Switching Side

[Merlin]

Switching side is not easy for any country. Samoa is a small country.

Samoa switches to driving on left

7 Sept [BBC] Samoa has become the first country since the 1970s to change the side of the road on which cars are driven.

At 0600 local time (1700GMT) sirens sounded and drivers were told to move from the right side to the left.

The government brought about the change to bring Samoa into line with other South Pacific nations.

A two-day holiday was declared to ease traffic as people got used to the new rules, which faced legal challenges from groups which predicted chaos. ...

[Merlin]

I remember the Brits had long been thinking about switching side driving on the right side of the road. I'm sure they are watching the experience of Somoa. But of course they can study the experience of Sweden in the 1970s.

Could the UK drive on the right?

7 Sept [BBC] Motorists in Samoa have switched the side of the road they drive on, overnight. It's a move that Britain has considered - but how would it work?

It's the kind of interview question that has reduced confident job seekers to quivering wrecks.

Imagine you are the minister in charge of the UK's roads and you have to switch the country to driving on the right-hand side. How would you do it?

A study of Samoa, in the South Pacific, this week might offer some clues. The country is experiencing its first day of driving on the left on Monday, the start of a special two-day bank holiday to ease Samoans into the new regime.

What if the UK were to follow? Driving on the right would make trips to the European mainland easier, when taking or hiring a car. And cars with steering wheels on the left could be cheaper.

The idea is not as fanciful as it sounds. Although the Department for Transport says it has no plans to change, it did examine such a plan in the late 1960s, two years after Sweden successfully switched to driving on the right.

Its report rejected the idea on grounds of safety and costs. But that was before Britain's entry into the European Union and the opening of the Channel Tunnel, which for the first time established a land link between Britain and the Continent. ....

[Merlin]

They managed to switch side smoothly.

Samoa passes right-to-left driving test

50 min ago [AP] APIA, Samoa — Samoans passed a major driving test Monday when the tiny South Pacific country became the first in decades to switch its traffic from one side of the road to the other — with no accidents reported.

Officials urged the public to stay vigilant, warning that the danger of crashes could increase in coming days if drivers become complacent before the new road rules become second nature.

After months of preparations, the early morning switch from right to left went without incident and in an atmosphere of national celebration. ...

The government made the change to bring Samoa in line with Australia and New Zealand, where some 170,000 expatriate Samoans live and from where it is cheaper to import cars than from right-side driving countries in Europe, and the United States.

Cars in left-side countries have the steering wheel on the right, and vice versa. For now, Samoa will allow cars with steering wheels on both sides — but all will drive on the left side of the road. ....

[tankie]

I remember the Brits had long been thinking about switching side driving on the right side of the road. I'm sure they are watching the experience of Somoa. But of course they can study the experience of Sweden in the 1970s.

Merlin , the majority of the drivers in the UK have problems driving as it is now without confusing them any more

[Merlin]

... the majority of the drivers in the UK have problems driving as it is now ...

What's the reason? Drinking to much, or bad weather?

[tankie]

What's the reason? Drinking to much, or bad weather?

An across the board problem , includes ( not so much now ) drinking , and bad driving habits in general , most people who hold a licence would not pass a test now if they had to take one ,and that includes seasoned drivers ,and that is not just in the UK , but it really is bad here , our road system is terrible , same as our rail system .:(

edit
personally i found driving on the right side , easier .

[sappersgt]

Lifes happenstances

personally i found driving on the right side , easier .

Driving on the left side was fine for me. It was at first difficult making a right turn from the left lane at a four way stop...my brain almost had a malfunction. It was during my second trip to SA I got pulled over by the local constabulary for pulling out on the "wrong" side of the road. Ended up in the SADF over that one...

[Kernow]

I preferred driving in the middle, Tanks were wonderful things.

[tankie]

I preferred driving in the middle, Tanks were wonderful things.

[toemag]

I can't wait for the clips on live leak or you tube, lol.

Tony