The Ultimate Crossover: Samoa's plan to switch to left-hand traffic sparks motorist unrest [w/VIDEO]
Samoan traffic switches sides -- Click above to view the video after the jump
Samoa's prime minister has decided to do something for his constituents who want to buy cheap cars: swap driving from the right-hand side to the left-hand side. The reasoning behind the move is that Australia and New Zealand are Samoa's biggest trading partners, and driving in the same manner they do -- like the English -- will let Samoans buy cheaper cars from the antipodes. Intriguingly, the prime minister also said the switch will help Samoans avoid tsunamis.
It's not exactly a shock to find that more than a few Samoans aren't happy about it. A local attorney has formed a group called People Against Switching Sides, and he was able to get 30,000 petition signatures in a country with just 200,000 people. Samoa's roads are already dangerous, and his reasoning is that this will only mean more injured and killed citizenry, not to mention a huge bill.
The government wants to hear none of it, sticking to its September 7th changeover date and saying it will be a national holiday. If footage a bus full of people traveling the wrong way down a training road is any indication, though, our advice would be to stick to walking. You can watch a video on the reversing maneuver after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Reed!
[Source: Wall Street Journal]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Stephen 10:46AM (8/25/2009)
I would like to hear more on that avoiding-tsunamis theory...
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The Hit 10:50PM (8/25/2009)
Tsunamis drive on the right side....
Rich 10:52AM (8/25/2009)
Interesting. Sweden did it in the 60s (but opposite), and they had way more than 200,000 residents at the time.
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Swede 3:00PM (8/25/2009)
But our cars were already LHD. Samoa on the other hand, is doing it wrong.
James 3:27PM (8/25/2009)
"A local attorney has formed a group called People Against Switching Sides..."
Switching sides...
Traitors!!
Aki 2:45PM (8/25/2009)
The whole world should convert to LHD (glares at Japan and UK). The whole world should also dump the confusing British system of measurement (quarts, pints, bleh), but alas that's a different debate.
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Brett MacPherson 5:31PM (11/02/2009)
Metric FTW!
Rick C. 3:17PM (8/25/2009)
Don't forget those other glorious and archaic units of measurement, like the 'peck' and the 'furlong'.
akboss302 3:51PM (8/25/2009)
"The whole world should also dump the confusing British system of measurement (quarts, pints, bleh), but alas that's a different debate."
What are you talking about? Britain uses metric, as does 99.9% of the rest of the world.
Aki 4:18PM (8/25/2009)
US doesn't use the metric system, and Britain definitely doesn't use the metric (since when did they replace MPH with KM/H?)
Bloke 4:42PM (8/25/2009)
Aki: the only imperial measurement Britain uses these days are miles on road signs. Everything else - from foodstuffs to weather forecasting to petrol - is metricated.
Also here's a list of RHD countries, as sourced from The Rule of the Road:
"Countries that use left-hand traffic account for about 30% of the world's population, a sixth of its area and a quarter of its roads. Below, the list."
Anguilla
Antigua
Australia
The Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bermuda
Bhutan
Botswana
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Cayman Islands
Channel Islands
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Cook Islands
Cyprus
Dominica
Falkland Islands
Fiji
Grenada
Guyana
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Isle of Man
Jamaica
Japan
Kenya
Kiribati (Gilbert Islands)
Lesotho
Macao
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Malta
Mauritius
Montserrat
Mozambique
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
New Zealand
Nieu Island
Norfolk Island
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Pitcairn Island
St Helena
St Kitts-Nevits (-Anguilla)
St Lucia
St Vincent
Seychelles
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Surinam
Swaziland
Tanzania
Thailand
Tokelau Islands
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
United Kingdom
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Kitko 5:56PM (8/25/2009)
Bloke,
Out of the countries you mentioned, only Japan, UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are relevant. The rest of the list are countries too small and too irrelevant. That includes India and Pakistan. Yes, they account for the most of left-driving populations, but those people drive rather randomly on whichever side is closer or more convenient.
I certainly wouldn't count India and Pakistan between motoring nations.
BTW, even road planning and cosntruction in the UK MUST be done in metric, only road signs are in miles.
Ireland went metric on the roads few years ago, all new cars and speed signs must be now in km and km/h.
the4thheat 7:13PM (8/25/2009)
Other than miles the UK does indeed use metric now...everything is in grams and liters.
I don't know if the US will ever give it up though, lol.
timnz 8:16AM (8/26/2009)
Why? Shouldn't the whole world go to having RHD cars and drive on the Left hand side?
Bloke 11:21PM (8/26/2009)
"Out of the countries you mentioned, only Japan, UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are relevant. The rest of the list are countries too small and too irrelevant. That includes India and Pakistan. Yes, they account for the most of left-driving populations, but those people drive rather randomly on whichever side is closer or more convenient."
I find the arrogance of some people disgusting on these boards. Every country in the world has relevance. If you think you're of a nationality better than anybody else, I suggest you take a long, hard look in a mirror.
"I certainly wouldn't count India and Pakistan between motoring nations."
India alone builds more cars every year than the UK does some 2.5 million units - with a rate of growth so fast it is expected to become one of the world's largest car manufacturing nations in the coming years.
"BTW, even road planning and cosntruction in the UK MUST be done in metric, only road signs are in miles. Ireland went metric on the roads few years ago, all new cars and speed signs must be now in km and km/h."
Read my post again. I said the only imperial measurements actively used in Britain these days are road signs. And neither Britain nor the UK includes the Irish Republic.
henrykrinkle 2:49PM (8/25/2009)
I don't care what side of the road they use on the way to the Girl Scout cookie factory, just keep 'em coming!
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Tourian 3:34PM (8/25/2009)
Ha ha. Well played, sir. I lol'd in RL.
johnmichael.jfc 2:53PM (8/25/2009)
Finally. I heard about this several months ago. Right hand drive cars driving on the left are actually reportedly safer, because the majority of people are subconsciously right eye dominant, and if they are on the left side of the road, they can use their right eye to look when passing or doing other things. Hey, research even shows that the Romans kept left on their roads so they had to be doing something right. In RHD countries, there are also typically slightly less accidents, so I don't know what this opposition guy is talking about. Most countries switched sides during the 1960's as a further sign of independence, usually from the British. Even the United States used to keep all vehicles on the left, but they changed in the early 1900's. As for the idea that this would help avoid tsunamis, eh, where's the logic on that?
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Larry 11:00AM (8/26/2009)
'Most countries switched sides during the 1960's as a further sign of independence, usually from the British'
It usually wasn't motivated by that - places like Ghana switched to driving on the right because neighbouring countries (often former French colonies) did so. Belize did it because of the Pan-American Highway. Mozambique stayed on the left even though Portugal switched way back in the 1920s, and because all its neighbours drive on the left.
Russell 2:55PM (8/25/2009)
I like his use of "The only thing to fear is fear itself." lol I don't know why...
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