When did Sweden change to driving on the right?

Swedes began cautiously driving on the right-hand side of roads around the country at precisely 5am on 3 September 1967, following a radio countdown.
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Why did Sweden switch to driving on the right?

Sweden initiated the driving change in part because its neighbors already drove on the right side of the road. Many members of the Swedish parliament also argued that the left-hand vehicles Swedes drove had caused too many head-on collisions.
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When did Sweden start driving on the left?

Högertrafikomläggningen, of course! That's the day, September 3, 1967, that Swedes switched from driving on the left side of the road to driving on the right side. Most cars in Sweden already had their steering wheels on the left side, anyway, so the change made turning and passing much safer for everyone.
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When did Norway switch to driving on the right?

The switch

On Dagen H, Sunday, 3 September 1967, all non-essential traffic was banned from the roads from 01:00 to 06:00.
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When did Europe change to driving on the right?

Gradually the right-hand traffic was adopted in most countries: Belgium introduced it in 1899, Portugal in 1928, Spain in 1930, and Austria and Czechoslovakia in 1938. The kingdom of Sweden — not until 1967. It became the last state in continental Europe where left-hand traffic persisted.
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When Sweden Switched To Driving On The Right



When did Denmark change to driving on the right?

An official keep-right rule was introduced in Paris in 1794, more or less parallel to Denmark, where driving on the right had been made compulsory in 1793.
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Did Finland drive on the left?

One difference from other parts of the world is that in Finland, like in the United States and Canada, you drive on the right side of the road, unlike countries that drive on the left side, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, or Australia. In Finland, drivers overtake (pass) on the left.
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Did Italy used to drive on the left?

As you came into towns, signs warned drivers if they had to change sides. Italy first began driving on the right in the 1890s and the highway code of 1912 made it compulsory. However, cities with a tram network could stay driving on the left. Rome did not change to the right until 1925, followed by Milan in 1926.
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Why driving on the left is better?

Left Hand countries deliver safer driving

In left-hand traffic systems, the better-perfoming right eye is used to monitor oncoming traffic and the driver's wing mirror. In right-hand traffic, the weaker left eye takes over. Plus, left-sided driving is safer for the elderly due to their failing visual abilities.
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Why do Japan drive on the left?

Overtime, Japan has built up a very large and very successful railway system, which is and has always been on the left-hand side. This precedent naturally led to building roads for cars that also drive on the left side.
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Did France ever drive on the left?

After the Middle Ages, European countries like France and England started to make their own choice about which side of the road to prefer. England was the first nation to pass an official rule, in 1773, which made driving on the left the law. France, on the other hand, chose to drive on the right.
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Who invented driving on the left?

The practice is believed to date back to ancient Rome. Romans steered their carts and chariots with the left hand, to free up the right so they could use weapons to defend against enemy attacks. This carried over into medieval Europe and in 1773, the British government passed measures to make left-hand traffic the law.
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Who drove on the left first?

Indeed the 'keep to the left' rule goes back even further in time; archaeologists have discovered evidence suggesting that the Romans drove carts and wagons on the left, and it is known that Roman soldiers always marched on the left.
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Why does US have left-hand drive?

When cars were invented, Henry Ford was a big influence in American driving customs as he built his Model T with the driver on the left side of the car, meaning drivers would have to drive on the right side of the road so their passengers could exit the car on the curb and not into oncoming traffic.
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Which is safer driving on right or left?

TIL Left side driving is safer than right side driving, because, according to the studies, oncoming traffic and driver's mirror are on the dominant right hand/eye for most people.
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Which countries used to drive on the left?

The bulk of countries that drive on the left are former British colonies including South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Only four countries in Europe still drive on the left and they are all islands. They consist of the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Malta and Cyprus.
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When did Britain start driving on the left?

The British Government refused to give up their left-hand driving ways, and in 1773 introduced the General Highways Act, which encouraged driving on the left. This was later made law thanks to The Highway Act of 1835.
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Did Canada drive on the left?

Nevertheless, with the rise of the automobile, many countries have switched to the right to fit in with their neighbors. Canada abandoned the left side of the road in the 1920s to facilitate traffic to and from the United States.
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Does China drive on the left?

About two thirds of the countries in the world drive on the right including the USA, China and Russia. Canada used to drive on the left but changed to the right to make border crossings with the United States of America more manageable. The reasons for driving on different sides of the road are historical.
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What side do Chinese drive on?

In mainland China, traffic drives on the right-hand side of the road. Various neighbours such as Hong Kong, Macau, India, Nepal and Pakistan drive on the left.
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When did America start driving on the right?

The first keep-right law for driving in the United States was passed in 1792 and applied to the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike. Massachusetts formalized RHT in 1821. However, the National Road was LHT until 1850, "long after the rest of the country had settled on the keep-right convention".
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Why did France change to left hand drive?

In Europe, Pope Boniface VIII instructed pilgrims to keep to the left in the year 1300. Later, class distinction in France meant that aristocrats drove their carriages on the left side of the road forcing everybody else over to the centre or to the right-hand side.
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Which country changed driving on the left?

On Sunday, September 3, 1967, Sweden changed from driving on the left-hand side of the road to driving on the right. As you might imagine, this switch was anything but easy.
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Why do Americans drive on the right side of the road?

With the growth of traffic, the roadside ditches also led to a growing tendency in the United States in the late nineteenth century for drivers of light horse-drawn vehicles to both drive on the right and sit on the right to avoid the greater evil of the ditch.
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Why does Australia drive on the left?

People in Australia drive on the left because the country is made up of former British colonies, and the UK drives on the left. American and European visitors will have to get used to right hand drive vehicles. In Australia, people drive on the left-hand side of the road.
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