Samoa switches to driving on left, 1st country since the 70s

[HURAKAN]

Samoa switches to driving on left

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.

At 0600, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Lupesoliai Malielegaoi addressed the country on national radio.

"After this announcement you will all be permitted to move to the other side of the road, to begin this new era in our history," the New Zealand Herald quoted him as saying.

Emergency vehicles and government workers were reportedly stationed at every junction and corner but witnesses said the change happened smoothly.

Barbara Dreaver, a correspondent for New Zealand Television, said the scene was "just amazing" but that traffic was flowing "fairly well".

"There were hundreds of people who had come out, just to watch this happen," she said.

“ Cars are going to crash, people are going to die - not to mention the huge expense to our country ”
Tole'afoa Solomona Toa'iloa Samoa lawyer

"We've had the odd squealing of brakes as people suddenly realise that they should not be on that side of the road, but for the most part it's been very smooth."

The move survived a late legal appeal by the protest group People Against Switching Sides (Pass), who argued that it would bring mayhem to the highways and byways of this remote South Pacific nation.

Bus drivers have also protested that their doors will now open on the wrong side, in the middle of the road.

But the Samoan government introduced the change to end its reliance on expensive, left-hand drive imports from America.

It hopes that Samoan expatriates in Australia and New Zealand will now ship used, more affordable vehicles back to their homeland.

To minimise the chaos, a two-day national holiday has been declared to keep cars off the road, and prayers have been said at the country's churches in the hope of blessing the changeover.

You can also send your pictures and videos of your vehicle or of traffic on the left side of the road to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100 . If you have a large file you can upload here.

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Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/a ... 243110.stm

[JonathanBelles]

Yea, I saw this a week or two ago. I wonder how many crashes will there be. I wonder how many drunks will be on the correct side of the road for the first time in their life. lol

[Dionne]

Whenever we're in a country that drives on the left, I simply do not drive. I cannot make the adjustment. Especially on St Kitts where they have intersections that are circles. It's like.....do you enter turning right and stay left or enter left and stay left? It gets really confusing where your a tourist sightseeing. It gets even more confusing when your in a vehicle with the steering column on the right. Now imagine being in a strange land, driving on the left and your cell phone rings? We're going to be on St Croix next month......they drive on the left. My wife is firm on the idea of a small rental car. My wife thinks she's a great driver. It doesn't matter that she speeds, doesn't know what a stop sign means and has the uncanny ability to hit every pot hole. I can see it now......she's driving down the wrong side of the road talking non-stop about all the beautiful surroundings....and I will have taken a double dose of xanax and be asleep in the passenger seat.

[breeze]

Dionne, I would be like you - I just wouldn't drive. I can see myself attempting a conversation
and my brain reverts back to the way I was taught, and I pull out on the wrong side of the road...

I hope those folks in Somoa pull this off with no major problems. What a nightmare!

[vbhoutex]

I would have to forego driving too I think. Can you imagine what a nightmare that would be if it was tried in a larger country, not to mention the cost?

[abajan]

Whenever we're in a country that drives on the left, I simply do not drive. I cannot make the adjustment. Especially on St Kitts where they have intersections that are circles...

And since in Barbados we drive on the left, it’s hard to imagine myself driving in the U.S. It would simply be too confusing and I would probably be a danger to both others and myself.

Those intersections you alluded to are called roundabouts and are much better than traffic lights or worse, 4 way intersections without lights. Basically, all one needs to remember when approaching a roundabout (in a country that drives on the left) is that the vehicle on the right has the right-of-way. As you approach a roundabout, decelerate a bit and look for traffic on your right. If there’s none, proceed without stopping (assuming there’s no traffic ahead of you!). If there is an approaching vehicle and in your judgment you won't be able cross his path without a collision, you must yield (or as we call it in these parts, “give way”) to that vehicle.

As to this business of switching a country from driving on one side to the other, it sounds like a recipe for disaster but the Samoans seem to be handling things okay for the time being. It just goes to show that outcomes aren’t always as predictable as they seem.

[gtalum]

I don't find the transition difficult, except when forced to drive a stick. Then I have to stop and think a lot.

I can't imagine why any country would switch sides, though, either way. What benefit do they get?

[zaqxsw75050]

I personally don't find it is hard to adjust. I can drive on either side with no problem when I visit other countries. Right hand drive and Left hand drive is not an issue for me either since I drove my friend's car from time to time since it is a RHD car that was imported from Japan.