[latan]

What would happen if you changed the road rules so that one day you had to drive on the other side of the road?

That's what will be happening in Samoa latter this year.

Samoans currently drive on the right, however all other South Pacific nations with the exception of American Samoa drive on the left.

But the Prime Minister wants to change this because 90% of Samoans emigrate to Australia or New Zealand where we drive on the left.

Also cars will be cheaper being able to be imported from Japan in right hand drive rather then importing left hand drive vehicles for the USA.

I reckon they will be needing a cheap source of new/used cars after all the crashes caused by the change.

 

[JIMMYJOHN]

I would think that one day a week is dumb. If your going to change do it all at once. Get those wrecks over with. One day a week carries them out over a period of time. Don't make the change till it has been well pubiacized. :wall:

 

[CrashNburn]

ive never driven on the left, but i have driven a RHD on the right. its amazing how close you drive to the curb lol.

 

[jonas1022]

Years ago Sweeden used to have left hand drive cars and operated them on the right side of the road. Why do that??? So they could get nice and close to the snow bank while going down the road in the winter is why. After they got to scraping the snow off in wider swatches, they moved back to the right side of the road. :thumb:

Back in the 70's, I toured Britain by caravan/camper. I flew in after pulling a long day of duty in Gerrmany, then took the train from London up to Sheffield to pick up the caravan rental. Then off to York, another day of driving... Total awake time by the time I got to York was about 56 hours. Traffic circle? Hmmm...take a right. :shock: OOPS!!!!!!!! Another Awesheesh! moment in my life. Nevermind what the other drivers were thinking!!!! :lol:
Oh well, I lived through it. So did everyone else! :angel:

 

[Dasha]

I'm confused already. :wacko:

 

[GreatEscape2004]

Many years ago, when I was in the U.S. Air Force, I was reassigned to the UK. Although they would have shipped my american car over for free (a 1976 Mercury Monarch) I decided to sell it and buy a right hand drive vehicle there, figuring it would make the transition a little easier. When I got there, I hired a car to look for housing, and I remember thinking as I pulled out onto the roadway, "OK, this is the day I get killed." It actually went very well, but I will say that the first time I had to go left on a roundabout, it nearly gave me a heart attack! I actually enjoyed using my left hand to shift the manual drive, as I am a natural lefty. The biggest surprise was when I discovered that everything wasn't mirror imaged from the way I was used to it. Signal indicator wand was still on the right, and pedals were the same (yes, I half expected that clutch would be on the right and the accelerator on the left ... naive young american kid that I was in 1979.) The interesting thing was that when came back to the states on leave, I had more trouble switching back then I did switching over in the first place. I believe that when you "go righty", it's more on your conscience mind, and you don't realize that it becomes habit. When I came back permanently, I kept walking up to the right side of my new american car to get in, and finding no steering wheel!! Took me a couple of months to retrain myself.

Thanks for reminding me. I really enjoyed my 3 years in the UK, and would love to go back for a visit someday. I often wander the roads I knew there, through the magic of Google Earth.

 

[jonas1022]

Yeah, every now and then I look at where my old haunts in Germany used to be. But so much has changed in the 30+ years there isn't much to recall that is left. The Barracks that I used to stay in, the Hospital unit I was assigned to, all gone. The Barracks and the post are all an open area courtesy of the bulldozers and wrecking balls...