtaking traffic by keeping to the left side of the road. Countries that became part of the [[British Empire]] adopted the keep-left rule too, although there were some exceptions. [[Canada]], for example, where the maritime provinces and Vancouver (later to become British Columbia) drove on the left, eventually changed to the right in order to make border crossings to and from the United States easier. Nova Scotia switched to driving on the right on 15 April 1923.


In most countries, rail traffic follows the handedness of the roads; but many of the countries that switched road traffic from LHT to RHT did not switch their trains. Boat traffic on [[Body of water|bodies of water]] is RHT, regardless of location. Boats are traditionally piloted from the [[starboard]] side (and not the port side like RHT road traffic vehicles) to facilitate [[priority to the right]].
On most early [[motor vehicles]], the driving seat was positioned centrally. Some car manufacturers later chose to place it near the centre of the road to help drivers see oncoming traffic, while others chose to put the driver's seat on the [[Curb (road)|kerb]] side so that the drivers could avoid damage from walls, hedges, gutters and other obstacles. Eventually the former idea prevailed.


{{TOC limit|2}}
In Europe, the 20th century saw a slow but steady shift from keep-left to keep-right. [[Portugal]] switched to the right early in the 20th century. [[Austria]] and [[Czechoslovakia]] changed to the right when occupied by [[Nazi Germany]] at the end of the 1930s, and [[Hungary]] followed suit. [[Sweden]] changed in 1967 and [[Iceland]] in 1968. Today, just four European countries still drive on the left: [[United Kingdom|Britain]], [[Ireland]], [[Cyprus]], and [[Malta]]. These are all islands, and therefore have no land border with countries that drive on the right.


==Terminology==
==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}}{{legend|#FFC0CB|Driving one way alternately at certain times}}]]
A country's traffic-handedness is most properly designated with reference to the rule of the road, i.e., the side of the road along which traffic flows. Using such a referent, countries are said to have '''left-hand traffic''' ('''LHT''') or '''right-hand traffic''' ('''RHT'''). However, traffic-handedness is sometimes designated with reference to the placement of the steering wheel and driver's seat within vehicles. Using this terminology, countries are said to be '''left-hand drive''' ('''LHD''') or '''right-hand drive''' ('''RHD'''). In almost all cases, the placement of the steering wheel is opposite to the rule of the road: LHT countries use RHD vehicles, and RHT countries use LHD vehicles. Confusion can arise from the misuse of "LHD" and "RHD" to indicate the side of the road along which vehicles are driven. In addition, there have been markets (such as some [[Caribbean]] islands, and [[Sweden]] before the 1967 change from LHT to RHT) that use mostly LH-drive vehicles with LH-traffic, or mostly RH-drive vehicles with RH-traffic. In addition, "wrong" hand-drive vehicles are permitted in many markets.


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}}</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 the year 1300, [[Pope Boniface VIII]] directed pilgrims to keep left; however, others suggest that he directed them to keep to the right, and there is no documented evidence to back either claim.<ref name="mcmanus"/>
==Right-hand traffic==
*Oncoming traffic is seen coming from the left.
*Left-turning traffic must cross oncoming traffic.
*Most [[traffic sign]]s facing motorists are on the right-hand side of the road.
*Traffic on [[roundabout]]s (traffic circles or rotaries) goes anticlockwise (counter-clockwise).
*[[Pedestrian]]s crossing a two-way road should first look for traffic from their left.
*Most vehicles have a left-hand driver's position.


===Africa===
==Left-hand traffic==
{{multiple image
*Oncoming traffic is seen coming on the right side.
|width = 100
*Right-turning traffic must cross oncoming traffic.
|footer = Roundabout signs used in [[Southern African Development Community]]
*Most [[traffic sign]]s facing motorists are on the left side of the road.
|image1 = SADC road sign R137.svg
*Traffic on [[roundabout]]s (traffic circles or rotaries) goes clockwise.
|caption1 = LHT roundabout
*Pedestrians crossing a two-way road should first look for traffic from their right.
|image2 = SADC road sign R137-RHT.svg
*Most vehicles have a right-hand driver's position.
|caption2 = RHT roundabout
}}The UK 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 former French colonies, 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}}</ref>
== Myths and miscellaneous facts ==
{{cleanup-merge}} <!-- with History section -->
[[Image:M1 Johannesburg Eightlane highway.jpg|thumb|The [[M1 (Johannesburg)|M1]] in [[Johannesburg]], [[South Africa]] during [[rush hour]] as it passes through the [[Suburbs of Johannesburg|suburb]] of [[Sandton, Gauteng|Sandton]]. Like most former British colonies in [[Africa]], South Africa drives on the left.]]
[[Image:drive on left in australia.jpg|thumb|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 travels on the left-hand side of the road. Some claim that this practice arose from the prevalence of [[right-handed]]ness, 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.


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).
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 Highway Act 1773 contained a recommendation that horse traffic should remain on the left and this is enshrined in section 78 of the Highway Act 1835.


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]].
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.


[[Rwanda]] and [[Burundi]] are RHT but are considering switching to LHT (see "Potential future shifts" section below).
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, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, parts of Austria, Sweden, Iceland, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, parts of Brazil, parts of Chile, parts of Italy, China, the Philippines, and Burma. Italy changed with [[Risorgimento|unification]], Austria and Czechoslovakia when [[Adolf Hitler]] annexed or occupied them, the Latin American countries by 1945, the Philippines and China in 1946 (leaving Hong Kong and Macau isolated), and Burma/Myanmar in 1970 on the advice of a soothsayer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&targetRule=10&xml=%2Fnews%2F2002%2F12%2F06%2Fdb0601.xml|title=Ne Win - Obituary}}</ref>


===Americas===
Some [[Commonwealth of Nations]] countries and other former [[Crown colony|British colonies]] — notably Hong Kong — continue to drive on the left, but others, such as [[#Canada|Canada]], [[Gambia]], [[Ghana]], [[Nigeria]], [[Sierra Leone]], and the [[#United States|United States]] switched to the other side.
====United States====
In the late 18th century, right-hand traffic started to be introduced in the United States of America 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}}</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}}</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]].
Apart from former British colonies, most countries' traffic now moves on the right hand side. Exceptions are [[Indonesia]], [[Suriname]], [[#Japan|Japan]], [[Thailand]], [[Mozambique]], [[East Timor]], [[Macau]], and the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]].


====Other countries in the Americas====
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; Peter Kincaid concludes so in his book on the rule of the road (pp. 14, 99-100). More research is needed on European rule-of-the-road legislation during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
[[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}}</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 British colony of [[Newfoundland and Labrador|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}}</ref>
Research in 1969 by J.J. Leeming showed that countries that drive on the left had a lower accident rate than countries that drive on the right, but this research is questioned in Peter Kincaid's book on the rule of the road. Some countries that have switched to driving on the right (such as [[#Sweden|Sweden]]) saw their long term accident rates increase by more than any increase in traffic volumes{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. It has been suggested, but not proven, that this is partly because it is more common to be [[ocular dominance|right-eye dominant]].<ref name = "Chaurasia">Chaurasia BD, Mathur BB. "Eyedness." ''Acta Anat (Basel).'' 1976;96(2):301-5.PMID 970109.</ref><ref name="Reiss">Reiss MR. "Ocular dominance: some family data." ''Laterality.'' 1997;2(1):7-16. PMID 15513049.</ref><ref name="Ehrenstein">Ehrenstein WH, Arnold-Schulz-Gahmen BE, Jaschinski W. "Eye preference within the context of binocular functions." ''Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol.'' 2005 Sep;243(9):926-32. Epub 2005 Apr 19. PMID 15838666.</ref> Traffic flows in a clockwise direction when driving on the left which enables right eyed people to use the right eye to see oncoming traffic. When overtaking on a right-side-driving road, the right-eyed driver looks in the wing mirror with the left eye and also views the oncoming traffic with the left eye which is not suited to the majority right-eyed people.


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>
== Changing sides at borders ==
[[Image:Fari-Wechsel.jpg|right|thumb|The Change of traffic directions at the Laos–Thai border takes place on Lao territory just off the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge.]]
[[Image:Thai myanmar friendship bridge.jpg|thumb|Thai-Myanmar friendship bridge.]]


[[File:International bridge - Letham, Guyana (23025487324).jpg|thumb|Crossover bridge near the [[Takutu River Bridge]] between Guyana (LHT) and Brazil (RHT)]]
There are 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% (4,357&nbsp;km or 2,707&nbsp;miles) of its borders are with countries that drive on the right, with only [[Malaysia]] driving on the left since [[Myanmar]] (Burma) changed from driving on the left to driving on the right in 1970.


[[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}}</ref> Other Central and South American countries that later switched from LHT to RHT include Argentina, Chile, 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], ''[[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], ''[[ABC Color]]'', 2 March 2014</ref> and Uruguay.
Many borders are formed from natural barriers such as mountains or rivers, and this is particularly true of borders where traffic changes sides of the road, especially in [[Asia]]. These natural barriers make the number of border crossings much lower than would otherwise be the case. Furthermore, given their remoteness, most mountain border crossings have relatively low traffic volumes and so changing sides of the road is even less of an issue.


[[Suriname]], along with neighbouring [[Guyana]], are the only two remaining LHT countries in [[South America]].<ref name="tbr2015" />
The four most common ways of switching traffic from one side to the other at borders are:
* '''Traffic lights'''. Examples are:
** [[Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge|Friendship Bridge]] between Thailand and Laos, change takes place on Lao side - [http://www.flickr.com/photos/annemie_laos/313968925/ photo], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/lastknownlocation/405855558/ photo]
**[[Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge]], between Thailand and Laos, change takes place on Thai side
** Friendship Bridge between Thailand ([[Mae Sot]]) and [[Myanmar]] (Myawaddy) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Thai_myanmar_friendship_bridge.jpg photo]
** New bridge between Thailand ([[Mae Sai]]) and Myanmar (opened in 2006) - [http://www.flickr.com/photos/daexus/132360751/ photo]


===Asia===
* '''Crossover bridges'''. Examples are:
[[File:Lotus-bridge-macau.jpg|thumb|The [[Lótus Bridge|Lotus Bridge]] exchanges between LHT in [[Macau]] and RHT in [[mainland China]].]]
** [[Lok Ma Chau]] between Hong Kong and mainland China - [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Hong+Kong&ll=22.520644,114.068867&spn=0.006694,0.012842&t=h&hl=en Google Maps]
** [[Lotus Bridge]] between Macau and mainland China - [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Macau&ll=22.140159,113.546813&spn=0.006712,0.012842&t=h&hl=en Google Maps]


LHT was introduced by the U.K. 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}}</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 }}</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>
* '''Border roads intersect with roundabouts or other one-way traffic systems'''. Examples are:
** [[Man Kam To]] between Hong Kong and mainland China - [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Hong+Kong&ll=22.540127,114.127811&spn=0.008928,0.011544&t=h&om=1 Google Maps]
** Land border between Macau and mainland China - [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Macau&ll=22.218705,113.549087&spn=0.008949,0.011544&t=h&om=1 Google Maps]


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]].
* '''No automatic infrastructure''' (signposts and directions only), most commonly found at borders with low vehicular traffic volumes. Examples are:
** [[Poipet]] between Thailand and Cambodia - [http://www.flickr.com/photos/ycchang/145160434/ photo], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/48889071391@N01/131860172/ photo]
** Old bridge between Thailand (Mae Sai) and Myanmar - [http://www.flickr.com/photos/aswhelan/52238943/ photo], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/bborya/86743917/ photo]
** [[Khunjerab Pass]] between Pakistan and China - [http://www.flickr.com/photos/nam/27920761/ photo]


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.
== Changing the rule ==
The most common reason for countries to switch to driving on the right is for conformity with neighbours, as it increases 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. Decisions by countries to drive on the right typically concern conformity and uniformity rather than practical reasons. There are historical exceptions, such as [[postilion]] riders in France, but such historical advantages do not apply to modern road vehicles.


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>
In the former British [[Crown colony]] of [[#Hong Kong and Macau|Hong Kong]] and the former [[Portugal|Portuguese]] enclave of [[#Hong Kong and Macau|Macau]], traffic continues to drive on the left, unlike in [[#China (mainland)|mainland China]], despite the fact that they are now its [[Special administrative region (People's Republic of China)|Special Administrative Region]]s. On the other hand, [[Taiwan]], formerly under [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|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 U.S. and [[Soviet]] occupation. However, some trains in [[Seoul]], as well as pedestrian traffic in the [[Seoul Metropolitan Subway|subway]] system, still keep to the left.


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], 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''], 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.}}</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" />
=== Foreign occupation and military transit===
Many countries have temporarily or permanently changed their rule of the road as a result of foreign [[Military occupation|occupation]]. Recent examples include [[Austria]], [[Czechoslovakia]] ([[Switch to right hand traffic in Czechoslovakia|details]]) and [[Hungary]] under German rule or military transit in the 1930s and [[1940s|'40]]s. 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 U.S. occupation; after the occupation ended, it changed back to driving on the left to match the rest of Japan.


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}}</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}}</ref>
== Uniformity ==
[[Image:Savoy-court-drive-right-out.JPG|thumb|Traffic driving on the right in [[Savoy Court]] in London (the UK usually drives on the left)]]
[[Image:Driving on the left or the right.jpg|thumb|Vehicles driving on the left on the A1 Motorway near Washington Services in [[Tyne and Wear]], [[England]] heading towards [[Scotland]].]]
Article 9(1) of the United Nations' [[Geneva Convention on Road Traffic]] (1949)<ref>{{cite web | title=Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (1949) | publisher=[[United Nations]] | url=http://untreaty.un.org/ENGLISH/bible/englishinternetbible/partI/chapterXI/subchapB/treaty1.asp}} (requires subscription)</ref> requires each country to have a uniform direction of traffic, i.e. each country may have either left-hand traffic or right-hand traffic, but not both. The exact wording of the article is:
{{cquote|All vehicular traffic proceeding in the same direction on any road shall keep to the same side of the road, which shall be uniform in each country for all roads. Domestic regulations concerning one-way traffic shall not be affected.}}
Before that, a country could have different rules in different parts, for example Canada until the 1920s.


[[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}}</ref>
When islands are excluded, the only continents in which the same rule of the road applies over the entire continent are:
#[[Australia]] with left-hand traffic
#Mainland [[Europe]], since [[Sweden]] changed to right-hand traffic in 1967
#[[North America]], including [[Central America]], since [[British Honduras]] changed to right-hand traffic in 1961.


===Europe===
[[Africa]], [[Asia]], and [[South America]] have land borders where drivers must change to the other side of the road.
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>
== Vehicles ==
=== Legal restrictions on "wrong-hand drive" 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 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>
[[Image:1969 AMX built by AMI Australia PR photo.jpg|thumb|Imported [[AMC AMX|AMX]] from the United States with RHD assembled from [[Complete knock down|CKD]] by [[Australian Motor Industries]] in 1969. Even the antenna location was changed.]]
In [[Australia]] this is the case with non-vintage (i.e. less than 30 years old) LHD vehicles, with the result that Australians who import such vehicles usually must pay sometimes thousands of dollars to convert them to RHD. The exceptions are for vehicles registered in [[Western Australia]] and the [[Northern Territory]] - both which have at various times hosted U.S. military facilities and had vehicles imported, used and sold by U.S service personnel in circulation. The [[Australian Capital Territory]] (ACT) previously allowed non-vintage LHD vehicles to be registered, but changed its legislation some years ago.


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, long 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>
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. [[Diplomat]]s and [[Operation Deep Freeze]] personnel are exempted from these restrictions.


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 }}</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 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.


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 }}</ref>
[[Cambodia]] banned the use of RHD cars, many of which were smuggled from [[Thailand]], from 2001, even though RHD vehicles 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,<ref>{{cite web | title=Cambodia bans right-hand drive cars | publisher = [[BBC News]] | date=[[2001]]-[[01-01] | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1096303.stm | accessdate=2007-01-12}}</ref> 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.
[[File:Ecke Kärntnerstraße Annagasse mit Werbetafel Tabarin und Chapeau Rouge ca 1930.jpg|thumb|Left-hand traffic in [[Vienna]], Austria, {{circa|1930}}]]
[[Image:Pyongyang Toyota Landcruiser.jpg|thumb|A RHD Toyota Landcruiser in front of a Pyongyang hotel]]
[[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 }}</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]] }}</ref> Similarly, Hungary switched in 1941. West Ukraine was LHT, but the rest of Ukraine, having been part of the Russian Empire, was RHT.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}


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/> Finally, 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> In spite of this, some Italian heavy commercial vehicles were right-hand drive until the traffic code was changed in 1959.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}
Although it drives on the right, [[North Korea]] has imported various used RHD vehicles from Japan, from tourist buses to [[Toyota]] [[Land Cruiser]]s.


Portugal switched to RHT in 1928.<ref name="kincaid" />
However, many [[grey import|used vehicles exported]] from Japan to countries like [[Russia]] and [[Peru]] are already converted to LHD. But even if the driver's position is left unchanged, some jurisdictions require at least readjustment of the headlights.


[[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}}</ref>
[[Singapore]] bans LHD vehicles from being imported for personal local registration, but temporary usage by tourists of LHD vehicles is allowed. However, diplomatic vehicles in Singapore are exempt from the RHD-only ruling, and there are a few hydrogen and [[fuel cell]] powered LHD vehicles currently undergoing trials in Singapore.


[[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}}</ref> [[Madrid Metro]] still uses LHT.
In [[Taiwan]], Article 39 of the Road Traffic Security Rules ([[s:zh:道路交通安全規則|zh:道路交通安全規則]]) require a steering wheel to be on the left side of a vehicle to pass an inspection when registering the vehicle, so RHD vehicles may not be registered in Taiwan. This rule does not apply retroactively so older RHD vehicles may continue to be legally driven.


[[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}}</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}}</ref> The day was known as Högertrafikomläggningen, or [[Dagen H]] for short.
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]] [[hearse]]s.


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}}</ref> Most passenger cars in Iceland were already LHD.
In [[West Africa]], once-British [[Ghana]] and [[Gambia]] have also banned RHD vehicles. Their traffic has been changed from on the left to on the right. Ghana prohibited new registrations of RHD vehicles after [[1 August]] [[1974]], three days before the traffic change on [[4 August]] [[1974]].


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}}</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}}
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 [[Vienna Convention on Road Traffic|convention]] bans all foreign-registered RHD vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2006-08-08|publisher=Foreign & Commonwealth Office (fco.gov.uk)|title=Travel advice by country, Oman|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket%2FXcelerate%2FShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618386784}}</ref>
</ref>


Today, four countries in Europe continue to use LHT, all island nations: the United Kingdom, [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] (formerly part of the UK), [[Cyprus]] and [[Malta]] (both former British colonies).
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,<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2006-08-08|publisher=Foreign & Commonwealth Office (fco.gov.uk)|title=Travel advice by country, Slovakia|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket%2FXcelerate%2FShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618386757}}</ref> even if the vehicle is imported from one of the four EU countries that drive on the left (UK, Ireland, Cyprus, and Malta).


=== Oceania ===
===Headlamps and other lighting equipment===
[[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]]
Most low-beam [[headlamps]] are specifically designed for use on one side of the road or the other. Headlamps for use in LH-traffic countries have low-beam headlamps that "dip to the left", i.e., the light is distributed with a downward/leftward bias to show the driver the road and signs ahead without blinding oncoming traffic. Headlamps for RH-traffic countries have low beams that "dip to the right", with most of their light directed downward/rightward. Within Europe, when driving a vehicle with RH-traffic headlamps in a LH-traffic country or vice versa for a limited time (as for example on vacation or in transit), it is a legal requirement to adjust the headlamps temporarily so that the wrong-side hot spot of the beam does not dazzle oncoming drivers. This may be achieved by adhering blackout strips or plastic prismatic lenses to a designated part of the lens, but some varieties of the [[Headlamp#Projector (polyellipsoidal) lamps|projector-type headlamp]] can be made to produce a proper LH- ''or'' RH-traffic beam by shifting a lever or other movable element in or on the lamp assembly.


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]].
Because blackout strips and adhesive prismatic lenses reduce the safety performance of the headlamps, most countries require all vehicles registered or used on a permanent or semi-permanent basis within the country to be equipped with headlamps designed for the correct traffic-handedness.


==== New Zealand ====
Anecdotal reporters have observed the requirement to adjust headlamps for the traffic-handedness of the country is increasingly flouted, and is now rarely enforced by European police forces. In France, this may be due in part to the 1993 deletion of the previous requirement for [[Selective yellow]] headlamp light; foreign-registered vehicles are now much less conspicuous at night.
[[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 ====
Without [[sidecar]]s attached, motorcycles, [[motor scooter]]s, [[moped]]s, and [[bicycle]]s are almost symmetric with their handlebars in the centre. However, motorcycles are often equipped with automotive-type asymmetrical-beam headlamps that likewise require adjustments or replacement when brought into a country with opposite traffic-handedness.
[[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}}</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}}</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| agency =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 ===
====Rear fog lamps====
{{update section|date=September 2023}}
Within the EU, vehicles must be equipped with one or two red [[Automotive Lighting#Rear fog lamps|rear fog lamps]]. A single rear fog lamp may be located on the vehicle centreline, or on the driver's side of the vehicle. It may not be located on the passenger's side of the vehicle. This sometimes requires the purchase and installation of local-market lighting components.
[[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}}</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}}</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], ''[[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>


==Changing sides at borders==
===Buses===
[[File:Laos - Traffic Switchover Point.svg|thumb|upright|Traffic Switchover sign at the [[First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge|Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge]]]]
[[Image:Continental_Door.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Comparison of continental door (left) against standard emergency exit door (right) on [[Plaxton Paramount]] coaches.]]
[[Bus]]es typically have passenger doors only on the [[Curb (road)|kerb]] side, which severely restricts their ability to operate effectively on the opposite side of the road to that for which they were designed. Increasingly, touring [[Coach (vehicle)|coaches]], which are likely to cross frontiers of traffic-handedness during their duties, are fitted with a door on the opposite side from the [[Curb (road)|kerb]], to simplify access and egress in the foreign country. In Britain this is known as a "continental door", since its usefulness will be in continental Europe. It doubles as an emergency exit, but is much more user-friendly than an exit designed solely for emergency use.


Although many LHT jurisdictions are on islands, there are cases where vehicles may be driven from LHT across a border into a RHT area. Such borders are mostly located in Africa and southern Asia. The [[Vienna Convention on Road Traffic]] regulates the use of foreign registered vehicles in the 78 countries that have ratified it.
It is usually fairly straightforward to retrofit a non-kerb-side door on buses with relatively low floor height, for example the many traditional British [[Double-decker bus|double-deckers]] sold on for tourist use in the USA and Canada.


LHT Thailand has three RHT neighbours: Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. Most of its borders use a simple traffic light to do the switch, but there are also interchanges that enable the switch while keeping up a continuous flow of traffic.<ref name="cnt">{{cite web|last1=Jennings|first1=Ken|title=What Happens When Left-Hand Roads Meet Right-Hand Roads|url=http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2013-04-15/lotus-bridge-macau-maphead-ken-jennings|website=Conde Nast Traveler|date=15 April 2013|access-date=18 November 2016}}</ref>
==Trains==
Trains often do not operate on the same side of the road as cars do. In France, for instance, trains drive on the left which is the opposite for cars. An exception is the [[Alsace]]-[[Moselle]] region, where trains keep to the right because the lines were built in the late 19th century when Alsace-Moselle had been part of Germany where trains also pass 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 were 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 driver on the right and assistant, sitting on the left side of the cab. Ironically, some railways, particularly, the [[London Underground]], switched to LHD with left-hand running. Left Hand Drive with left hand running also became common on UK mainline railways, with the Great Western being the only of the "big four" to keep the driver on the right.


There are six road border crossing points between Hong Kong and mainland China. In 2006, the daily average number of vehicle trips recorded at [[Lok Ma Chau]] was 31,100.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yearbook.gov.hk/2006/en/13_08.htm |title=Hong Kong 2006 – Transport – Cross-Boundary Traffic |publisher=Government of Hong Kong |date=15 August 2007 |access-date=12 December 2010}}</ref> The next largest is [[Man Kam To]], where there is no changeover system and the border roads on the mainland side [[Wenjindu]] intersect as one-way streets with a main road.
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 safer than if he were sitting to the left. Also, since signs and signals are usually placed on the outside of double track formations (e.g left hand side for left hand running or right hand side for right hand running), having the driver on the side as well makes it easier for them to see signs and signals, and also to view back along the platform either directly or using mirrors, particularly useful with one person operated trains.


The [[Takutu River Bridge]] (which links LHT Guyana and RHT Brazil<ref name="Takutu bridge opens to traffic">{{cite web|url=http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/news/local/04/27/takutu-bridge-opens-to-traffic-2 |title=Takutu bridge opens to traffic |publisher=Stabroeknews.com |date=27 April 2009 |access-date=12 December 2010}}</ref>) is the only border in the Americas where traffic changes sides.
As track management becomes increasingly computerised, and trains become increasingly automated, track-sidedness becomes meaningless. For example, on a triple track railway, trains in either direction might be going at full speed on any of the three tracks. This relies on frequently-placed track switches to avoid head-on collisions, but reduces the needed number of tracks. It also allows traffic that has a directional imbalance to be fully accommodated, rather than cramming many trains into half the tracks while the other half are empty.


==Road vehicle configurations==
Tram and Streetcar systems follow the same rules as normal road traffic in the country concerned, both on road and on reserved sections. The driver is usually positioned towards the centre of the vehicle, although some one person operated trams have been developed where the driver sits towards the centre of the road (e.g on the left hand running Blackpool system, the driver is on the right) with the passenger doors on the kerb side.
[[File:Legality of wrong-hand-drive vehicles.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|Legality of wrong-hand-drive vehicles by country
{{legend|#ff0000|Usage illegal}}
{{legend|#ffbb00|Usage legal, but registration illegal or unknown}}
{{legend|#00bb44|Registration illegal for normal vehicles, with exceptions for special (e.g. diplomatic) vehicles}}
{{legend|#0000ff|Registration and usage legal}}
{{legend|#C1C1C1|No data}}]]


===Steering wheel position===
[[Image:Channel Tunnel France 1.JPG|right|thumb|Train entering the Channel Tunnel from France]]Countries with trains generally keeping to the right (incomplete list)<ref name="brianlucas">http://www.brianlucas.ca/roadside/</ref>
<!-- **This page uses UK spelling variations. Please do not change this spelling to curb.** -->
*Canada
In RHT jurisdictions, vehicles are typically configured as '''left hand drive''' (LHD), with the [[steering wheel]] on the left side of the passenger compartment. In LHT jurisdictions, the reverse is true as the '''right hand drive''' (RHD) configuration. In most jurisdictions, the position of the steering wheel is not regulated, or explicitly permitted to be anywhere.<ref>[https://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?language=en&num=C-61/12&td=ALL Court of Justice of the European Union, C-61/12 – Commission v Lithuania], European Union, steering wheel can be anywhere, 2014-03-20.</ref> The driver's side, the side closer to the centre of the road, is sometimes called the ''offside'', while the passenger side, the side closer to the side of the road, is sometimes called the ''nearside''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-cobuild/nearside |title=Nearside (dictionary definition) |publisher=Dictionary.reverso.net |access-date=12 December 2010}}</ref><!-- This article uses UK English. -->
*Czech Republic
*Denmark
*Finland
*Germany
*Hungary
*Latvia
*Mexico
*Netherlands
*Norway
*Philippines
*Poland
*Romania
*Russia (except between [[Moscow]] and [[Ryazan]])
*Taiwan
*USA (except for trains operating on the former Chicago & North Western right-of-way)


Most [[windscreen wiper]]s are preferentially designed to better clean the driver's side of the [[windscreen]] and thus have a longer wiper blade on the driver's side and wipe up from the passenger side to the driver's side. Thus on LHD configurations, they wipe up from right to left, viewed from inside the vehicle, and do the opposite on RHD vehicles.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}
Countries with trains generally keeping to the left (incomplete list):<ref name="brianlucas"/>
*Argentina
*Australia
*Belgium
*China
*[[Chile]]
*France (except: trains in Alsace and the Moselle part of the Lorraine region; [[Paris Métro]])
*Hong Kong (except [[Ma On Shan Rail (KCR)|KCR Ma On Shan Rail]])
*India
*Ireland
*[[Israel]]
*Italy
*Japan
*[[Malaysia]]
*Myanmar
*New Zealand
*Pakistan
*Portugal
*Singapore
*Slovenia
*South Africa
*Spain
*Sri Lanka
*Sweden
*Switzerland
*UK


In both LHD and RHD vehicles, gear shifters are in the same position, and the shift patterns are not reversed.
==Boats==
Generally all water traffic keeps to the right. This is historically because, prior to the use of a [[rudder]], the boat was steered by a ''steering oar'' (cf. [[tiller]]), which was located on the right-hand side of the boat, because the helmsman, standing in the middle of the boat and looking ahead, used his right hand to operate it. By keeping to the right, boats pass [[port (nautical)|port]]-to-port, protecting the steering oar. Contrary to popular belief, ''starboard'' does not derive from ''steer board'', but in fact from ''steering side''. Traditionally, boats would also moor with the left hand side to the quay to prevent damage to the steering oar, and this was referred to as ''larboard'' (“loading side”), later replaced by ''port'' to prevent confusion from the similar sounding words.
When modern style rudders fixed to the stern were developed, the helmsman was moved amidships (on the centreline), and when wheels replaced tillers this generally remained the same. Some boats, typically smaller pleasure craft, have the wheel on the left hand side, to give a better view of passing traffic.


Historically there was less consistency in the relationship of the position of the driver to the handedness of traffic. Most American cars produced before 1910 were RHD.<ref name="On The Right Side of the Road"/> In 1908 [[Henry Ford]] standardised the [[Model T]] as LHD in RHT America,<ref name="On The Right Side of the Road"/> arguing that with RHD and RHT, the passenger was obliged to "get out on the street side and walk around the car" and that with steering from the left, the driver "is able to see even the wheels of the other car and easily avoids danger."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=Wayne|title=Car Crazy: The Battle for Supremacy between Ford and Olds and the Dawn of the Automobile Age|date=2015|publisher=PublicAffairs|isbn=9781610395526|page=279|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JgIrCgAAQBAJ&q=car+crazy+wayne+miller&pg=PR4|access-date=12 December 2016}}</ref> By 1915 other manufacturers followed Ford's lead, due to the popularity of the Model T.<ref name="On The Right Side of the Road"/>
However, there are many exceptions, often indicated on the particular bridge itself.<ref name="brianlucas"/>


In specialised cases, the driver will sit on the nearside, or curbside. Examples include:
==Priority==
*Where the driver needs a good view of the nearside, e.g. [[street sweeper]]s, or vehicles driven along unstable road edges.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lhdspecialist.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921030931/http://www.lhdspecialist.com/location_of_the_steering_wheel.php|url-status=dead|title=天彩彩票_官网手机版|archive-date=21 September 2011|website=lhdspecialist.com}}</ref> Similarly in mountainous areas the driver may be seated opposite side so that they have a better view of the road edge which may fall away for very many metres into the valley below. Swiss Postbuses in mountainous areas are a well known example.
:''Main article: [[Traffic#Priority (right of way)|Priority in Traffic]]''
*Where it is more convenient for the driver to be on the nearside, e.g. delivery vehicles. The [[Grumman LLV]] postal delivery truck is widely used with RHD configurations in RHT North America. Some [[Unimog]]s are designed to switch between LHD and RHD to permit operators to work on the more convenient side of the truck.


Generally, the convention is to mount a motorcycle on the left,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hinchliffe|first1=Mark|title=How to mount your motorbike|url=https://motorbikewriter.com/mount-motorbike/|access-date=11 December 2016|date=11 March 2014}}</ref> and [[kickstand]]s are usually on the left<ref name="tips">{{cite web|title=MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING A MOTORCYCLE|url=http://www.motorcycletesttips.uk/motorcycle-riding-tutorials/mounting-and-dismounting-a-motorcycle/|website=Motorcycle Test Tips|access-date=11 December 2016}}</ref> which makes it more convenient to mount on the safer kerbside<ref name="tips"/> as is the case in LHT. Some jurisdictions prohibit fitting a [[sidecar]] to a motorcycle's offside.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2003/si/5/made/en/print|title=S.I. No. 5/2003 – Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) Regulations 2003|work=[[Irish Statute Book]]|pages=42. (1) |no-pp=yes |quote=where a side–car is attached to a mechanically propelled bicycle, the side–car shall be ... fitted on the left side of the vehicle|access-date=6 November 2017}}; {{cite web|url=https://www.magireland.org/2014/news-media/motorcycle-sidecar-trailer-legislation/|title=Motorcycle Sidecar & Trailer legislation|date=9 February 2014|work=MAG Ireland|publisher=Irish Motorcyclists Association|access-date=6 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/made | title= The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 – Section 93 | publisher= UK Government | date= 25 June 1986 | access-date=9 December 2012}}</ref>
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 almost 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 many residential areas in Germany and Luxembourg now you have to give way to the right in an effort to slow down traffic. 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. [[United Kingdom|British]], and [[Ireland|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.


In 2020, there were 160 LHD heavy goods vehicles in the UK involved in accidents ({{#expr:160/3175 * 100 round 0}}%) for a total of 3,175 accidents, killing 215 people ({{#expr:215/4271 * 100 round 0}}%) for a total of 4271.<ref>Department for Transport statistics, Reported Road Casualties Great Britain Annual Report 2020, RAS40005, Reported accidents, vehicles and casualties by severity, vehicle type and left hand drive, Great Britain, 2020</ref>
==Lanes==
:''Main article: [[Traffic#Lanes|Lanes in Traffic]]''


It has been suggested that right-hand drive vehicles, and hence the left-hand traffic direction, are associated with greater safety. As most drivers are right-handed, the dominant right hand remains controlled on the steering wheel while the non-dominant left hand can manipulate gears.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Advantages and Disadvantages of Left Hand Drive Cars in UK |url=https://lefthanddrives.com/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-left-hand-drive-cars-in-uk/ |website=Left Hand Drives|date=28 July 2020 }}</ref> The right field of vision may also be more dominant, thereby permitting a superior view of oncoming traffic.
When driving on the left:
*The lane designated for overtaking (passing) and turning right is on the right
*The lane designated for normal driving and turning left is on the left
*Most [[motorway]] exits are on the left
*Overtaking is sometimes permitted to the left. In the UK overtaking on the left (colloquially known as 'undertaking') is not usually permitted, except in certain circumstances.


===Dashboard configuration===
When driving on the right:
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2023}}
*The lane usually designated for overtaking (passing) and turning left is on the left
Some manufacturers primarily produce left-hand drive vehicles, due to the larger or nearer market for such vehicles. For such models supplied to left-hand traffic markets, in the right-hand drive configuration, the manufacturer may reuse the same [[dashboard]] configuration as is used in the left-hand drive models, with the steering column and pedals moved to the right-hand side. Oft-used controls (such as audio volume and fan controls) that were placed near the left-hand driver for ease of access, are now situated on the far side of the [[Center console (automobile)|center console]] for the right-hand driver. This may make them more difficult to reach quickly or without looking away from the road ahead.
*The lane designated for normal driving and turning right is on the right
*Most [[motorway]] exits are on the right
*Overtaking is sometimes permitted to the right.


In some cases, the manufacturer's dashboard design incorporates blanks and modular components, which permits the controls and underlying electronics to be rearranged to suit the right-hand drive model. This may be done in the factory, after import, or as an after-market modification.
==Places of interest==
=== Afghanistan ===
Afghanistan drives on the right. Most vehicles in much of the country, however, are RHD cars imported from neighbouring Pakistan (with the exception of [[Herat]] and other western provinces). In the capital [[Kabul]], most drivers have adapted to this problem, leaning over the passenger seat (on the car's left side) before making a left turn or before the dangerous practice of overtaking other vehicles by veering into the left (oncoming traffic) lane. The country also has a large volume of military vehicle traffic from the U.S., Canada and EU militaries, much of which is LHD.


===Headlamps and other lighting equipment===
=== Australia ===
{{Main|Headlamp}}
Australia drives on the left. For many decades all Australian states and territories used the "give way to the right" rule, requiring 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".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transport.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/14012/Road_Rules_Handbook_Jan_2006_Part_C1.pdf
[[File:Low beam light pattern for right-hand traffic.svg|thumb|Bird's-eye view of low beam light pattern for RH traffic, with long seeing range on the right and short cutoff on the left so oncoming drivers are not dazzled]]
|publisher=Road Transport Agency, [[Australian Capital Territory]]
|title=Road Rules Handbook Jan 2006 Part C1}}</ref> However, the old rule can still apply in cases such as failed traffic lights on crossroads or unmarked rural junctions.


Most low-beam headlamps produce an asymmetrical light suitable for use on only one side of the road. Low beam headlamps in LHT jurisdictions throw most of their light forward-leftward; those for RHT throw most of their light forward-rightward, thus illuminating obstacles and road signs while minimising glare for oncoming traffic.
===Austria-Hungary===


In Europe, headlamps approved for use on one side of the road must be adaptable to produce adequate illumination with controlled glare for temporarily driving on the other side of the road,<ref name="R112">{{cite web|url=http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/R112rev2_e.pdf|title=UN Regulation 112, "Motor vehicle headlamps emitting an asymmetrical passing beam or a driving beam or both and equipped with filament lamps"|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref>{{RP|p.13 ¶5.8}}. This may be achieved by affixing masking strips or prismatic lenses to a part of the lens or by moving all or part of the headlamp optic so all or part of the beam is shifted or the asymmetrical portion is occluded.<ref name=R112/>{{RP|p.13 ¶5.8.1}} Some varieties of the [[Headlamp#Projector (polyellipsoidal) lamps|projector-type headlamp]] can be fully adjusted to produce a proper LHT ''or'' RHT beam by shifting a lever or other movable element in or on the lamp assembly.<ref name=R112/>{{RP|p.12 ¶5.4}} Some vehicles adjust the headlamps automatically when the car's [[GPS]] detects that the vehicle has moved from LHT to RHT and vice versa.{{Citation needed|date=January 2018}}
The Austro-Hungarian Empire drove on the left. Successive countries switched to the right separately. Austria did it in stages, beginning from the west:
* Vorarlberg: 1919,
* Tirol and western half of Salzburg: 1930,
* Carinthia and East Tirol: 1935,
* Upper Austria, Styria, eastern half of Salzburg: 1 June 1938,
* Lower Austria: 19 September 1938.
Poland's Galicia switched to the right around 1924. Hungary began driving on the right in 1934, while Czechoslovakia planned to do it on 1 May 1939, but the change in Bohemia and Moravia was prompted by the German occupation forces (Bohemia: 26 March 1939).


=== Canada ===
====Rear fog lamps====
In Europe since early 1980s,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/11/made |website=legislation.gov.uk |title=The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 Schedule 11 |access-date=2 April 2022}}</ref> cars must be equipped with one or two red [[Automotive Lighting#Rear fog lamps|rear fog lamps]]. A single rear fog lamp must be located between the vehicle's longitudinal centreline and the outer extent of the driver's side of the vehicle.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/2015/R048r12e.pdf|title=Regulation No. 48 |website=UNECE |date=16 October 2014 |access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref>
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]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Nova Scotia - Highway Driving Rule Changes Sides. | url=http://alts.net/ns1625/automobiles.html#roadrule1923 }}</ref>
Some RHD vehicles can be found, particularly smaller [[Canada Post]] service trucks. These have extra mirrors to increase [[driver visibility]]. A few other vehicles, such as some garbage trucks may have dual LHD and RHD. The advantage of such arrangements is that the driver can hop in and out of the vehicle easily. RHD vehicles are allowed for import in Canada, providing that they were manufactured over 15 years ago. One of the very few places in Canada where traffic drives on the left is in [[Montreal]] on [[Quebec Autoroute 20|Autoroute 20]] for the 3km between its junctions with [[Quebec route 138|Route 138]] and [[Quebec Autoroute 15|Autoroute 15]]. The two roadways remain separated for the entire 3km and the changing of sides doesn't interfere in any way with the flow of traffic.


=== Caribbean ===
===Crash testing differences===
[[Australasian New Car Assessment Program|ANCAP]] reports that some RHD cars imported to Australia did not perform as well on crash tests as the LHD versions, although the cause is unknown, and may be due to differences in testing methodology.<ref>{{cite web|title=Popular family SUV Hyundai Tucson slammed for 'four-star' Australian crash test result|url=http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/motoring/popular-family-suv-hyundai-tucson-slammed-for-fourstar-australian-crash-test-result/news-story/466995147eb262b628fc71ca5e1cd89b|access-date=5 November 2017 |publisher=News.com.au |date=11 November 2015 |first1=Joshua |last1=Dowling |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206034200/https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/motoring/popular-family-suv-hyundai-tucson-slammed-for-fourstar-australian-crash-test-result/news-story/466995147eb262b628fc71ca5e1cd89b |archive-date= 6 December 2021 }}</ref>
The English-speaking [[Caribbean]] typically follows the keep-to-the-left rule and as a result, most cars have a RHD configuration. Examples of this may be noted in such countries as [[Barbados]], [[Jamaica]] and [[Trinidad & Tobago]]. In certain islands such as the [[British Virgin Islands]], [[United States 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]] or [[Brazil]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avis.com.bs/rentalfleet.html||title=Avis Bahamas}}</ref> 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.


==Rail traffic==
=== China (mainland) ===
{{main|Double-track railway}}
{{main|Rules of the road in the People's Republic of China}}
<!--[[File:Rail handedness by country.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|{{legend|#cc0000|Trains use right-hand track}}{{legend|#204a87|Trains use left-hand track}}{{legend|#d3d3d3|Rail traffic is mixed or lacking}}]]-->
Until 1946, driving in [[mainland China]] was mixed, with cars in the northern provinces driving on the right (probably to concur with [[Russia]]n 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 Macau|Hong Kong]] and the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] [[enclave]] of [[#Hong Kong and Macau|Macau]].


=== National rail ===
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 [[Japan]]ese occupation during [[World War II]] and American cars (mostly LHD) were already popular in the mainland.
[[File:Handedness of rail traffic worldwide.png|thumb|upright=1.35|Handedness of rail traffic worldwide]]


In most countries rail traffic travels on the same side as road traffic. However, there are many instances of railways built using LHT British technology which remained LHT despite their nations' road traffic becoming RHT. Examples include: [[Rail transport in Argentina|Argentina]], [[Rail transport in Belgium|Belgium]], [[Rail transport in Bolivia|Bolivia]], [[Rail transport in Cambodia|Cambodia]], [[Rail transport in China|China]], [[Rail transport in Egypt|Egypt]], [[Rail transport in France|France]], [[Rail transport in Iraq|Iraq]], [[Rail transport in Israel|Israel]], [[Rail transport in Italy|Italy]], [[Rail transport in Laos|Laos]], [[Rail transport in Monaco|Monaco]], [[Rail transport in Morocco|Morocco]], [[Rail transport in Myanmar|Myanmar]], [[Rail transport in Nigeria|Nigeria]], [[Rail transport in Peru|Peru]], [[Rail transport in Portugal|Portugal]], [[Rail transport in Senegal|Senegal]], [[Rail transport in Slovenia|Slovenia]], [[Rail transport in Sweden|Sweden]], [[Rail transport in Switzerland|Switzerland]], [[Rail transport in Taiwan|Taiwan]], [[Rail transport in Tunisia|Tunisia]], [[Rail transport in Uruguay|Uruguay]] and [[Rail transport in Venezuela|Venezuela]]. France is mainly LHT for trains except for the classic lines in [[Alsace–Lorraine]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Strasbourg to Paris Driver's eye view PREVIEW |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdOJZ9imhq8 |date=13 February 2017 |via=YouTube |publisher=Video 125 |access-date=11 March 2019}}{{cbignore}} Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/EdOJZ9imhq8 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20190918215937/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdOJZ9imhq8&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}.</ref> which were converted from LHT to RHT under German administration from 1870 to 1918. In North America, multi-track rail lines with [[centralized traffic control]] are typically signaled to allow operation on any track in both directions, and the side of operation will vary based on the railroad's specific operational requirements.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lundsen |first1=Carsten |title=North American Signaling Basics |url=http://www.lundsten.dk/us_signaling/movement.html |date=27 September 1998 |website=Railroad Rules, Signaling, Operations |access-date=17 October 2022}}</ref> In practice however, rail traffic is more often RHT. [[Rail transport in Indonesia|Indonesia]] is the only country in the world which has RHT for rails (even for newer rail systems such as the LRT and the MRT systems) and LHT for roads.
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".{{Fact|date=February 2007}} These two changes caused a great deal of confusion and resistance so both were abolished within several months.


=== Metro/Tram/Light rail ===
There is still a great deal of confusion among drivers when they travel between the Special Administrative Regions of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]], and the rest of China. Hong Kong and Macau continue to drive on the left, while the rest of China drives on the right. It can be very disorienting, since the traffic is on opposite sides of the road, and the internal vehicle configurations are reversed as well.
Metro and light rail sides of operation vary and might not match railways or roads in their country. Some systems where the metro matches the side of the national rail network but not the roads include those in [[Bilbao metro|Bilbao]], [[Buenos Aires]], [[Cairo Metro|Cairo]], [[Catania Metro|Catania]], [[Jakarta MRT|Jakarta]], [[Lisbon Metro|Lisbon]], [[Lyon Metro|Lyon]], [[Naples Metro|Naples]], and [[Rome Metro|Rome]]. A small number of cities, including [[Madrid Metro|Madrid]] and [[Stockholm Metro|Stockholm]], originally ran on the same side as road traffic when the systems opened in 1919 and 1950 respectively, but had road traffic change in 1924 and 1967 respectively. Conversely, metros in France (except for the aforementioned Lyon) and mainland China run on the right just like roads, while mainline trains run on the left.


A small number of systems have situational reasons to differ from the norm. On the [[MTR]] in Hong Kong, the section originally known as the [[Ma On Shan line]] (now part of the Tuen Ma line) runs on the right to make interchanging with the East Rail line easier, while the rest of the system runs on the left. On the [[Seoul Metropolitan Subway]], lines that integrate with Korail (except Line 3, which is disconnected from the rest of the network) run on the left, while the lines that are not run on the right. In [[Nizhny Novgorod Metro|Nizhny Novgorod]], Line 2 runs on the left due to the track layout when it first opened as a branch of Line 1. In [[Lima and Callao Metro|Lima]], Line 1 runs entirely on the left, while Line 2 runs entirely on the right.
=== Cyprus ===
A former [[British colony]], [[Cyprus]] drives on the left, and cars sold locally are right hand drive, including those used by the [[Military of the United Kingdom|British forces]] in the [[Sovereign Base Area]]s of [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia]]. However, owing to its political and economic isolation, many vehicles in the self-proclaimed '[[Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus]]' are left hand drive, being imported from [[Turkey]]. An increasing number of right hand drive [[grey import vehicles]] from [[Japan]] are now sold in both parts of the island.


[[Metro Line M1 (Budapest Metro)|Metro Line M1 in Budapest]] is the only metro line to have switched sides. It originally ran on the left but switched to right hand-running during the line's reconstruction around 1973.
=== Finland ===
Although 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, and many Post Office cars & vans in different countries including the United States have the steering wheel on the right hand side. This is so the driver can easily drive up next to mailboxes and get out straight onto the pavement without having to walk around their vehicle, or even put mail in boxes without getting out of their vehicle at all.


Because trams frequently operate on roads, they generally operate on the same side as other road traffic.
=== 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.


==Boat traffic==
=== Guyana and Suriname ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2023}}[[File:Riverine Patrol Boat Cockpit Console.jpg|thumb|Helmsman's station on a Philippine Marine Corps patrol boat]]
[[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.


Boats are traditionally piloted from [[starboard]] (the right-hand side) to facilitate [[priority to the right]].
However, in the south west of Guyana near [[Lethem]], work is under way to build the [[Takutu River Bridge]]<ref>{{cite web | title=Guyana: Looking south | publisher = [[The Economist]] |date = [[2007]]-[[01-11]] | url=http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8525813 | accessdate=2007-01-12}}</ref> 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 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 permit Guyana registered (RHD) vehicles to go no further than the Brazilian border town of [[Bonfim]]. It is expected that Brazilian (LHD) vehicles will be able to drive all the way through Guyana to the coast. The bridge is expected to be completed by the middle of 2007.<ref>{{cite web | title = Way cleared for work on Takutu bridge to restart | publisher = Stabroek News | date = [[2007]]-[[01-07]] | url=http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_general_news?id=56511169 | accessdate=2007-01-12 }}</ref> Once opened, the Takutu Bridge will be the Americas' only border crossing where traffic changes sides of the road.
According to the [[International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea]], water traffic is effectively RHT: a vessel proceeding along a narrow channel must keep to starboard, and when two power-driven vessels are meeting head-on both must alter course to starboard also.


Typically, especially for larger vessels, a radio call will be made between two vessels, or with a [[Vessel traffic service|Vessel Traffic Service (VTS)]] to co-ordinate if the vessels will pass "green-to-green" or "red-to-red". Marine traffic uses a system of green lighting for the starboard (right-hand) side and red for port (left-hand) side: to pass "green-to-green" the green (starboard, right-hand) side of the vessels will pass each other, essentially being left-hand traffic. Similarly, passing "red-to-red" means the red (port, left-hand) side of the vessels will pass each other, forming right-hand traffic.
In Suriname most of the privately owned buses are imported from Japan, since the exits are designed for driving on the left. Most state-owned buses, however, are from the US (LHD) and often the placement of the exits has to be adjusted.


In busy waterways, directional shipping lanes may be set up to facilitate handedness of traffic. For example, the [[Strait of Dover]] (Pas-de-Calais) on the [[English Channel]] uses RHT with North Sea-bound vessels following the French coast and Atlantic-bound vessels following the English coast.
=== 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. Macau did not follow either [[Mainland China]] in 1946 or [[Portugal]] in 1928 in switching to driving on the right.


==Aircraft traffic==
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 Region]]s 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.<ref>Registration Plates of the World, Neil Parker, John Weeks and Reg Wilson, Europlate, 1994, pages 279 and 362</ref>
For aircraft the US [[Federal Aviation Regulations]] suggest RHT principles, both in the air and on water, and in aircraft with side-by-side cockpit seating, the pilot-in-command (or more senior flight officer) traditionally occupies the left seat.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FAR Part 91 Sec. 91.115 |url=http://www.airweb.faa.gov/REGULATORY_AND_GUIDANCE_LIBRARY%5CRGFAR.NSF/0/2EA99FD06D59A9BC852566CF00614DEA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010060732/http://www.airweb.faa.gov/REGULATORY_AND_GUIDANCE_LIBRARY%5CRGFAR.NSF/0/2EA99FD06D59A9BC852566CF00614DEA |archive-date=10 October 2018 |website=Federal Aviation Administration |quote=When aircraft, or an aircraft and a vessel, are approaching head-on, or nearly so, each shall alter its course to the right to keep well clear.}}</ref> However, helicopter practice tends to favour the right hand seat for the pilot-in-command, particularly when flying solo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pilotteacher.com/are-helicopters-flown-from-the-left-or-right-seat/|title=Are Helicopters Flown from the Left or Right Seat? It Depends! |website=Pilot Teacher |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230928082627/https://pilotteacher.com/are-helicopters-flown-from-the-left-or-right-seat/ |archive-date= 28 September 2023 }}</ref>


==Worldwide distribution by country==
There are three road border crossing points between mainland China and Hong Kong. The largest and busiest is [[Lok Ma Chau]] ([http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Hong+Kong&ll=22.520644,114.068867&spn=0.006694,0.012842&t=h&hl=en aerial map]), 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 ([http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Macau&ll=22.140159,113.546813&spn=0.006712,0.012842&t=h&hl=en aerial map]). 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]].
Of the 195 countries currently recognised by the [[United Nations]], 141 use RHT and 54 use LHT on roads in general.


A country and its territories and dependencies are counted as one. Whichever directionality is listed first is the type that is used in general in the traffic category.
=== Iceland ===
{{sticky header}}
[[Iceland]] switched traffic from left to right at 06:00 on Sunday [[26 May]] [[1968]]. The only injury from the changeover was a boy on a bicycle who broke his leg. <ref>(''[[New York Times]]'', [[28 May]] [[1968]], p. 94)</ref> Numerous buses were also stuck in traffic jams.
{| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header"
! scope="col" colspan="2" style="width: 200px;" | Country
! Road traffic
! Date of<br/>switch
! Notes, exceptions
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Afghanistan}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Kabul adopted RHT 1955.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}
|-
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Albania}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sixt.co.uk/driving-tips/albania/|title=Driving Tips: Albania |website=Sixt rent a car|access-date=2019-04-03}}</ref>
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Algeria}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adcidl.com/Driving-in-Algeria.html|title=Driving in Algeria|website=adcidl.com|access-date=2019-04-03}}</ref>
|
|[[French Algeria|Part of France]] until 1962.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Andorra}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT<ref>{{cite web|date=9 April 2021|title=Andorra Driving Guide 2021|url=https://internationaldriversassociation.com/andorra-driving-guide/|access-date=2021-06-17|website=International Drivers' Association}}</ref>
|
|Landlocked between France and Spain.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Angola}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sixt.co.uk/driving-tips/angola/|title=Driving Tips in Angola |website=Sixt rent a car|access-date=2019-04-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190403230935/https://www.sixt.co.uk/driving-tips/angola/ |archive-date= 2019-04-03 }}</ref>
| {{dts|1928}}
| [[Portuguese Angola|Portuguese colony]] until 1975.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Antigua and Barbuda}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.antiguarentalcar.com/road-safety-guidelines.html|title=Road Safety Guidelines For Visitors – Drive-a-Matic Car Rentals Antigua|website=antiguarentalcar.com|access-date=2019-04-03}}</ref>
|
| These Caribbean islands were a British colony until 1958.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Argentina}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|10 June 1945}}
|The anniversary on 10 June is still observed each year as ''Día de la Seguridad Vial'' (road safety day).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.argentina.gob.ar/seguridadvial/dia-nacional-de-la-seguridad-vial-por-un-transito-seguro-respetuoso-y-con-lugar-para|title=10 de Junio: Día Nacional de la Seguridad Vial|date=9 June 2021 }}</ref>
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Armenia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT<ref>{{cite web|url=https://armenianweekly.com/2018/01/10/armenian-government-plans-ban-right-hand-drive-vehicles-drivers-protest-decision/|title=Armenian Government Plans to Ban Right-Hand Drive Vehicles; Drivers Protest Decision|date=2018-01-10|website=The Armenian Weekly|access-date=2019-04-03}}</ref>
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Australia}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| British colonies before 1901. Includes [[Australian external territories]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Austria}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|1921–38
|Originally LHT, like most of [[Austria-Hungary]], but switched sides after the [[Anschluss|annexation of Austria]] by Nazi Germany.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Azerbaijan}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Bahamas}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT<ref name="tbr2015">{{cite web |title=Compilation of Foreign Motor Vehicle Import Requirements |url=https://www.trade.gov/td/otm/assets/auto/TBR2015Final.pdf |publisher=United States Department of Commerce International Trade Administration Office of Transportation and Machinery |access-date=9 April 2019 |date=December 2015}}</ref>
|
| British colony before 1973. Caribbean island. Most passenger vehicles are LHD due to them being imported from the United States.<ref name="bahamas"/>
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Bahrain}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1967|11}}
| Former British protectorate. Switched to the same side as its neighbours.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8v1CAQAAIAAJ&q=%22driving+on+the+right+was+effected+smoothly%22|title=Bahrain Government Annual Reports|publisher=Times of India Press|year=1968|page=158}}</ref> An island nation, linked by road to the Arabian mainland [[King Fahd Causeway|since 1986]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Bangladesh}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| Part of Pakistan before 1971, which was part of [[British Raj|British India]] before 1947.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Barbados}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| This Atlantic island state was a British colony before 1966.


|-
=== India ===
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Belarus}}
India continued the colonial practice of driving on the left hand side of the road after independence. Now all vehicles are RHD with the government banning all new LHD vehicles in the country except under special circumstances, such as cars imported duty free by foreign embassies. Such vehicles are often left hand drive so that they cannot be registered in India, and are subsequently resold undercutting the nascent luxury car industry which is subject to high duty levels.
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT<ref>{{cite web |title=Driving in Belarus |url=https://www.autoeurope.co.uk/driving-information-belarus/ |website=autoeurope |access-date=11 April 2019}}</ref>

|
=== Ireland ===
|
The Republic of Ireland is the next largest European state after the UK to drive on the left. Given that the Republic of Ireland shares a land border with the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) this is very unlikely to change in future. Imported cars are all RHD. Visitors to Ireland are very likely to encounter a <!--removed direct link to image file; please replace with a web page or free licensed equivalent: http://michaeloconnell.com/ireland/ire15.jpg--> warning sign near Irish air and sea ports, reminding them to drive on the left.
|-

| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Belgium}}
=== Italy ===
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
Which side of the road the Romans drove on is disputed. Archaeological evidence in Britain seems to indicate driving on the left and old Roman roads in Turkey showed Romans used the right hand side of the road.<ref>{{cite web | last = Pielkenrood | first = Jan | title=Why Left or Right Traffic? | year=2003 | url=http://pielkenrood.fol.nl/x/indexri.htm | accessdate=2006-08-03 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | title=Lancia tipped for return to UK | publisher = WhatCar.com | date = [[29 November]], [[2005]] | url = http://www.whatcar.com/news-article.aspx?NA=217808|}}</ref>
| {{dts|1899}}<ref name="ida">{{cite web |title=The history of left- and right-hand traffic |url=https://idaoffice.org/posts/the-history-of-left-and-right-hand-traffic/ |website=International Driving Authority |access-date=11 April 2019}}</ref>

|
=== Japan ===
|-
[[Japan]] is one of the few countries outside the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] to drive on the left. An informal practice of left-hand 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 travelling on roads, creating a double standard that was not legally resolved until 1924, when all road travel in Japan switched to the left. <ref>{{cite web | title = Why Does Japan Drive On The Left | publisher = 2pass.co.uk url= http://www.2pass.co.uk/japan.htm | accessdate=2006-08-11 }}</ref> <!-- why are we to trust this web page? any published academic sources for assertions about samurai not knocking into each other etc? -->
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Belize}}

| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
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 hand traffic in the late twentieth century.
| {{dts|1961}}<ref name="kincaid"/>

| [[British Honduras|British colony]] before 1981. Switched to same side as neighbours.
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. Many tollbooths in Japan have a special lane for LHD vehicles. However, some US manufacturers have made RHD models for the Japanese market (e.g., the [[Ford Taurus]] and [[Chevrolet Cavalier]]), albeit with limited success.
|-

| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Benin}}
=== Malta ===
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Malta]] was a British colony from 1800 to 1964 and continues to drive on the left hand side of the road. Local vehicles are right hand drive, with many old British cars still on the road.
|

|Part of [[French West Africa]] before 1960.
=== Myanmar (Burma) ===
|-
As a former British colony, cars in [[Myanmar]] ([[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".<ref>{{cite web | title = Ne Win - Obituary | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&targetRule=10&xml=%2Fnews%2F2002%2F12%2F06%2Fdb0601.xml }}</ref> 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 the [[People's Republic of 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.
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Bhutan}}

| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
=== New Zealand ===
|
Even though New Zealand drives on the left, they have an unusual variation to the road rules applying to intersections. Left turning drivers at intersections must not only give way to traffic travelling straight through the intersection from their right, they must also give way to right turning traffic from the opposite side of the intersection as well.
| Under British protection before 1949.

|-
=== Pakistan ===
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Bolivia}}
Pakistan continued the British practice of driving on the left hand side of the road after its independence in 1947. Pakistan is the westernmost country in Asia to drive on the left, and it borders Afghanistan, Iran and China, all of which drive on the right. The [[Khyber Pass]] border crossing with Afghanistan is one of the most well known places where traffic changes sides of the road.
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT

|
=== Russian Federation ===
|
Driving on the right was introduced in [[Russia]] by the decree of [[Elizabeth of Russia|Empress Elisaveta Petrovna]] on 5 February 1752 [http://www.mk.ru/blogs/MK/2007/02/05/society/91089/ (in Russian)]
|-

| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}
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.
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT

| {{dts|1918}}
During spring 2005, the rumour that RHD vehicles would be completely banned from the roads drove thousands of protesters 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.
| Switched sides after the collapse of [[Austria-Hungary]].

|-
=== Sweden ===
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Botswana}}
{{main|Dagen H}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
[[Image:Sweden1967.jpg|right|frame|Stockholm on Dagen H]]
|
[[Sweden]] had left-hand traffic (''Vänstertrafik'' in [[Swedish language|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 [[Russia]]n [[Grand Duchy of Finland|Grand Duchy]] until 1858.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vardo.aland.fi/hogertrafik.htm|title=Högertrafik |language=Swedish|accessdate=2006-08-11|publisher=vardo.aland.fi}}</ref>
|[[Bechuanaland Protectorate|British colony]] before 1966.

|-
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.
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Brazil}}

| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
In 1955 a [[Referenda in Sweden|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 [[Riksdag|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.
| {{dts|1928}}

| [[Colonial Brazil|Portuguese colony]] before 1822.
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, mostly because people initially drove more slowly and more carefully. However, the accident rate rose back to its original position within two years.
|-

| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Brunei}}
=== United Kingdom ===
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
[[Image:Drive-on-the-left-kent-1b.jpg|right|thumb|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 United States does not provide specific right-hand drive vehicles for its [[green fleet]]. However, its [[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.
| British protection until 1984.
*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.
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Bulgaria}}
*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. However, some manufacturers may charge a supplement for RHD models.<ref>{{cite web | title=European Commission | url = http://www.europa.eu.int/unitedkingdom/press/the_week_in_europe/pdf/we0409.pdf | format = [[PDF]] }}</ref>
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
*During the [[Lockerbie bombing|Lockerbie bomb]] trial of 2000-02, [[Scottish Court in the Netherlands|Camp Zeist in the Netherlands]] was decreed to be [[United Kingdom|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 required drivers to comply with the [[Continental Europe]]an 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 [[United Kingdom|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.<ref>{{cite web | title = The Channel Tunnel, Fantasy? | publisher=[[BBC]] | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/04/channel_tunnel/html/fantasy.stm }}</ref> 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 [[United Kingdom|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 ===
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Burkina Faso}}
As British colonies, the original 13 states drove on the left-hand side. The switch to driving on the right started following independence, influenced by a number of factors, including wishes to cast off links to the colonial past.
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT

|
The first keep-right law in the United States, passed in 1792, applied to the [[Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike]], between Lancaster and Philadelphia. New York (in 1804) and New Jersey (in 1813) also enacted keep-right rules.
| Part of French West Africa before 1958.

|-
Early American motor vehicles were produced in RHD following the practice established by horse-drawn buggies. This changed in the early years of the 20th Century: [[Ford]] changed to LHD production in 1908, and [[Cadillac]] in 1916.
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Burundi}}

| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
Many imported RHD cars are also found on the road in the United States, especially [[classic car]]s or other collectors' items.
|

| [[Ruanda-Urundi|Belgian colony]] before 1962. Considering switching to LHT.<ref name="rwandaburundi"/>
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.
|-

| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Cambodia}}
American rules of the road sometimes permit [[Traffic#Overtaking|overtaking]] on the right side (multi-[[Traffic#Lane|lane]] [[highway]]s, one-way streets, or when overtaking other vehicles preparing to turn left). The laws vary from state to state.
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT

|
The only U.S. territory where driving is on the left is the
| [[French protectorate of Cambodia|French protectorate]] before 1953.
[[U.S. Virgin Islands]].
|-

| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Cameroon}}
== Places where traffic keeps to the right ==
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
Note: ''Italics'' indicates year of change to driving on the right.
| {{dts|1961}}

{|
|
|-
|width="33%" valign="top"|
| rowspan="13" | {{Flagcountry|Canada}}
[[Afghanistan]]<br />
| {{flagcountry|Alberta}}
[[Albania]]<br />
| rowspan="13" style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Algeria]]<br />
|
[[American Samoa]] <br />
|
[[Andorra]]<br />
|-
[[Angola]] ''(1928)''<br />
| {{flagcountry|British Columbia}}
[[Argentina]] ''(1945)'' <br />
| 1920–1922
[[Armenia]]<br />
| Interior changed 15 July 1920, Vancouver and the coastal area 1 January 1922
[[Aruba]]<br />
|-
[[Austria]] ''(1935-38)''<br />
| {{flagcountry|Manitoba}}
[[Azerbaijan]]<br />
|
[[Bahrain]] ''(1967)''<br />
|
[[Belarus]]<br />
|-
[[Belgium]]<br />
| {{flagcountry|New Brunswick}}
[[Belize]] ''(1961)''<br />
| {{dts|1 December 1922}}
[[Benin]]<br />
|
[[Bolivia]]<br />
|-
[[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]<br />
| {{flagcountry|Newfoundland and Labrador}}
[[Brazil]]<br />
| {{dts| 2 January 1947}}
[[British Indian Ocean Territory]]<br />
| Was a [[Dominion of Newfoundland|British Dominion]] until 1949.
[[Bulgaria]]<br />
|-
[[Burkina Faso]]<br />
| {{flagcountry|Northwest Territories}}
[[Burundi]]<br />
|
[[Cambodia]]<br />
|
[[Cameroon]] ''(1961)''<br />
|-
[[Canada]]<br />
| {{flagcountry|Nova Scotia}}
[[Cape Verde]] ''(1928)''<br />
| {{dts|15 April 1923}}
[[Central African Republic]]<br />
|
[[Chad]]<br />
|-
[[Chile]]<br />
| {{flagcountry|Nunavut}}
[[Mainland China|China]], mainland ''(1946)''<br />
|
[[Colombia]]<br />
|
[[Comoros]]<br />
|-
[[Republic of the Congo|Congo (Brazzaville)]]<br />
| {{flagcountry|Ontario}}
[[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo (Kinsasha)]]<br />
|
[[Costa Rica]]<br />
|
[[Côte d'Ivoire]]<br />
|-
[[Croatia]]<br />
| {{flagcountry|Prince Edward Island}}
[[Cuba]]<br />
| {{dts|1 May 1924}}
[[Czech Republic]] ''(1939, [[Switch to right hand traffic in Czechoslovakia|details]])<br />
|
[[Denmark]] ''1793*''<br />
|-
[[Djibouti]]<br />
| {{flagcountry|Quebec}}
[[Dominican Republic]]<br />
|
[[Ecuador]]<br />
|
[[Egypt]]<br />
|-
[[El Salvador]]<br />
| {{flagcountry|Saskatchewan}}
[[Equatorial Guinea]]<br />
|
[[Eritrea]] ''(1964)''<br />
|
[[Estonia]]<br />
|-
[[Ethiopia]] ''(1964)'' <br />
| {{flagcountry|Yukon}}
[[Faroe Islands]]<br />
|
[[Finland]] ''(1858)'' <br />
|
[[France]] ''(1789)''<br />
|-
[[French Guiana]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Cape Verde}}
[[French Polynesia]]
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|width="33%" valign="top"|
| {{dts|1928}}
[[Gabon]]<br />
| [[Portuguese Cape Verde|Portuguese colony]] before 1975.
[[Gambia]] ''(1965)''<br />
|-
[[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Central African Republic}}
[[Germany]]<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Ghana]] ''(1974)''<br />
|
[[Gibraltar]] ''(1929)''<br />
| rowspan="2" | French colonies before 1960.
[[Greece]]<br />
|-
[[Greenland]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Chad}}
[[Guadeloupe]]<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Guam]] (U.S.)<br />
|
[[Guatemala]]<br />
|-
[[Guinea]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Chile}}
[[Guinea-Bissau]] ''(1928)'' <br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Haiti]]<br />
| 1920s
[[Honduras]]<br />
|
[[Hungary]] ''(1941)''<br />
|-
[[Iceland]] ''(1968)''<br />
| rowspan="3" | {{Flagcountry|China}}
[[Iran]]<br />
| [[Mainland China|Mainland]]
[[Iraq]]<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Israel]]<br />
| {{dts|1946}}
[[Italy]]<br />
| Parts of China were LHT in the 1930s.
[[Jordan]]<br />
|-
[[Kazakhstan]]<br />
| {{Flagcountry|Hong Kong}}
[[North Korea|Korea DPR]]<br />
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
[[South Korea|Korea]] ''(1946)''<br />
|
[[Kuwait]]<br />
| Hong Kong was a [[British Hong Kong|British colony]] from 1841 to 1941 and from 1945 to 1997, when the dependent territory was transferred to China.
[[Kyrgyzstan]]<br />
|-
[[Laos]]<br />
| {{Flagcountry|Macau}}
[[Latvia]]<br />
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
[[Lebanon]]<br />
|
[[Liberia]]<br />
| Macau was under [[Portuguese Macau|Portuguese rule]] until 1999, when the dependent territory was transferred to China.
[[Libya]]<br />
|-
[[Liechtenstein]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Colombia}}
[[Lithuania]]<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Luxembourg]]<br />
|
[[Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]]<br />
|
[[Madagascar]]<br />
|-
[[Mali]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Comoros}}
[[Marshall Islands]]<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Martinique]]<br />
|
[[Mauritania]]<br />
| [[French Comoros|French colony]] before 1975.
[[Mayotte]] <br />
|-
[[Mexico]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Republic of Congo}}
[[Federated States of Micronesia|Micronesia]]<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Midway Atoll]] <br />
|
[[Moldova]]<br />
| [[French Congo|French colony]] before 1960.
[[Monaco]]<br />
|-
[[Mongolia]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Democratic Republic of the Congo}}
[[Montenegro]]<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Morocco]]<br />
|
[[Myanmar]] ''(1970)''<br />
| [[Belgian Congo|Belgian colony]] before 1960. RHD vehicles are common, especially in the southeast.
[[Netherlands]]<br />
|-
[[Netherlands Antilles]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Costa Rica}}
[[New Caledonia]] <br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica |url=http://www.pgrweb.go.cr/scij/Busqueda/Normativa/normas/nrm_articulo.aspx?param1=NRA&nValor1=1&nValor2=73504&nValor3=130675&nValor4=-1&nValor5=101&nValor6=04/10/2012&strTipM=FA |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=pgrweb.go.cr}}</ref>
[[Nicaragua]]
|
|width="33%" valign="top"|
|
[[Niger]]<br />
|-
[[Nigeria]] ''(1972)''<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Côte d'Ivoire}}<br/>(Côte d'Ivoire)
[[Northern Mariana Islands|Northern Mariana Is.]] <br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Norway]]<br />
|
[[Oman]]<br />
| Part of French West Africa before 1960.
[[Palau]]<br />
|-
[[Panama]] ''(1943)'' <br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Croatia}}
[[Paraguay]] ''(1945)''<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Peru]]<br />
| {{dts|1926}}
[[Philippines]] ''(1946)''<br />
| Was then part of the [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]].
[[Poland]]<br />
|-
[[Portugal]] ''(1928)''<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Cuba}}
[[Puerto Rico]] <br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Qatar]]<br />
|
[[Réunion]] <br />
|
[[Romania]]<br />
|-
[[Russian Federation]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Cyprus}}
[[Rwanda]]<br />
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
[[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] <br />
|
[[Samoa]] ''(mid-1940s?)''<br />
| Under UK administration before 1960. Island nation. ''[[De facto]]'' divided between the [[Republic of Cyprus]], the [[Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus]], the [[United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus|UN buffer zone]] and the British base areas of [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia]]. All are LHT.
[[San Marino]]<br />
|-
[[São Tomé and Príncipe]] ''(1928)''<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Czech Republic}}
[[Saudi Arabia]]<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Senegal]]<br />
| {{dts|1939}}
[[Serbia]]<br />
| [[Switch to right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia|Switched]] during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia.
[[Sierra Leone]] ''(1971)''<br />
|-
[[Slovakia]] ''(1939-41'', [[Switch to right side driving in Czechoslovakia|details]])<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Denmark}}
[[Slovenia]]<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Somalia]] ''(1968)''<br />
|
[[Spain]] ''(Oct 1924)''<br />
| Includes the [[Faroe Islands]] and [[Greenland]].
[[Sudan]] ''(1973)''<br />
|-
[[Svalbard]] <br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Djibouti}}
[[Sweden]] (''1967'', [[Dagen H|details]])<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Switzerland]]<br />
|
[[Syria]]<br />
|[[French Somaliland|French]] [[French Territory of the Afars and the Issas|colony]] before 1977.
[[Taiwan]] ''(1946)''<br />
|-
[[Tajikistan]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Dominica}}
[[Togo]]<br />
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
[[Tunisia]]<br />
|
[[Turkey]]<br />
| British colony before 1978. Caribbean island.
[[Turkmenistan]]<br />
|-
[[Ukraine]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Dominican Republic}}
[[United Arab Emirates]]<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[United States]]<br />
|
[[Uruguay]] ''(1945)'' <br />
|
[[Uzbekistan]]<br />
|-
[[Vanuatu]]<br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|East Timor}}
[[Vatican City]]<br />
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
[[Venezuela]]<br />
| {{dts|19 July 1976}}
[[Vietnam]]<br />
| [[Portuguese Timor|Portuguese colony]] until 1975. Switched to RHT with Portugal in 1928; under the [[Indonesian occupation of East Timor|Indonesian annexation]], it was switched back to LHT in 1976. Its LHT status remains to this day.
[[Wake Island]] <br />
|-
[[Wallis and Futuna]] <br />
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Ecuador}}
[[Western Sahara]]<br />
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
[[Yemen]]
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Egypt}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|El Salvador}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Equatorial Guinea}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| [[Spanish Guinea|Spanish colony]] before 1968.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Eritrea}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|8 June 1964}}
| [[Italian Eritrea|Italian colony]] before 1942.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Estonia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Eswatini}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| British protectorate until 1968. Continues to drive on the same side as neighbouring countries.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Ethiopia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|8 June 1964}}
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Fiji}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| The island nation was a [[Colony of Fiji|British colony]] before 1970.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Finland}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|8 June 1858}}
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|France}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1792}}
| Includes [[French Polynesia]], [[New Caledonia]], [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]], [[Wallis and Futuna]], [[French Guiana]], [[Réunion]], [[Saint Barthélemy]], the [[Collectivity of Saint Martin]], [[Guadeloupe]], and [[Mayotte]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Gabon}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|French colony before 1960.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Gambia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1 October 1965}}
| [[Gambia Colony and Protectorate|British colony]] until 1965. Switched to RHT on 1 October 1965 being surrounded by the former French colony of Senegal.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=22wMAQAAIAAJ&q=%221st+October%2C+1965%22|title=Tourist and Business Directory, The Gambia|year=1969|page=19}}</ref>
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Georgia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| About 40% of vehicles in Georgia are RHD due to the low cost of used cars imported from Japan.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Germany}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hillger|first1=Don|last2=Toth|first2=Garry|title=Right-Hand/Left-Hand Driving Customs|url=http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/dev/hillger/driving-customs.htm|publisher=Colorado State University|access-date=13 December 2016}}</ref>
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Ghana}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|4 August 1974}}
| [[Gold Coast (British colony)|British colony]] until 1957. Ghana switched to RHT in 1974,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ghanalegal.com/?id=3&law=391&t=ghana-laws|title=Right-Hand Traffic Act|publisher=Ghanalegal.com|access-date=14 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UyCl5iWBSzwC&q=ghana+drive+right+1974&pg=PA5|journal=Daily Graphic|issue=7526|date=21 December 1974|page=9|title=Daily Graphic: Issue 7526 December 21 1974|last1=Nkrumah|first1=I. K.}}</ref> a [[Twi language]] slogan was "Nifa, Nifa Enan" or "Right, Right, Fourth".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cec.vcn.bc.ca/rdi/kw-trv.htm|title=Studies Among the Akan People of West Africa Community, Society, History, Culture; With Special Focus on the Kwawu by Phil Bartle, PhD| first = Phil | last = Bartle|publisher=Cec.vcn.bc.ca|access-date=14 May 2014}}</ref> Ghana has also banned RHD vehicles – it prohibited new registrations of RHD vehicles after 1 August 1974, three days before the traffic change.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Greece}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| 1926
| Originally LHT (albeit unofficially) since independence. The establishment of the traffic code switched traffic officially to RHT traffic in 1926.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Grenada}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| British colony before 1974. Caribbean island.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Guatemala}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Guinea}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Part of French West Africa before 1958.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Guinea-Bissau}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1928}}
| [[Portuguese Guinea|Portuguese colony]] until 1974. Drives on the same side as its neighbours.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Guyana}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| [[British Guyana|British colony]] until 1966. One of the only two countries in continental America which are in LHT, the other being Suriname.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Haiti}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|[[Saint-Domingue|French colony]] until 1804.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Honduras}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Hungary}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1941}}
| Originally LHT, like most of [[Austria-Hungary]], but switched sides during [[World War II]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Iceland}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|26 May 1968}}
| This Atlantic island nation changed to RHT on [[H-dagurinn]]. Most passenger cars were already LHD.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|India}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
|Part of [[British Raj|British India]] before 1947.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Indonesia}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT<ref name="basement">{{cite web|title=Right-Hand Traffic versus Left-Hand Traffic|url=https://basementgeographer.com/right-hand-traffic-versus-left-hand-traffic/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210083750/https://basementgeographer.com/right-hand-traffic-versus-left-hand-traffic/|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 February 2017|website=The Basement Geographer|access-date=22 November 2018}}</ref>
|
|Roads and railways were built by the Dutch, with LHT for roads to conform to British and Japanese standards and RHT for railways to conform with Dutch standards. [[Rapid transit in Indonesia|Urban railways]] also use RHT. Did not change sides, unlike the Netherlands, in 1906.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Iran}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Iraq}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Ireland}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| What is now the [[Republic of Ireland]] was part of the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom before 1922]]. The Republic covers most of the island of [[Ireland]]; the rest of Ireland is part of [[Northern Ireland]], which remains part of the United Kingdom, which is also LHT.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Israel}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Italy}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| 1924–26
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Jamaica}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| [[Colony of Jamaica|British colony]] before 1962. Caribbean island. Most passenger vehicles are RHD, tractor-trailers and other heavy-duty trucks are mostly LHD due to being imported from the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tenfourmagazine.com/2019/02/trucking-around-the-world/trucking-in-jamaica/ |title=Trucking in Jamaica &#124; 10-4 Magazine |publisher=Tenfourmagazine.com |date=2011-12-12 |accessdate=2022-02-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://jis.gov.jm/fire-service-comfortable-with-left-hand-drive-trucks/ |title=Fire Service Comfortable With Left Hand Drive Trucks – Jamaica Information Service |publisher=Jis.gov.jm |date=2022-02-11 |accessdate=2022-02-16}}</ref>
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Japan}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT<ref>{{cite web| title = Why Does Japan Drive on the Left | publisher = 2pass.co.uk |url= http://www.2pass.co.uk/japan.htm | access-date=11 August 2006 }}</ref>
|
| LHT was enacted in law in 1924. One of the few non-British-colony countries to use LHT. [[Okinawa Prefecture]] was RHT from [[United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands|24 June 1945]] to [[730 (transport)|30 July 1978]] because of American rule.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Jordan}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Kazakhstan}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Kenya}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kra.go.ke/customs/faqcustoms2.html#Q1 |title=Customs Services Department – Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=KRA |access-date=12 December 2010 |archive-date=25 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225111100/https://www.kra.go.ke/index.php#Q1 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|
| Part of the [[Kenya Colony|British East Africa Protectorate]] before 1963.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Kiribati}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| This Pacific island nation was a British colony before 1979.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Kosovo}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Kuwait}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|British Protectorate until 1961.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Kyrgyzstan}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| In 2012, over 20,000 cheap used RHD cars were imported from Japan.<ref name="kyrgyzstan-rhd">{{cite news|title=Over 20,000 Right Hand Drive Cars Imported in Kyrgyzstan in 2012|url=http://www.satrapia.com/news/article/over-20000-right-hand-drive-cars-imported-in-kyrgyzstan-in-2012/|newspaper=The Gazette of Central Asia|date=8 May 2013|publisher=Satrapia}}</ref>
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Laos}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|[[French protectorate of Laos|French protectorate]] until 1953. The [[First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge|Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge]] is LHT in connection to Thailand.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Latvia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Lebanon}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| [[French Mandate of Lebanon]] before 1946.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Lesotho}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| British protectorate from 1885 to 1966. Enclave of LHT South Africa.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Liberia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|Was under [[Colony of Liberia|American control]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Libya}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| [[Italian Libya|Italian colony]] from 1911 to 1947.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Liechtenstein}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Landlocked between Switzerland and Austria.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Lithuania}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Luxembourg}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Madagascar}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| This island nation was a [[French Madagascar|French colony]] until 1958.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Malawi}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| British colony before 1964.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Malaysia}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| [[British Malaya|British colony]] before 1957.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Maldives}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| This island nation was a British colony before 1965.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Mali}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Part of [[French West Africa]] before 1960.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Malta}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| [[Crown Colony of Malta|British colony]] before 1964. Island nation.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Marshall Islands}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Was under [[Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands|American control]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Mauritania}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Part of [[French West Africa]] before 1960. Mining roads between [[Fderîck]] and [[Zouérat]] are LHT.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.panoramio.com/photo/9441095?tag=Mauritania|title=Photo of All Change. Swop Over Point for the Traffic !|publisher=Panoramio|access-date=10 June 2012}}</ref>
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Mauritius}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
|This island nation was a [[British Mauritius|British colony]] before 1968.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Mexico}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Micronesia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Was under [[Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands|American control]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Moldova}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Monaco}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Was under French control.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Mongolia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Montenegro}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Morocco}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Under [[French protectorate in Morocco|French]] and [[Spanish protectorate in Morocco|Spanish protection]] until 1956.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Mozambique}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| [[Portuguese Mozambique|Portuguese colony]] until 1975. Drives on the same side as its neighbours.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Myanmar}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|6 December 1970}}<ref>[https://www.irrawaddy.com/specials/on-this-day/day-myanmar-started-driving-right.html The Day Myanmar Started Driving on the Right], ''[[The Irrawaddy]]'', 6 December 2019</ref>
| [[British rule in Burma|British colony]] until 1948. Switched to RHT under the orders of Ne Win. Theories emerge on the reasoning behind this switch; one claimed that he met an astrologer that recommended him to switch the country's traffic to the right in order to make the nation prosper, while another claimed that international visits caused him to notice that most countries are RHT and so decided to convert the country's handedness of traffic in order to connect Myanmar's roads with other countries' roads in the future.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Namibia}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
| {{dts|1920}}
| When South Africa occupied [[German South West Africa]] in [[World War I]], it switched to LHT. [[South West Africa]] was administered by South Africa 1920–1990.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Nauru}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
| {{dts|1918}}
|This island nation was administered by Australia until 1968.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Nepal}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| Shares open land border with LHT India.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Kingdom of the Netherlands}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1 January 1906}}<ref name="NED">{{cite web|url=http://www.volkskrant.nl/economie/de-claim-links-rijden~a358071/|title=De Claim links rijden|work=De Volkskrant|language=nl|first = Peter | last = van Ammelrooy|date=12 September 2009|access-date=14 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321062714/https://www.volkskrant.nl/economie/de-claim-links-rijden~b9113fe3/|archive-date=21 March 2020}}</ref>
| Includes [[Aruba]], [[Curaçao]], and [[Sint Maarten]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|New Zealand}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2004/0427/latest/DLM302188.html?search=qs_all%40act%40bill%40regulation_left+side+road_resel&p=1|title= 2.1 "Keeping Left" – Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004 – New Zealand Legislation |publisher= New Zealand Government |access-date=28 November 2010}}</ref>
|
| These Pacific islands, including territories [[Niue]] and [[Cook Islands]], were former British colonies.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Nicaragua}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Niger}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Part of French West Africa before 1958.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Nigeria}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|2 April 1972}}
| [[Colonial Nigeria|British colony]] until 1960. Under the military government, it switched to RHT due to being surrounded by RHT former French colonies.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|North Korea}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1946}}
| Was LHT during the period of [[Korea under Japanese rule|Japanese rule]]. Switched to RHT after the [[Surrender of Japan]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|North Macedonia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Norway}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Oman}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT<ref>{{cite web|access-date=8 August 2006|publisher=Foreign & Commonwealth Office (fco.gov.uk)|title=Travel advice by country, Oman|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/oman|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408184423/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/oman|archive-date=8 April 2008}}</ref>
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Pakistan}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| Part of [[British Raj|British India]] before 1947.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Palau}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Most passenger vehicles are RHD due to them being imported from Australia and Japan.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} Palau was under [[Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands|American control]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Palestine}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Panama}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1943}}
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Papua New Guinea}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| After Australia occupied [[German New Guinea]] during World War I, it switched to LHT.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Paraguay}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1945}}
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Peru}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Philippines}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1946}}
| Was LHT during the [[Captaincy General of the Philippines|Spanish]] and [[Insular Government of the Philippine Islands|American]] colonial periods. Switched to RHT after the [[Battle of Manila (1945)|Battle of Manila]] in 1945.<ref name="E.O. 34 1945"/> RHD vehicles such as imported buses were still used up until the late 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 August 2020 |first=Mia |last=Rodriguez |title=Whatever Happened to the Double-Decker Buses That Used to Ply Metro Manila's Roads? |url=https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/the-latest-news-features/83393/double-decker-buses-metro-manila-a4362-20200830-lfrm |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=SPOT.PH}}</ref> [[Philippine National Railways]] switched to RHT in 2010. Nowadays RHD vehicles are illegal to register and operate for ordinary use under Republic Act 8506 of 1998 however RHD vintage vehicles made before 1960 in "showroom" condition or off-road specialized vehicles are allowed to be used only for motorsports events.<ref name=":0" />
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Poland}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| South-eastern Poland (former [[Austrian Partition]]) was LHT until the 1920s.<ref name="Komunikacja.krakow.eurocity.pl" />
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Portugal}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT<ref name="basement"/>
| {{dts|1928}}
| Colonies [[Goa]], Macau and Mozambique, which had land borders with LHT countries, did not switch and continue to drive on the left.<ref name="mozrev">[https://books.google.com/books?id=W2oaAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Mozambique+one+drives+on+the+the+left%22 ''Mozambique: memoirs of a revolution''], John Paul, Penguin, 1975, page 41</ref> The [[Porto Metro]] uses RHT.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Qatar}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Former British protectorate. Switched to same side as neighbours.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Romania}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1919}}
| Regions of Romania ([[Transylvania]], [[Bukovina]], parts of the [[Banat]], [[Crișana]] and [[Maramureș]]) that were part of [[Austria-Hungary]] were LHT until 1919.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Russia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|In the [[Russian Far East]], RHD vehicles are common due to the import of used cars from nearby Japan.<ref name="rbth.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.rbth.com/business/2016/08/31/russian-far-east-is-still-attached-to-japanese-cars_625665 |title=Russian Far East is still attached to Japanese cars |publisher=Russia behind the headlines |date=31 August 2016 |access-date=12 August 2017}}</ref> The railway between Moscow and [[Ryazan]], the [[Sormovskaya line]] in [[Nizhny Novgorod Metro]] and the [[Moskva River cable car]] use LHT.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Rwanda}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT<ref name=rwandaburundi/>
|
| [[Ruanda-Urundi|Belgian colony]] before 1962. Considering switching to LHT.<ref name="rwandaburundi"/>
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Saint Kitts and Nevis}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
|This Caribbean island nation was a [[Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla|British colony]] before 1983.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Saint Lucia}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| rowspan="2" | This Caribbean island nation was a British colony before 1979.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Samoa}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
| {{dts|7 September 2009}}
| Despite New Zealand occupying [[German Samoa]] during the first World War, the country did not switch to LHT until 2009; this was for economic reasons, to allow cheaper importation of cars from Australia, New Zealand and Japan.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/08/samoa-drivers-switch-left Samoa switches smoothly to driving on the left], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 8 Sep 2009</ref>
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|San Marino}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Enclaved state surrounded by Italy.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|São Tomé and Príncipe}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1928}}
| [[Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe|Portuguese colony]] until 1975.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Saudi Arabia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1942}}
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Senegal}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Part of French West Africa before 1960.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Serbia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1926}}
| (As part of [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]]). [[Vojvodina]] was LHT while part of Austria-Hungary.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Seychelles}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| This island nation was a British colony until 1976.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Sierra Leone}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1 March 1971}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F80CAAAAMAAJ&q=%22right-hand+traffic+system+on+1st+March+1971%22|title=The Rising Sun: A History of the All People's Congress Party of Sierra Leone|publisher=A.P.C. Secretariat|year=1982|page=396}}</ref>
| [[Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate|British colony]] until 1961. Switched to RHT being surrounded by neighbouring former French colonies. Furthermore, it banned the importation of RHD vehicles in 2013.<ref name="sierra-leone-RHD">{{cite news|url=http://www.voanews.com/content/sierra-leone-officially-bans-right-hand-vehichles-as-hazards/1751527.html|title=Sierra Leone Bans Right-Hand Vehicles as Hazards|publisher=[[Voice of America]]|first=Nina|last=de Vries|date=17 September 2013}}</ref>
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Singapore}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| This island nation was a British colony until 1963. It was also [[Singapore in Malaysia|part of Malaysia]] until 1965.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Slovakia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| 1939–41
| [[Switch to right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia|Switched]] during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Slovenia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1926}}
| (As part of [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]].) Officially LHT from 1915 as part of [[Austria-Hungary]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Solomon Islands}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| This island nation was a [[British Solomon Islands|British protectorate]] before 1975.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Somalia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| The former [[British Somaliland]] had LHT until it formed a union with the former [[Italian Somaliland]] which had RHT.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|South Africa}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT<ref>{{cite web|title=Road Rules|url=http://www.sacarrental.com/road-rules.htm|work=SACarRental.com|access-date=15 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102054016/http://www.sacarrental.com/road-rules.htm|archive-date=2 January 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Driving in South Africa Information|url=http://www.drivesouthafrica.co.za/driving-information/south-africa/|work=drivesouthafrica.co.za|access-date=15 February 2014}}</ref>
|
| British colony before 1910.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|South Korea}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1946}}
| Was LHT during the period of [[Korea under Japanese rule|Japanese rule]]. Switched to RHT after the [[Surrender of Japan]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|South Sudan}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1973}}
| Part of [[Sudan]] until 2011.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Spain}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1924}}
| Up to the 1920s [[Barcelona]] was RHT, and [[Madrid]] was LHT until 1924. The [[Madrid Metro]] still uses LHT.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Sri Lanka}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| [[British Ceylon]] from 1815 to 1948.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Sudan}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1973}}
| Formerly [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan]], it switched sides 17 years later to match neighbours.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Suriname}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
| 1920s
| [[Surinam (Dutch colony)|Dutch colony]] until 1975. One of the only two countries in continental America which are in LHT, the other being Guyana. Did not switch sides, unlike the Netherlands itself.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Sweden}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|3 September 1967}}
| The day of the switch was known as ''[[Dagen H]]''. Most passenger vehicles were already LHD.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Switzerland}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Syria}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Was under [[Syrian Federation|French]] [[State of Syria (1925–1930)|control]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Taiwan}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1946}}
| Was LHT during the period of [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Japanese rule]]. The [[Republic of China (1912–1949)]] changed Taiwan to RHT in 1946 along with the rest of China.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lis.ly.gov.tw/lghtml/lawstat/version2/01172/0117235060800.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210214228/http://lis.ly.gov.tw/lghtml/lawstat/version2/01172/0117235060800.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 December 2013 |title=違警罰法 (Act Governing the Punishment of Police Offences) |publisher=Passed by the Legislative Yuan |year=1946 |access-date=14 August 2012 }}</ref>
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Tajikistan}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Tanzania}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| Was [[Tanganyika Territory|British colony]] until 1961.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Thailand}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT<ref name="basement"/>
|
| One of the few non-British-colony LHT countries. Shares a long land border with RHT Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Togo}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|Part of French West Africa until 1960.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Tonga}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| British [[protectorate]] before 1970. Polynesian island nation.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Trinidad and Tobago}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c1n3oVO5Gv8C&q=Trinidad+and+Tobago+drives+on+the+left.&pg=PA53|title=Trinidad and Tobago Adventure Guide|first1=Kathleen|last1=O'Donnell|first2=Stassi|last2=Pefkaros|publisher=Hunter Publishing, Inc.|year=2000|page=53|isbn=9781556508868}}</ref>
|
| British colony before 1962. Caribbean nation.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Tunisia}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| RHT was enforced in the [[French protectorate of Tunisia]] from 1881 to 1956.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Turkey}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Except [[Metrobus (Istanbul)|Metrobus]], which is usually LHT.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Turkmenistan}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Tuvalu}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| Formerly a [[Gilbert and Ellice Islands|British colony]]. Became independent in 1978.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Uganda}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| Part of British [[Uganda Protectorate]] from 1894 until 1962.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Ukraine}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1922}}<ref name="Komunikacja.krakow.eurocity.pl"/>
| Western parts of the country had LHT under Austro-Hungarian Empire
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|United Arab Emirates}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1 September 1966}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2021/09/01/remembering-the-day-dubai-swapped-left-hand-driving-for-right/|date=1 September 2021|title=Remembering the day Dubai swapped left-hand driving for right|first=John|last=Dennehey}}</ref>
| Former [[Trucial States|British protectorate]].
|-
| rowspan="11" |{{Flagcountry|United Kingdom}} and [[British Overseas Territories|overseas territories]]
| Mainland [[United Kingdom]]
| style="background: lightskyblue;" | LHT
|
| An island nation with [[Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border|a land border]] with the Republic of Ireland, which is also LHT. Also LHT are the [[British Overseas Territories]] of [[Anguilla]], [[Ascension Island]], [[Bermuda]], [[Montserrat]], [[Saint Helena]], and [[Tristan da Cunha]].
|-
| {{flagcountry|British Indian Ocean Territory}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|The largest island, [[Diego Garcia]], was leased to the [[United States Navy]] as a [[US Navy bases|military base]]; the United States is RHT.
|-
| {{flagcountry|British Virgin Islands}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| Most passenger vehicles are LHD due to imports from the United States, which is RHT.<ref name="Fodor" />
|-
| {{flagcountry|Cayman Islands}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
|Most passenger vehicles are LHD due to imports from the United States, which has RHT.<ref name="caymans" />
|-
| {{flagcountry|Falkland Islands}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| Briefly switched to RHT during the [[Falklands War]].
|-
|{{flagcountry|Gibraltar}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1929}}
|[[Gibraltar]] is RHT because of its land border with Spain.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MoAzAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Rule+of+the+Road+Ordinance%22|title=Colonial Reports|series=Annual|volume=1480–1499|year=1930|page=76}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagcountry|Bailiwick of Guernsey|name=Guernsey}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| Was RHT from 1940 to 1945 due to the German occupation.<ref name="channel islands">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-iQNAAAAIAAJ&q=%22rule+of+the+road+was+changed+to+the+right%22|title=The Channel Islands War: 1940–1945|first=Peter|last=King|publisher=Hale|year=1991|page=31|isbn=9780709045120}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagcountry|Isle of Man}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
|
|-
|{{flagcountry|Jersey}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| Was RHT from 1940 to 1945 due to the German occupation.<ref name="channel islands"/>
|-
| {{flagcountry|Pitcairn Islands}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
|There is no official vehicle registration system.
|-
|{{flagcountry|Turks and Caicos Islands}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
|Most passenger vehicles are LHD due to imports from the United States, which has RHT.<ref name="turks and caicos"/>
|-
| rowspan="8" | {{Flagcountry|United States}}
| [[Contiguous United States|Contiguous U.S.]]
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|Alaska}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|Hawaii}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|Puerto Rico}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|U.S. Virgin Islands}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], like much of the Caribbean, is LHT and is the only American jurisdiction that still has LHT, because the islands drove on the left when the US purchased the former [[Danish West Indies]] in the 1917 [[Treaty of the Danish West Indies]]. Most passenger vehicles are LHD due to them being imported from the American mainland.<ref name="Fodor"/>
|-
| {{flagcountry|Guam}}
| style="background: lightcoral;" | RHT
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|Northern Mariana Islands}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|American Samoa}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Uruguay}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|9 September 1945}}
| Became LHT in 1918, but as in some other countries in South America, changed to RHT in 1945.<ref name="Autoblog">[http://www.autoblog.com.uy/2015/08/el-dia-en-que-el-rio-de-la-plata-dejo.html El día en que el Río de la Plata dejó de manejar por la izquierda], Autoblog, 25 August 2015</ref> A speed limit of {{convert|30|km/h|0|abbr=on}} was observed until 30 September for safety.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Uzbekistan}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Vanuatu}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT<ref>{{cite web| title = RHD/LHD Country Guide | publisher = toyota-gib.com |url= https://www.toyota-gib.com/eng/vehicle-sales/lhd-rhd-guide.html | access-date=22 September 2017 }}</ref>
|
| [[New Hebrides|Co-administered under France and the United Kingdom]] until 1980.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Vatican City}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|Enclave of Rome.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Venezuela}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Vietnam}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| [[French Indochina|French colony]] until 1954. The [[Long Bien Bridge]] uses LHT.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Western Sahara}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|[[Spanish Sahara|Spanish colony]] until 1976.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Yemen}}
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1977}}<ref name="kincaid"/>
| [[South Yemen]], formerly the British [[colony of Aden]], changed to RHT in 1977, having become one of a few communist countries to use LHT. A series of postage stamps commemorating the event was issued.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stampworld.com/en/stamps/South-Yemen/Postage%20stamps/?year=1977|title=South Yemen – Postage stamps – 1977|work=stampworld.com}}</ref> At that time, [[Yemen Arab Republic|North Yemen]] was already RHT.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Zambia}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
|[[Northern Rhodesia|British colony]] before 1964.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Zimbabwe}}
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
|[[Southern Rhodesia|British colony]] before 1965 (de facto) or 1980 (de jure).
|}
|}
''*1758 in Copenhagen, 1793 in the rest of Denmark''


===Legality of wrong-hand-drive vehicles by country===
== Places where traffic keeps to the left ==
{{more citations needed|section|date=November 2021}}
Note: ''Italics'' indicates year of change to driving on the left.
{{incomplete table|date=October 2021}}
{|
{{sticky header}}
|width="33%" valign="top"|
{|class="wikitable sortable sticky-header"
[[Alderney]] <br />
|+Legality of wrong-hand-drive vehicles
[[Anguilla]] <br />
! Country
[[Antigua and Barbuda]]<br />
! Usage
[[Australia]]<br />
! Registration<br/>(diplomatic<br/>vehicles)
[[Bahamas]]<br />
! Registration<br/>(normal<br/>vehicles)
[[Bangladesh]]<br />
! Ref
[[Barbados]]<br />
|-
[[Bermuda]] <br />
| {{Flagcountry|Afghanistan}}
[[Bhutan]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Botswana]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Brunei]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Cayman Islands]] <br />
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ariananews.af/right-hand-vehicles-legalized-in-afghanistan/|title=Right-hand vehicles legalized in Afghanistan|date=12 March 2023 |publisher=Ariana News}}</ref>
[[Christmas Island]] <br />
|-
[[Cocos Islands|Cocos (Keeling) Islands]]<br />
| {{Flagcountry|Angola}}
[[Cook Islands]] <br />
| {{yes}}
[[Cyprus]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Dominica]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[East Timor]] ''(drove on right 1928-1976)''<br />
| [[File:Time for a break.jpg|20px]]
[[Falkland Islands]] <br />
|-
[[Fiji]]<br />
| {{Flagcountry|Argentina}}
[[Grenada]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Guernsey]] <br />
| {{yes}}
[[Guyana]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Hong Kong]] - unlike mainland China <br />
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ar.motor1.com/news/478252/repatriacion-se-trajo-un-honda-s2000-desde-nueva-zelanda-y-con-volante-a-la-derecha/|title=Repatriación: se trajo un Honda S2000 desde Nueva Zelanda (y con volante a la derecha)|quote=En nuestro país no hay ninguna normativa que impida que circulen vehículos con volante a la derecha. De hecho, es una configuración muy común entre los autos clásicos. (In our country there are no regulations that prevent right-hand drive vehicles from circulating. In fact, it is a very common configuration among classic cars.)}}</ref>
[[India]]
|-
|width="33%" valign="top"|
| {{Flagcountry|Armenia}}
[[Indonesia]] <br />
| {{no}}
[[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]<br />
| {{no}}
[[Isle of Man]] <br />
| {{no}}
[[Jamaica]]<br />
|
[[Japan]] ''([[Okinawa]] 1978)<br />
|-
[[Jersey]] <br />
| {{Flagcountry|Australia}}
[[Kenya]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Kiribati]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Lesotho]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Macau]] - unlike mainland China<br />
|
[[Malawi]]<br />
|-
[[Malaysia]]<br />
| {{Flagcountry|Bahamas}}
[[Maldives]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Malta]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Mauritius]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Montserrat]] <br />
|<ref name="bahamas"/>
[[Mozambique]]<br />
|-
[[Namibia]] ''(1918)''<br />
| {{Flagcountry|Bahrain}}
[[Nauru]] ''(1918)''<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Nepal]]<br />
| {{unknown}}
[[New Zealand]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Niue]] <br />
|
[[Norfolk Island]] <br />
|-
[[Pakistan]]<br />
| {{Flagcountry|Bangladesh}}
[[Papua New Guinea]]
| {{yes}}
|width="33%" valign="top"|
| {{yes}}
[[Pitcairn Islands]] <br />
| {{yes}}
[[Saint Helena]] <br />
| [[File:Lincoln Town car, Bangladesh. (32305973190).jpg|20px]]
[[Saint Kitts and Nevis]]<br />
|-
[[Saint Lucia]]<br />
|{{Flagcountry|Belarus}}
[[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Seychelles]]<br />
| {{no}}
[[Singapore]]<br />
| {{no}}
[[Solomon Islands]]<br />
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Почему белорусы никогда не покупают праворульные автомобили |url=https://www.avtovzglyad.ru/sovety/kupi-proday/2022-09-21-pochemu-belorusy-nikogda-ne-pokupajut-pravorulnye-avtomobili/ |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=avtovzglyad.ru |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Почему на некоторых автомобилях из России лучше не приезжать в Беларусь |url=https://abw.by/news/automarket/2019/04/08/izgotovyat-nomera-rastamozhat-i-postavyat-na-uchet-pochemu-na-nekotoryh-avtomobilyah-iz-rossii-luchshe-ne-priezzhat-v-belarus |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=abw.by |language=ru}}</ref>
[[South Africa]]<br />
|-
[[Sri Lanka]]<br />
| {{Flagcountry|Belgium}}
[[Suriname]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Swaziland]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Tanzania]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Thailand]]<br />
|
[[Tokelau]] <br />
|-
[[Tonga]]<br />
| {{Flagcountry|Bolivia}}
[[Trinidad and Tobago]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Turks and Caicos Islands]] <br />
| {{yes}}
[[Tuvalu]]<br />
| {{yes}}
[[Uganda]]<br />
|
[[United Kingdom]]<br />
|-
[[British Virgin Islands]] <br />
| {{Flagcountry|Brazil}}
[[U.S. Virgin Islands]] - unlike rest of U.S.<br />
| {{no}}
[[Zambia]]<br />
| {{no}}
[[Zimbabwe]]
| {{no}}
| <ref>{{cite act |type=Resolution |index=528 |date=14 May 2015 |article=1 |legislature=[[Ministry of Transport (Brazil)|Brazilian National Transit Council (Contran)]] |url=https://www.gov.br/transportes/pt-br/assuntos/transito/conteudo-contran/resolucao-contran-no-528-de-14-de-maio-de-2015 |language=Portuguese |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215124558/https://www.gov.br/transportes/pt-br/assuntos/transito/conteudo-contran/resolucao-contran-no-528-de-14-de-maio-de-2015 |archive-date=15 December 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Contran Resolution No. 528/2015 |url=https://www.interregs.com/catalogue/details/bra-52815/contran-resolution-no-528-2015/prohibition-from-registering-and-licensing-motor-vehicles-with-a-right-hand-drive/ |website=InterRegs |access-date=15 December 2023 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|British Virgin Islands}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|<ref name="Fodor"/>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Brunei}}
| {{Yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.agc.gov.bn/AGC%20Images/LOB/PDF/Cap68subRg1%282.8.07%29.pdf|title=Road Traffic Act|publisher=Government of Brunei}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Bulgaria}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Burundi}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Cambodia}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Canada}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|<ref name="canada-rhd">{{cite web|url=http://www.icbc.com/library/research_papers/right-hand-drive_vehicles/index.asp |title=Right-hand-drive vehicles |publisher=ICBC |access-date=2011-01-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713001400/http://www.icbc.com/library/research_papers/right-hand-drive_vehicles/index.asp |archive-date=2011-07-13 }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Cayman Islands}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|<ref name="caymans" />
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Chile}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{no}}
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://practicatest.cl/blog/normativa-de-transito/modificar-auto-volante-lado-derecho |website= practicatest.cl |title=¿Puedo modificar un auto que tiene el volante en el lado derecho?|quote=La ley chilena indica que en el país solo pueden circular automóviles con el volante a la izquierda, por lo que esos autos solo podrán salir a la calle una vez que se modifique el vehículo cambiando todo el equipamiento de manejo al lado correcto. (Chilean law indicates that only left-hand drive cars can circulate in the country, so those cars can only go out on the street once the vehicle is modified by changing all the driving equipment to the correct side.)}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|China}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|<ref name="china-RHD">{{cite web|url=https://carnewschina.com/2018/04/03/spotted-in-china-g50-toyota-century-v12-in-black-rhd/|title=Spotted in China: G50 Toyota Century V12 in Black, RHD|first=Joey|last=Wang|date=3 April 2018|website=CarNewsChina.com |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240315115550/https://carnewschina.com/2018/04/03/spotted-in-china-g50-toyota-century-v12-in-black-rhd/ |archive-date= 15 March 2024 }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Cyprus}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Dominican Republic}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|DR Congo}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:Ferme de l'honorable VItal kamerhe à mulume munene kabare.png|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|El Salvador}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Ethiopia}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Finland}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:1998 Toyota Caldina GT-T (Forssa, Finland).jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|France}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:Nissan Figaro (38361593055).jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Georgia}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| <ref>{{cite journal|title=The causal effect of wrong-hand drive vehicles on road safety|doi=10.1016/j.ecotra.2017.10.002|first=Felix|last=Roesel|journal=Economics of Transportation|volume=11|pages=15–22|year=2021|hdl=10419/170527 |s2cid=115656881 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Germany}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-31 |title=Können Rechtslenker in Deutschland zugelassen werden? |url=https://www.tuningblog.eu/kategorien/tuev-gesetze-verbote/rechtslenker-zulassen-388528/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=tuningblog.eu |language=de-DE}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Ghana}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Gibraltar}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Greece}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Guernsey}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Guyana}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Honduras}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Hong Kong}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/licences_and_permits/vehicle_first_registration/guidelines_for_importation_and_registration_of_mot/index.html|quote=Application for the registration and licensing of a left hand drive vehicle will not be accepted unless there are special circumstances.|title=GUIDELINES FOR IMPORTATION AND REGISTRATION OF MOTOR VEHICLE|work=Transport Department}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Hungary}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:Veszprém 2016, Nissan Figaro, Miklós utca.jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|India}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
|{{Flagcountry|Indonesia}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-09-18 |title=Terkuak Mobil Dinas Favorit FBI, Masih Digunakan Kedubes AS di Indonesia |trans-title=FBI's most famous operational vehicle is used by US Embassy in Indonesia |url=https://www.suara.com/otomotif/2019/09/18/151500/terkuak-mobil-dinas-favorit-fbi-masih-digunakan-kedubes-as-di-indonesia |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=suara.com |language=id}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nugraha |first=Muhammad Indra |date=2024-08-26 |title=Ada yang Aneh dengan Tesla Cybertruck Pertama di Indonesia |trans-title=Something is strange with first Tesla Cybertruck arrived in Indonesia |url=https://www.viva.co.id/otomotif/mobil/1745873-ada-yang-aneh-dengan-tesla-cybertruck-pertama-di-indonesia?page=all |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=viva.co.id |language=id}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Iran}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Ireland}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:Howth, Co. Dublin - Ireland (8706441713).jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Israel}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Italy}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Japan}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:Chevrolet Silverado as MONSTER ENERGY campaign car front.jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Jersey}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:Jersey International Motoring Festival 2013 06.jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Kazakhstan}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:Ulan District, 070000, Kazakhstan - panoramio (2).jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Kenya}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:IMAG1979(1).jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Kyrgyzstan}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|<ref name="kyrgyzstan-rhd"/>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Laos}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Lithuania}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| <ref name=pl-lt/>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Macau}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Malaysia}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Malta}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:Chevrolet Corvette maltaise.jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Micronesia}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Mongolia}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:Ulica w centrum Ułan Bator 02.JPG|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Myanmar}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Nepal}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Netherlands}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:1991 Nissan Figaro, Dutch licence registration 03-NBL-3 p1.JPG|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|New Zealand}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:2005 Pontiac Solstice (11664362773).jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Nicaragua}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Nigeria}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|North Korea}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:Pyongyang Toyota Landcruiser.jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Northern Cyprus}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Norway}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Pakistan}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Palau}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Paraguay}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Peru}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Philippines}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Republic Act No. 8506 {{!}} GOVPH |url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1998/02/13/republic-act-no-8506/ |access-date=2022-03-27 |website=Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines|archive-date=2 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202115918/https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1998/02/13/republic-act-no-8506/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Poland}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| <ref name=pl-lt>{{CELEX|62011CJ0639|text=Case C‑639/11 – Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber), 20 March 2014. European Commission v Republic of Poland}}, {{ECLI|ECLI:EU:C:2014:173}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Romania}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/sci-tech/auto/masinile-cu-volan-pe-dreapta-aduse-din-marea-britanie-nu-mai-pot-fi-omologate-in-romania-de-la-1-ianuarie-2021-1427339|date=2021-01-02|title=Mașinile cu volan pe dreapta aduse din Marea Britanie nu mai pot fi omologate în România de la 1 ianuarie 2021|language=ro}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Russia}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|<ref name="rbth.com"/>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Rwanda}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Saudi Arabia}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Sierra Leone}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|<ref name="sierra-leone-RHD"/>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Singapore}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/onemotoring/en/lta_information_guidelines/buy_a_new_vehicle/self_importation_.MainPar.22837.File.tmp/Car.pdf&ei=Zbj1U9SsN4ahugSWj4DAAw&usg=AFQjCNHTc_pJsESOog6-rHv936wzuqfI-Q |title=PROCEDURES ON IMPORTATION AND REGISTRATION OF A CAR IN SINGAPORE |publisher=LTA |access-date=10 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407131700/http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/onemotoring/en/lta_information_guidelines/buy_a_new_vehicle/self_importation_.mainpar.22837.file.tmp/car.pdf%26ei%3Dzbj1u9ssn4ahugswj4daaw%26usg%3Dafqjcnhtc_pjsesoog6-rhv936wzuqfi-q |archive-date=7 April 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Slovakia}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Somalia}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Somaliland}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:HG 0330.jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|South Africa}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|South Korea}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:Toyota Mark II Grande X110 Silver Mica (2).jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|South Sudan}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Spain}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Suriname}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Taiwan}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawSingle.aspx?Pcode=K0040013&FLNO=83|language=zh|title=道路交通安全規則§83-全國法規資料庫入口網站|publisher=Ministry of Justice (Taiwan)|date=2015-08-14|accessdate=2015-10-17|archive-date=2021-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509051155/https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawSingle.aspx?Pcode=K0040013&FLNO=83}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Tanzania}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Thailand}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Turkey}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Turks and Caicos Islands}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|<ref name="turks and caicos"/>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Uganda}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:An ambulance for Comboni hospital in Butare Town.jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Ukraine}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|United Arab Emirates}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:1990 Ford Mustang 5 litre (9703896628).jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|United States}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[File:1989 Toyota TownAce Surf 4WD.jpg|20px]]
|-
| {{Flagcountry|U.S. Virgin Islands}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|<ref name="Fodor"/>
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Vietnam}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Yemen}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| {{Flagcountry|Zambia}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{unknown}}
|
|}
|}


According to the [[Vienna Convention on Road Traffic]], which mostly covers Europe, if having a vehicle registered and legal to drive in one of the Convention countries, it is legal to drive it in any other of the countries, for visits and first year of residence after moving. This is regardless of whether it fulfils all the rules of the visitor countries. This convention does not affect rules on usage or registration of local vehicles.
==Notes and references==

*''Rule of the Road'' by Peter Kincaid, 239 pages, published by Greenwood Press in 1986 - ISBN 0-313-25249-1
==Gallery==
{{reflist}}
<gallery mode="packed">
File:I-85 in Atlanta approaching I-75.jpg|Right-hand traffic on [[Interstate 85|I-85]] in [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], US
File:401 widest point.jpg|Right-hand traffic on [[Ontario Highway 401]] in [[Canada]]
File:איילון Highway 20 (Israel) (6).JPG|Right-hand traffic on [[Ayalon Highway]] in [[Israel]]
File:Garching Bundesautobahn 9.jpg|Right-hand traffic on [[Bundesautobahn 9]] in [[Germany]]
File:Открытие развязки МКАД и Волгоградского проспекта (27).jpeg|Right-hand traffic in [[Moscow]], Russia
File:MRTC 3000 trains from Kamuning footbridge.jpg|Right-hand traffic in [[Metro Manila]], Philippines
File:Traffic in Oslo.JPG|Right-hand traffic in [[Oslo]], Norway
File:Antalyaspor Kavşağı - 23.6.15.JPG|Right-hand traffic in [[Antalya]], Turkey
File:King Abdullah Street, Jeddah.jpg|Right-hand traffic in [[Jeddah]], Saudi Arabia
File:Sheikh Zayed Road on 28 December 2007.jpg|Right-hand traffic on [[Sheikh Zayed Road]] in [[Dubai]], United Arab Emirates
File:Traffic in Pyongyang 02.JPG|Right-hand traffic in [[Pyongyang]], North Korea
File:Gyeongbu Express Way.jpg|Right-hand traffic on [[Gyeongbu Expressway]] in [[South Korea]]
File:LasVegasSign06212005.jpg|Right-hand traffic in [[Las Vegas]], Nevada, U.S.
File:Beijing traffic jam.JPG|Right-hand traffic in [[Beijing]], China
File:Taipei Roosevelt Road.JPG|Right-hand traffic in [[Taipei]], Taiwan
File:Traffic on M1 viewed from Pleasley Road, Whiston near Rotherham. - geograph.org.uk - 111945.jpg|Left-hand traffic on [[M1 motorway]] in the UK
File:觀塘道 - panoramio.jpg|Left-hand traffic on [[Kwun Tong Road]] in [[Hong Kong]], China
File:Mumbai 03-2016 109 Western Express Highway near Bandra.jpg|Left-hand traffic on [[Western Express Highway]] in [[Mumbai]], India
File:MacauRuaDoViscondePacoDeArcos1.jpg|Left-hand traffic in [[Macau]], China
File:Jembatan suramadu,madura-surabaya,indonesia.jpg|Left-hand traffic on [[Suramadu Bridge]] in [[Indonesia]]
File:Northside Road near 5 corners in St Croix.jpg|Left-hand traffic in the [[United States Virgin Islands]]
File:Eshima oohashi 04 (14781816175).jpg|Left-hand traffic on [[Eshima Ohashi Bridge]] in [[Japan]]
File:City of Valletta,Malta in 2020.03.jpg|Left-hand traffic in [[Valletta]], Malta
File:Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur 20230828 151721.jpg|Left-hand traffic in [[Kuala Lumpur]], Malaysia
File:Jln Toa Payoh bef Kim Keat 20060402.JPG|Left-hand traffic in [[Singapore]]
File:Along Sukhumvit Road Bangkok (15539992071).jpg|Left-hand traffic in [[Bangkok]], Thailand
File:Gibraltar-LookLeft-right-hand traffic.jpg|[[Gibraltar]] has been RHT since 1929.
File:DriveLeftIRL.jpg|Road sign reminding motorists to drive on the left in [[Ireland]]
File:Drive-on-the-left-kent-1b.jpg|Road sign in [[Kent]] placed on right-hand side of the road
File:Fari-Wechsel.jpg|Change of traffic directions at the [[Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge]]
</gallery>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea]]
*[[Road]]
*[[Traffic]]
*[[Hook turn]]
*[[Hook turn]]
*[[Traffic-light signalling and operation]]
*[[World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations]]

==References==
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.brianlucas.ca/roadside/ Which side of the road do they drive on?]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20171020071550/http://www.nicholashodder.com/download/leftright.kmz Google Maps placemarks of border crossings where traffic changes sides] (placemarks file, requires [[Google Earth]])
*[http://pielkenrood.fol.nl/x/indexri.htm Why Left or Right Traffic?]
*[http://www.i18nguy.com/driver-side.html Why Don't We Drive On The Same Side Of The Road Around The World?]
* [http://www.tramz.com/py/as.html The Extraordinary Street Railways of Asunción, Paraguay]

*[http://www.geocities.com/jusjih/driving-rl.html Road Traffic Driving on the Right or on the Left]
{{Traffic law}}
*[http://uk.geocities.com/chris.davison@btinternet.com/Driving.htm Safety aspects of driving on the left :]
{{Road types}}
*[http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/02sep/06.htm Federal Highway Administration research into 'wrong-way' accidents on multi-lane roads]

*[http://www.serve.com/CZBrats/Articles/left.htm When Left was Right] (Panama)
[[Category:Chirality]]
*[http://users.pandora.be/worldstandards/driving%20on%20the%20left.htm Why do some countries drive on the right and others on the left ?]
[[Category:Driving]]
*[http://www.ianwatson.org/rule_of_the_road.pdf "The rule of the road, 1919-1986: a case study in standards change."]
*[http://www.tramz.com/py/as.html The Extraordinary Street Railways of Asunción, Paraguay]
[[Category:Lists of countries|Driving on the left or right]]
[[Category:Road transport]]
[[Category:Road transport]]
[[Category:Rules of the road]]
[[Category:Traffic law]]
[[Category:Traffic law]]

[[cs:Pravidla silničního provozu#Jízda vpravo]]
[[da:Venstrekørsel]]
[[de:Linksverkehr]]
[[et:Vasak- ja parempoolne liiklus]]
[[es:Sentido de circulación]]
[[fr:Sens de circulation]]
[[it:Senso di marcia]]
[[nl:Links rijden]]
[[ja:対面交通]]
[[pl:Ruch lewostronny]]
[[pt:Sentido de circulação]]
[[ru:Левостороннее движение]]
[[sv:Vänstertrafik]]
[[zh:道路通行方向]]

Latest revision as of 20:50, 20 December 2024

Countries by direction of road traffic, c. 2020
  ⇅ Left-hand traffic
  ⇵ Right-hand traffic
  No data

Left-hand traffic (LHT) and right-hand traffic (RHT) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side and to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow, and are sometimes called the rule of the road.[1] The terms right- and left-hand drive refer to the position of the driver and the steering wheel in the vehicle and are, in automobiles, the reverse of the terms right- and left-hand traffic. The rule also includes where on the road a vehicle is to be driven, if there is room for more than one vehicle in the one direction, and the side on which the vehicle in the rear overtakes the one in the front. For example, a driver in an LHT country would typically overtake on the right of the vehicle being overtaken.

RHT is used in 165 countries and territories, mainly in the Americas, Continental Europe, most of Africa and mainland Asia (except South Asia), while 75 countries use LHT,[2] which account for about a sixth of the world's land area, a quarter of its roads, and about a third of its population.[3] In 1919, 104 of the world's territories were LHT and an equal number were RHT. Between 1919 and 1986, 34 of the LHT territories switched to RHT.[4]

While many of the countries using LHT were part of the British Empire, others such as Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, Bhutan, Macao, Thailand, Mozambique and Suriname were not, as well as formerly, Sweden and Iceland, which have used RHT since September 1967 and late May 1968 respectively. Most of the countries that were part of the French colonial empire adopted RHT.

Historical switches of traffic handedness have often been motivated by factors such as changes in political administration, a desire for uniformity within a country or with neighboring states, or availability and affordability of vehicles.

In LHT, traffic keeps left and cars usually have the steering wheel on the right (RHD: right-hand drive) and roundabouts circulate clockwise. RHT is the opposite: traffic keeps right, the driver usually sits on the left side of the car (LHD: left-hand drive), and roundabouts circulate anticlockwise.

In most countries, rail traffic follows the handedness of the roads; but many of the countries that switched road traffic from LHT to RHT did not switch their trains. Boat traffic on bodies of water is RHT, regardless of location. Boats are traditionally piloted from the starboard side (and not the port side like RHT road traffic vehicles) to facilitate priority to the right.

Background

[edit]
Countries with left- and right-hand traffic, currently and formerly. Changes since 1858 when Finland changed to the right are taken into account.
  Drives on the right
  Formerly drove on the left, now drives on the right
  Drives on the left
  Formerly drove on the right, now drives on the left
  Formerly a mix of left and right in various parts of the country, now drives on the right
  Formerly a mix of left and right in various parts of the country, now drives on the left
  No data
  Driving one way alternately at certain times

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.[5] About 90 percent of people are right-handed,[6] 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 the year 1300, Pope Boniface VIII directed pilgrims to keep left; however, others suggest that he directed them to keep to the right, and there is no documented evidence to back either claim.[5]

Africa

[edit]
LHT roundabout
RHT roundabout

The UK introduced LHT in the East Africa Protectorate (present-day Kenya), the Protectorate of Uganda, 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);[7] former British West Africa, however, has now switched to RHT, as all its neighbours, which are former French colonies, 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).[8]

Although Portugal switched to RHT in 1928, its 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] 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

[edit]

United States

[edit]

In the late 18th century, right-hand traffic started to be introduced in the United States of America based on teamsters' 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.[9][better source needed] The first keep-right law for driving in the United States was passed in 1792 and applied to the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike.[10] Massachusetts formalized RHT in 1821.[11] However, the National Road was LHT until 1850, "long after the rest of the country had settled on the keep-right convention".[12] Today the United States is RHT except the United States Virgin Islands,[13] 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 US Postal Service and by Canada Post.

Other countries in the Americas

[edit]
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.[14] The province of British Columbia changed to RHT in stages from 1920 to 1923,[15][16] New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island in 1922, 1923, and 1924 respectively,[17] and the British colony of Newfoundland (part of Canada since 1949)[18] in 1947, in order to allow traffic (without side switch) to or from the United States.[19]

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,[20] Cayman Islands,[21] Turks and Caicos Islands[22] and both the British Virgin Islands,[23] and the United States Virgin Islands are LHD due to their being imported from the United States.[23]

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.[24] Other Central and South American countries that later switched from LHT to RHT include Argentina, Chile, Panama,[25] Paraguay,[26] and Uruguay.

Suriname, along with neighbouring Guyana, are the only two remaining LHT countries in South America.[27]

Asia

[edit]
The Lotus Bridge exchanges between LHT in Macau and RHT in mainland China.

LHT was introduced by the U.K. in 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,[28] 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.[29] Afghanistan was LHT until the 1950s, in line with Pakistan (former part of British India).[30]

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,[1] 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, Canton and Japanese-occupied northeast China used LHT. However, in 1946 the Republic of China made RHT mandatory in China (including Taiwan). Taiwan was LHT under 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 Japanese colonialization.[31]

The Philippines was mostly LHT during its Spanish[32] and American colonial periods,[33][34] as well as during the Commonwealth era.[35] During the Japanese occupation, the Philippines remained LHT,[36] as was required by the Japanese;[37] but during the 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.[38] 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.[39]

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 was ruled by the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands until 1972, and was RHT until 6 a.m. the morning of 30 July 1978, when it switched back to LHT.[40] 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.[41]

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.[42]

Europe

[edit]

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.[43]: 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.[43]: 150–155  These considerations can also be demonstrated in the archaeological findings of other cities in the Roman Empire.[43]: 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".[44] 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.[45] This may represent the first statutory requirement for LHT.[46]

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.[47] 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.[48] 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.[49]

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.[4] In 1827, long 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."[50]

Rotterdam had no fixed rules until 1917,[51] 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 Empress Elizabeth officially issued an edict for traffic to keep to the right.[52]

Left-hand traffic in Vienna, Austria, c. 1930
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,[53] North Tyrol in 1930, Carinthia and East Tyrol in 1935, and the rest of the country in 1938.[54] 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.[55] Croatia-Slavonia switched on joining the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1918, although Istria and Dalmatia were already RHT.[56] The 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.[57] Similarly, Hungary switched in 1941. West Ukraine was LHT, but the rest of Ukraine, having been part of the Russian Empire, was RHT.[citation needed]

In Italy, it had been decreed in 1901 that each province define its own traffic code, including the handedness of traffic,[58] and the 1903 Baedeker guide reported that the rule of the road varied by region.[5] For example, in Northern Italy, the provinces of Brescia, Como, Vicenza, and Ravenna were RHT while nearby provinces of Lecco, Verona, and Varese were LHT,[58] as were the cities Milan, Turin, and Florence.[5] In 1915, allied forces of World War I imposed LHT in areas of military operation, but this was revoked in 1918. Rome was reported by 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.[58] Finally, in 1923 Benito Mussolini decreed that all LHT areas would gradually transition to RHT.[58] In spite of this, some Italian heavy commercial vehicles were right-hand drive until the traffic code was changed in 1959.[citation needed]

Portugal switched to RHT in 1928.[1]

Finland, formerly part of LHT Sweden, switched to RHT in 1858 as the Grand Duchy of Finland by Russian decree.[59]

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.[60] Madrid Metro still uses LHT.

Sweden switched to RHT in 1967, having been LHT from about 1734[61] despite having land borders with RHT countries Norway and Finland, and approximately 90% of cars being left-hand drive (LHD).[62] 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[63] at 5 am. The accident rate then dropped sharply,[64] but soon rose to near its original level.[65] 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").[66] Most passenger cars in Iceland were already LHD.

The United Kingdom is LHT, but two of its 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.[67] Road building standards, for motorways in particular, allow asymmetrically designed road junctions, where merge and diverge lanes differ in length.[68]

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

Oceania

[edit]
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

[edit]
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 Highway Code was written in 1936.[69]

Samoa

[edit]

Samoa, a former German colony, had been RHT for more than a century, but switched to LHT in 2009,[70] making it the first territory in almost 30 years to change sides.[71] 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, was formed by the group People Against Switching Sides (PASS) to protest against the change, with PASS launching a legal challenge;[72] in April 2008 an estimated 18,000 people attended demonstrations against switching.[73] 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.[71] After months of preparation, the switch from right to left happened in an atmosphere of national celebration. There were no reported incidents.[3] 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.[70] The change coincided with more restrictive enforcement of speeding and seat-belt laws.[74] That day and the following were declared public holidays, to reduce traffic.[75] The change included a three-day ban on alcohol sales, while police mounted dozens of checkpoints, warning drivers to drive slowly.[3]

Potential future shifts

[edit]

Rwanda and Burundi, former Belgian colonies in Central Africa, are RHT but are considering switching to LHT[76][77] like neighbouring members of the East African Community (EAC).[78] 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.[79] In 2014, an internal report by consultants to the Ministry of Infrastructure recommended a switch to LHT.[80] In 2015, the ban on RHD vehicles was lifted; RHD trucks from neighbouring countries cost $1,000 less than LHD models imported from Europe.[81][82]

Changing sides at borders

[edit]
Traffic Switchover sign at the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge

Although many LHT jurisdictions are on islands, there are cases where vehicles may be driven from LHT across a border into a RHT area. Such borders are mostly located in Africa and southern Asia. The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic regulates the use of foreign registered vehicles in the 78 countries that have ratified it.

LHT Thailand has three RHT neighbours: Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. Most of its borders use a simple traffic light to do the switch, but there are also interchanges that enable the switch while keeping up a continuous flow of traffic.[83]

There are six road border crossing points between Hong Kong and mainland China. In 2006, the daily average number of vehicle trips recorded at Lok Ma Chau was 31,100.[84] The next largest is Man Kam To, where there is no changeover system and the border roads on the mainland side Wenjindu intersect as one-way streets with a main road.

The Takutu River Bridge (which links LHT Guyana and RHT Brazil[85]) is the only border in the Americas where traffic changes sides.

Road vehicle configurations

[edit]
Legality of wrong-hand-drive vehicles by country
  Usage illegal
  Usage legal, but registration illegal or unknown
  Registration illegal for normal vehicles, with exceptions for special (e.g. diplomatic) vehicles
  Registration and usage legal
  No data

Steering wheel position

[edit]

In RHT jurisdictions, vehicles are typically configured as left hand drive (LHD), with the steering wheel on the left side of the passenger compartment. In LHT jurisdictions, the reverse is true as the right hand drive (RHD) configuration. In most jurisdictions, the position of the steering wheel is not regulated, or explicitly permitted to be anywhere.[86] The driver's side, the side closer to the centre of the road, is sometimes called the offside, while the passenger side, the side closer to the side of the road, is sometimes called the nearside.[87]

Most windscreen wipers are preferentially designed to better clean the driver's side of the windscreen and thus have a longer wiper blade on the driver's side and wipe up from the passenger side to the driver's side. Thus on LHD configurations, they wipe up from right to left, viewed from inside the vehicle, and do the opposite on RHD vehicles.[citation needed]

In both LHD and RHD vehicles, gear shifters are in the same position, and the shift patterns are not reversed.

Historically there was less consistency in the relationship of the position of the driver to the handedness of traffic. Most American cars produced before 1910 were RHD.[10] In 1908 Henry Ford standardised the Model T as LHD in RHT America,[10] arguing that with RHD and RHT, the passenger was obliged to "get out on the street side and walk around the car" and that with steering from the left, the driver "is able to see even the wheels of the other car and easily avoids danger."[88] By 1915 other manufacturers followed Ford's lead, due to the popularity of the Model T.[10]

In specialised cases, the driver will sit on the nearside, or curbside. Examples include:

  • Where the driver needs a good view of the nearside, e.g. street sweepers, or vehicles driven along unstable road edges.[89] Similarly in mountainous areas the driver may be seated opposite side so that they have a better view of the road edge which may fall away for very many metres into the valley below. Swiss Postbuses in mountainous areas are a well known example.
  • Where it is more convenient for the driver to be on the nearside, e.g. delivery vehicles. The Grumman LLV postal delivery truck is widely used with RHD configurations in RHT North America. Some Unimogs are designed to switch between LHD and RHD to permit operators to work on the more convenient side of the truck.

Generally, the convention is to mount a motorcycle on the left,[90] and kickstands are usually on the left[91] which makes it more convenient to mount on the safer kerbside[91] as is the case in LHT. Some jurisdictions prohibit fitting a sidecar to a motorcycle's offside.[92][93]

In 2020, there were 160 LHD heavy goods vehicles in the UK involved in accidents (5%) for a total of 3,175 accidents, killing 215 people (5%) for a total of 4271.[94]

It has been suggested that right-hand drive vehicles, and hence the left-hand traffic direction, are associated with greater safety. As most drivers are right-handed, the dominant right hand remains controlled on the steering wheel while the non-dominant left hand can manipulate gears.[95] The right field of vision may also be more dominant, thereby permitting a superior view of oncoming traffic.

Dashboard configuration

[edit]

Some manufacturers primarily produce left-hand drive vehicles, due to the larger or nearer market for such vehicles. For such models supplied to left-hand traffic markets, in the right-hand drive configuration, the manufacturer may reuse the same dashboard configuration as is used in the left-hand drive models, with the steering column and pedals moved to the right-hand side. Oft-used controls (such as audio volume and fan controls) that were placed near the left-hand driver for ease of access, are now situated on the far side of the center console for the right-hand driver. This may make them more difficult to reach quickly or without looking away from the road ahead.

In some cases, the manufacturer's dashboard design incorporates blanks and modular components, which permits the controls and underlying electronics to be rearranged to suit the right-hand drive model. This may be done in the factory, after import, or as an after-market modification.

Headlamps and other lighting equipment

[edit]
Bird's-eye view of low beam light pattern for RH traffic, with long seeing range on the right and short cutoff on the left so oncoming drivers are not dazzled

Most low-beam headlamps produce an asymmetrical light suitable for use on only one side of the road. Low beam headlamps in LHT jurisdictions throw most of their light forward-leftward; those for RHT throw most of their light forward-rightward, thus illuminating obstacles and road signs while minimising glare for oncoming traffic.

In Europe, headlamps approved for use on one side of the road must be adaptable to produce adequate illumination with controlled glare for temporarily driving on the other side of the road,[96]: p.13 ¶5.8 . This may be achieved by affixing masking strips or prismatic lenses to a part of the lens or by moving all or part of the headlamp optic so all or part of the beam is shifted or the asymmetrical portion is occluded.[96]: p.13 ¶5.8.1  Some varieties of the projector-type headlamp can be fully adjusted to produce a proper LHT or RHT beam by shifting a lever or other movable element in or on the lamp assembly.[96]: p.12 ¶5.4  Some vehicles adjust the headlamps automatically when the car's GPS detects that the vehicle has moved from LHT to RHT and vice versa.[citation needed]

Rear fog lamps

[edit]

In Europe since early 1980s,[97] cars must be equipped with one or two red rear fog lamps. A single rear fog lamp must be located between the vehicle's longitudinal centreline and the outer extent of the driver's side of the vehicle.[98]

Crash testing differences

[edit]

ANCAP reports that some RHD cars imported to Australia did not perform as well on crash tests as the LHD versions, although the cause is unknown, and may be due to differences in testing methodology.[99]

Rail traffic

[edit]

National rail

[edit]
Handedness of rail traffic worldwide

In most countries rail traffic travels on the same side as road traffic. However, there are many instances of railways built using LHT British technology which remained LHT despite their nations' road traffic becoming RHT. Examples include: Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Egypt, France, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Laos, Monaco, Morocco, Myanmar, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, Senegal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tunisia, Uruguay and Venezuela. France is mainly LHT for trains except for the classic lines in Alsace–Lorraine,[100] which were converted from LHT to RHT under German administration from 1870 to 1918. In North America, multi-track rail lines with centralized traffic control are typically signaled to allow operation on any track in both directions, and the side of operation will vary based on the railroad's specific operational requirements.[101] In practice however, rail traffic is more often RHT. Indonesia is the only country in the world which has RHT for rails (even for newer rail systems such as the LRT and the MRT systems) and LHT for roads.

Metro/Tram/Light rail

[edit]

Metro and light rail sides of operation vary and might not match railways or roads in their country. Some systems where the metro matches the side of the national rail network but not the roads include those in Bilbao, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Catania, Jakarta, Lisbon, Lyon, Naples, and Rome. A small number of cities, including Madrid and Stockholm, originally ran on the same side as road traffic when the systems opened in 1919 and 1950 respectively, but had road traffic change in 1924 and 1967 respectively. Conversely, metros in France (except for the aforementioned Lyon) and mainland China run on the right just like roads, while mainline trains run on the left.

A small number of systems have situational reasons to differ from the norm. On the MTR in Hong Kong, the section originally known as the Ma On Shan line (now part of the Tuen Ma line) runs on the right to make interchanging with the East Rail line easier, while the rest of the system runs on the left. On the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, lines that integrate with Korail (except Line 3, which is disconnected from the rest of the network) run on the left, while the lines that are not run on the right. In Nizhny Novgorod, Line 2 runs on the left due to the track layout when it first opened as a branch of Line 1. In Lima, Line 1 runs entirely on the left, while Line 2 runs entirely on the right.

Metro Line M1 in Budapest is the only metro line to have switched sides. It originally ran on the left but switched to right hand-running during the line's reconstruction around 1973.

Because trams frequently operate on roads, they generally operate on the same side as other road traffic.

Boat traffic

[edit]
Helmsman's station on a Philippine Marine Corps patrol boat

Boats are traditionally piloted from starboard (the right-hand side) to facilitate priority to the right. According to the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, water traffic is effectively RHT: a vessel proceeding along a narrow channel must keep to starboard, and when two power-driven vessels are meeting head-on both must alter course to starboard also.

Typically, especially for larger vessels, a radio call will be made between two vessels, or with a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) to co-ordinate if the vessels will pass "green-to-green" or "red-to-red". Marine traffic uses a system of green lighting for the starboard (right-hand) side and red for port (left-hand) side: to pass "green-to-green" the green (starboard, right-hand) side of the vessels will pass each other, essentially being left-hand traffic. Similarly, passing "red-to-red" means the red (port, left-hand) side of the vessels will pass each other, forming right-hand traffic.

In busy waterways, directional shipping lanes may be set up to facilitate handedness of traffic. For example, the Strait of Dover (Pas-de-Calais) on the English Channel uses RHT with North Sea-bound vessels following the French coast and Atlantic-bound vessels following the English coast.

Aircraft traffic

[edit]

For aircraft the US Federal Aviation Regulations suggest RHT principles, both in the air and on water, and in aircraft with side-by-side cockpit seating, the pilot-in-command (or more senior flight officer) traditionally occupies the left seat.[102] However, helicopter practice tends to favour the right hand seat for the pilot-in-command, particularly when flying solo.[103]

Worldwide distribution by country

[edit]

Of the 195 countries currently recognised by the United Nations, 141 use RHT and 54 use LHT on roads in general.

A country and its territories and dependencies are counted as one. Whichever directionality is listed first is the type that is used in general in the traffic category.

Legality of wrong-hand-drive vehicles by country

[edit]

According to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which mostly covers Europe, if having a vehicle registered and legal to drive in one of the Convention countries, it is legal to drive it in any other of the countries, for visits and first year of residence after moving. This is regardless of whether it fulfils all the rules of the visitor countries. This convention does not affect rules on usage or registration of local vehicles.

[edit]

See also

[edit]

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