In Samoa, Drivers Switch to Left Side of the Road

[struggle4progress]

If you thought it was tough going back to work this morning, imagine having the added mental burden of suddenly learning to drive on the opposite side of the road.

That’s what will happen on Wednesday when the citizens of Samoa return to work after a two-day holiday, imposed for the sole purpose of helping the country switch from driving on the right side of the road to driving on the left ...

Samoa is the first country in 40 years to switch driving sides. One reason is because Australia and New Zealand, drive on the left, and it is cheaper to import cars from those countries than from the United States and Europe.

Cars in Australia and New Zealand, however, have their steering wheels on the right side of the car, as in Britain. So for now, the Samoan government will allow cars with steering wheels on either side. The bigger issue concerns the country’s buses, whose doors are mounted on the right side, which means passengers have to board from the middle of the street ...

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/in-samoa-drivers-switch-to-left-side-of-the-road/?hpw