Left- and right-hand traffic#Worldwide distribution by country

File:Driving standards historic.svg changed to the right are taken into account.
{{legend|#cc0000|Drives on the right}}{{legend|#f57900|Formerly drove on the left, now drives on the right}}{{legend|#204a87|Drives on the left}}{{legend|#5c3566|Formerly drove on the right, now drives on the left}}{{legend|#4e9a06|Formerly a mix of left and right in various parts of the country, now drives on the right}}{{legend|#FFFF00|Formerly a mix of left and right in various parts of the country, now drives on the left}}{{legend|#808080|No data}}]]

Historically, many places kept left, while many others kept right, often within the same country. There are many myths that attempt to explain why one or the other is preferred. About 90 percent of people are right-handed,{{cite news |last1=Searing |first1=Linda |title=The Big Number: Lefties make up about 10 percent of the world |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/the-big-number-lefties-make-up-about-10-percent-of-the-world/2019/08/09/69978100-b9e2-11e9-bad6-609f75bfd97f_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=27 November 2019 |archive-date=12 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812171100/https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/the-big-number-lefties-make-up-about-10-percent-of-the-world/2019/08/09/69978100-b9e2-11e9-bad6-609f75bfd97f_story.html |url-status=live }} and many explanations reference this. Horses are traditionally mounted from the left, and led from the left, with the reins in the right hand. So people walking horses might use RHT, to keep the animals separated. Also referenced is the need for pedestrians to keep their swords in the right hand and pass on the left as in LHT, for self-defence. It has been suggested that wagon-drivers whipped their horses with their right hand, and thus sat on the left-hand side of the wagon, as in RHT. Academic Chris McManus notes that writers have stated that in 1300, Pope Boniface VIII directed pilgrims to keep left; others suggest that he directed them to keep to the right, and there is no documented evidence to back either claim.

{{multiple image

|width = 100

|footer = Roundabout signs used in Southern African Development Community

|image1 = SADC road sign R137.svg

|caption1 = LHT roundabout

|image2 = SADC road sign R137-RHT.svg

|caption2 = RHT roundabout

}}The British Empire introduced LHT in the East Africa Protectorate (present-day Kenya), the Protectorate of Uganda, Tanganyika (formerly part of German East Africa; present-day Tanzania), Rhodesia (present-day Zambia/Zimbabwe), Eswatini and the Cape Colony (present-day South Africa and Lesotho), as well as in British West Africa (present-day Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria);[https://books.google.com/books?id=22wMAQAAIAAJ&q=%22drive+on+the+right%22 Tourist and Business Directory – The Gambia], 1969, page 19 former British West Africa, however, has now switched to RHT, as all its neighbours, which are former French colonies, use RHT. South Africa, formerly the Cape Colony, introduced LHT in former German South West Africa, present-day Namibia, after the end of World War I.

Sudan, formerly part of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, switched to RHT in 1973. Most of its neighbours were RHT countries, with the exception of Uganda and Kenya, but since the independence of South Sudan in 2011, all of its neighbours drive on the right (including South Sudan, despite its land borders with two LHT countries).{{cite web|url=https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/ssd_e/wtaccssd6_leg_51.pdf|title=LAWS OF SOUTH SUDAN, ROAD TRAFFIC AND SAFETY BILL, 2012|access-date=21 May 2020|archive-date=30 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730014335/https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/ssd_e/wtaccssd6_leg_51.pdf|url-status=live}}

Although Portugal switched to RHT in 1928, its colony of Mozambique remained LHT because it has land borders with former British colonies (with LHT).

France introduced RHT in French West Africa and the Maghreb,{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}} where it is still used. Countries in these areas include Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Other French former colonies that are RHT include Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo.

Rwanda and Burundi are RHT but are considering switching to LHT (see "Potential future shifts" section below).

In the late 18th century, right-hand traffic started to be introduced in the United States based on teamsters' use of large freight wagons pulled by several pairs of horses and without a driver's seat; the (typically right-handed) postilion held his whip in his right hand and thus sat on the left rear horse, and therefore preferred other wagons passing on the left so that he would have a clear view of other vehicles.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lyoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA37 |title=Why We Drive on the Right of the Road, Popular Science Monthly, Vol.126, No.1, (January 1935), p.37 |access-date=25 April 2012|date=January 1935 }}{{Better source needed|date=February 2020}} The first keep-right law for driving in the United States was passed in 1792 and applied to the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike.{{cite web|url=https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/general-highway-history/right-side-road|title=On The Right Side of the Road|last=Weingroff|first=Richard|publisher=United States Department of Transportation|access-date=10 January 2014|archive-date=6 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906042810/https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/general-highway-history/right-side-road|url-status=live}} Massachusetts formalized RHT in 1821.{{cite web|url=http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/110303|title=An Act Establishing the Law of the Road|publisher=Massachusetts General Court|access-date=14 February 2014|archive-date=18 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140918031615/http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/110303|url-status=live}} However, the National Road was LHT until 1850, "long after the rest of the country had settled on the keep-right convention".{{cite book |last1=Hayes |first1=Brian |title=Infrastructure: a field guide to the industrial landscape |date=2005 |publisher=WW Norton |location=New York |isbn=0-393-05997-9 |page=330}} Today the United States is RHT except the United States Virgin Islands,{{cite web|url=http://www.usvitourism.vi/travel_tips|title=Travel Tips | US Virgin Islands|publisher=Usvitourism.vi|access-date=25 April 2012|archive-date=16 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316035344/http://www.usvitourism.vi/travel_tips|url-status=dead}} which is LHT like many neighbouring islands.

Some special-purpose vehicles in the United States, like certain postal service trucks, garbage trucks, and parking-enforcement vehicles, are built with the driver's seat on the right for safer and easier access to the curb. A common example is the Grumman LLV, which is used nationwide by the US Postal Service and by Canada Post.

File:Nb-stj-1899.jpg, 1898.]]

In Canada, the provinces of Quebec and Ontario were always RHT because they were created out of the former French colony of New France.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-driving-laws-1.4925856|title=The day New Brunswick switched to driving on the right|publisher=CBC News|access-date=11 April 2019|archive-date=11 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411172313/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-driving-laws-1.4925856|url-status=live}} The province of British Columbia changed to RHT in stages from 1920 to 1923,{{cite web|url=https://www.th.gov.bc.ca/publications/roadrunners/1966/1966_03_march.pdf|title=Change of Rule of Road in British Columbia 1920|date=March 1966|work=The British Columbia Road Runner|access-date=27 August 2017|archive-date=20 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020071518/https://www.th.gov.bc.ca/publications/roadrunners/1966/1966_03_march.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/life/week+history+switching+from+left+right+thing/11625241/story.html|title=Week in History: Switching from the left was the right thing to do|last=Griffin|first=Kevin|date=1 January 2016|work=Vancouver Sun|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-date=27 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827045523/http://www.vancouversun.com/life/week+history+switching+from+left+right+thing/11625241/story.html|url-status=dead}} New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island in 1922, 1923, and 1924 respectively,{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808012644/http://ns1758.ca/auto/automobiles.html|url=http://ns1758.ca/auto/automobiles.html|title=Highway Driving Rule Changes Sides|last=Smith|first=Ivan|work=History of Automobiles – The Early Days in Nova Scotia, 1899–1949|archive-date=8 August 2018|access-date=27 August 2017}} and the Dominion of Newfoundland (part of Canada since 1949){{cite web |last1=Snyder |first1=Timothy |last2=Rowe |first2=F.W. |title=Newfoundland Bill |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/newfoundland-bill |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=30 July 2019}} in 1947, in order to allow traffic (without side switch) to or from the United States.{{cite news|url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/a-triumph-for-left-over-right-56169697.html|title=A triumph for left over right|last=Dyer|first=Gwynne|date=30 August 2009|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|access-date=27 August 2017|archive-date=27 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827210937/https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/a-triumph-for-left-over-right-56169697.html|url-status=live}}

In the West Indies, colonies and territories drive on the same side as their parent countries, except for the United States Virgin Islands. Many of the island nations are former British colonies and drive on the left, including Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and The Bahamas. However, most vehicles in The Bahamas,[https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&tbm=bks&ei=wfvFXrzgILOg8gKPkoX4Dw&q=%22although+as+the+majority+of+the+hire+cars+are+left+hand+drive+American+models%22&oq=%22although+as+the+majority+of+the+hire+cars+are+left+hand+drive+American+models%22&gs_l=psy-ab.3...4639.4639.0.6200.1.1.0.0.0.0.93.93.1.1.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.tSjFg70YGpM Dive the Bahamas: Complete Guide to Diving and Snorkelling], Lawson Wood, Interlink Publishing Group, 2007, page 23 Cayman Islands,[https://books.google.com/books?id=8UMDsRwk10AC&dq=%22cayman+islands%22+%22left+hand+drive%22&pg=PA46 Adventure Guide to the Cayman Islands], Paris Permenter, John Bigley, Hunter Publishing, Inc, 2001, page 46 Turks and Caicos Islands[https://books.google.com/books?id=EkeY2SlUEkwC&dq=%22Turks+and+Caicos%22+%22left+hand+drive%22&pg=PA50 Turks and Caicos], Bradt Travel Guides, Annalisa Rellie, Tricia Hayne, 2008, page 50 and both the British Virgin Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands are LHD due to their being imported from the United States.[https://books.google.com/books?id=73995EWYNEsC&q=%22british+virgin+islands%22+%22left+hand+drive%22 U. S. and British Virgin Islands 2006], Fodor's Travel Publications, 2005, page 28

File:International bridge - Letham, Guyana (23025487324).jpg between Guyana (LHT) and Brazil (RHT)]]

Brazil, a Portuguese colony until the early 19th century, had in the 19th and the early 20th century mixed rules, with some regions still on LHT, switching these remaining regions to RHT in 1928, the same year Portugal switched sides.{{cite web|url=https://www2.camara.leg.br/legin/fed/decret/1920-1929/decreto-18323-24-julho-1928-516789-publicacaooriginal-1-pe.html|title=Decreto nº 18.323, de 24 de Julho de 1928|website=Cãmara dos Deputados|access-date=11 April 2019|archive-date=28 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928082833/https://www2.camara.leg.br/legin/fed/decret/1920-1929/decreto-18323-24-julho-1928-516789-publicacaooriginal-1-pe.html|url-status=live}} Other Central and South American countries that later switched from LHT to RHT include Argentina,[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2024/06/10/el-dia-en-que-en-la-argentina-se-paralizo-el-transito-para-dejar-de-manejar-a-la-inglesa-y-circular-por-la-derecha/ El día en que en la Argentina se paralizó el tránsito para dejar de manejar “a la inglesa” y circular por la derecha] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250302170633/https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2024/06/10/el-dia-en-que-en-la-argentina-se-paralizo-el-transito-para-dejar-de-manejar-a-la-inglesa-y-circular-por-la-derecha/ |date=2 March 2025 }}, Infobae, 10 June 2024 (in Spanish). Panama,[http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1943/04/25/page/10/article/panama-shifts-to-right-handed-driving-of-cars Panama Shifts To Right Handed Driving Of Cars] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111081559/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1943/04/25/page/10/article/panama-shifts-to-right-handed-driving-of-cars |date=11 January 2017 }}, Chicago Tribune, 25 April 1943 Paraguay,[http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/abc-revista/enterese-1219611.html De izquierda a derecha] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303225444/http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/abc-revista/enterese-1219611.html |date=3 March 2018 }}, ABC Color, 2 March 2014 and Uruguay.

Suriname, along with neighbouring Guyana, are the only two remaining LHT countries in South America.

File:Lotus-bridge-macau.jpg exchanges between LHT in Macau and RHT in mainland China.]]

LHT was introduced by the UK in British India (now India, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Bangladesh), British Malaya and British Borneo (now Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore), as well as British Hong Kong. These countries, except Myanmar, are still LHT, as well as neighbouring countries Bhutan and Nepal. Myanmar switched to RHT in 1970,{{cite web|url=http://www.minordiversion.com/2012/03/the-unique-world-of-burmese-driving/|title=The Unique World of Burmese Driving|date=14 March 2012|website=a minor diversion|access-date=28 September 2015|archive-date=29 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929064533/http://www.minordiversion.com/2012/03/the-unique-world-of-burmese-driving/|url-status=live}} although much of its infrastructure is still geared to LHT as its neighbours India, Bangladesh and Thailand use LHT. Most cars are used RHD vehicles imported from Japan.{{cite news | url = https://www.ft.com/content/414ecaaa-cd09-11e6-b8ce-b9c03770f8b1 | title = Myanmar's car market set to take new direction | first1 = Motokazu | last1 = Matsui | first2 = Takemi | last2 = Nakagawa | newspaper = Financial Times | location = London | date = 2 January 2017 | archive-date = 22 February 2018 | access-date = 25 May 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180222230034/https://www.ft.com/content/414ecaaa-cd09-11e6-b8ce-b9c03770f8b1 | url-status = live }} Afghanistan was LHT until the 1950s, in line with Pakistan (former part of British India).{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NubtDf2T3cAC&q=Right+hand+traffic+Afghanistan+by+Ghulam+Mohammad+Farhad%2C+the+Mayor+of+Kabul%2C%5B&pg=PA70|title=Inside Afghanistan: End of the Taliban Era?|first =L. R. |last = Reddy|publisher=APH|year=2002|isbn=9788176483193|access-date=31 August 2015}}

Although Portuguese Timor (present-day East Timor), which shares the island of Timor with Indonesia, who is LHT, switched to RHT with Portugal in 1928, it switched back to LHT in 1976 during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor.

In the 1930s, parts of China such as the Shanghai International Settlement, Canton and Japanese-occupied northeast China used LHT. However, in 1946 the Republic of China made RHT mandatory in China (including Taiwan). Taiwan was LHT under Japanese colonization from 1895–1945. Portuguese Macau (present-day Macau) remained LHT, along with British Hong Kong, despite being transferred to China in 1999 and 1997 respectively.

Both North Korea and South Korea use RHT since 1946, after liberation from Japanese colonialization.[https://books.google.com/books?id=9QVNAQAAMAAJ&q=%22regulation+of+vehicular+and+pedestrian+traffic%22+ Summation: United States Army Military Government Activities in Korea], 1946, page 12

The Philippines was mostly LHT during its Spanish[https://www.flickr.com/photos/bibliotecabne/8219320037/ Plaza Mayor de Manila] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020070816/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bibliotecabne/8219320037/ |date=20 October 2017 }}, by José Honorato Lozano (1815/21(?)-1885), in the album [https://www.flickr.com/photos/bibliotecabne/sets/72157632106172948/ Vistas de las islas Filipinas y trajes de sus habitantes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020070822/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bibliotecabne/sets/72157632106172948 |date=20 October 2017 }}, published 1847. Collection of the Biblioteca Nacional de España. and American colonial periods,Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/0m11Gs7Ubas Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160321135649/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m11Gs7Ubas Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m11Gs7Ubas|title=ESCOLTA MANILA PHILIPPINES- YEAR 1903|date=6 March 2010|via=YouTube|access-date=14 March 2017}}{{cbignore}}Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ZOI6rc38Qic Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20091218073733/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOI6rc38Qic Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOI6rc38Qic|title=Manila – Castillian Memoirs 1930s|date=19 April 2008|via=YouTube|access-date=14 March 2017}}{{cbignore}} as well as during the Commonwealth era.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/dvpbsyNcI3I Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20080625095622/http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=dvpbsyNcI3I Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvpbsyNcI3I|title=Manila, Queen of the Pacific 1938|date=6 May 2008|via=YouTube|access-date=14 March 2017}}{{cbignore}} During the Japanese occupation, the Philippines remained LHT,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccftde6aZ4s|title=Manila Nostalgia: Dewey Boulevard during the Japanese occupation.|date=26 June 2013|via=YouTube|publisher=Manila Nostalgia|last=Goupal|first=Lou|access-date=14 March 2017|quote=Original video clips from a Japanese propaganda film shot in early 1942.|archive-date=6 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406115353/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccftde6aZ4s|url-status=live}} as was required by the Japanese;{{cite web|url=http://www.topgear.com.ph/features/feature-articles/how-ph-became-a-left-hand-drive-country|title=How the Philippines became a left-hand-drive country|date=10 March 2015|website=Top Gear Philippines|last=Tadeo|first=Patrick Everett|access-date=14 March 2017}} but during the Battle of Manila, the liberating American forces drove their tanks to the right for easier facilitation of movement. RHT was formalized in 1945 through a decree by president Sergio Osmeña.{{cite web|url=http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1945/03/10/executive-order-no-34-s-1945/|title=Executive Order No. 34, s. 1945|work=officialgazzete.gov.ph|access-date=11 November 2017|archive-date=9 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032955/http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1945/03/10/executive-order-no-34-s-1945/|url-status=dead}} Even though RHT was formalized, RHD vehicles such as public buses were still imported into the Philippines until a law passed banning the importation of RHD vehicles except in special cases. These RHD vehicles are required to be converted to LHD.

Japan was never part of the British Empire, but its traffic also drives on the left. Although this practice goes back to the Edo period (1603–1868), it was not until 1872 – the year Japan's first railway was introduced, built with technical aid from the British – that this unwritten rule received official acknowledgment. Gradually, a massive network of railways and tram tracks was built, with all railway vehicles driven on the left-hand side. However, it took another half-century, until 1924, until left-hand traffic was legally mandated. Post-World War II Okinawa was ruled by the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands until 1972, and was RHT until 6 a.m. the morning of 30 July 1978, when it switched back to LHT.{{cite news |first=Andrew H. |last=Malcolm |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0D1FFD355513728DDDAC0894DF405B888BF1D3 |title=U-Turn for Okinawa: From Right-Hand Driving to Left; Extra Policemen Assigned |work=The New York Times |date=5 July 1978 |page=A2 |archive-date=6 December 2013 |access-date=12 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206005913/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0D1FFD355513728DDDAC0894DF405B888BF1D3 |url-status=live }} The conversion operation was known as 730 (Nana-San-Maru, which refers to the date of the changeover). Okinawa is one of only a few places to have changed from RHT to LHT in the late 20th century. While Japan drives on the left and most Japanese vehicles are RHD, imported vehicles (e.g. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche) are generally bought as LHD since LHD cars are considered to be status symbols.{{Cite web |title=The birthplace of iconic cars, where cars with both left and right hand drive are allowed {{!}} Japan Motor |url=https://japan-motor.com/en/blog/post/how-popular-are-left-hand-drive-cars-japan |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=japan-motor.com |archive-date=7 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507113348/https://japan-motor.com/en/blog/post/how-popular-are-left-hand-drive-cars-japan |url-status=live }}

Vietnam became RHT as part of French Indochina, as did Laos and Cambodia. In Cambodia, RHD cars, many of which were smuggled from Thailand, were banned in 2001, even though they accounted for 80% of vehicles in the country.{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1096303.stm|title=Cambodia bans right-hand drive cars|date=1 January 2001|publisher=BBC News|access-date=12 January 2007|archive-date=25 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225111204/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia-pacific/1096303.stm%20/default.stm|url-status=live}}

In a study of the ancient traffic system of Pompeii, Eric Poehler was able to show that drivers of carts drove in the middle of the road whenever possible. This was the case even on roads wide enough for two lanes.{{r|poehler|p=136}} The wear marks on the kerbstones, however, prove that when there were two lanes of traffic, and the volume of traffic made it necessary to divide the lanes, the drivers always drove on the right-hand side.{{r|poehler|pp=150–155}} These considerations can also be demonstrated in the archaeological findings of other cities in the Roman Empire.{{cite book |first=Eric E. |last=Poehler |title=The Traffic System of Pompeii |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |year=2017 |isbn=9780190614676 |oclc=1105466950}}{{rp|pp=218–219}}

One of the first references in England to requiring traffic direction was an order by the London Court of Aldermen in 1669, requiring a man to be posted on London Bridge to ensure that "all cartes going to keep on the one side and all cartes coming to keep on the other side".{{cite thesis |last1=Latham |first1=Mark |title=The London Bridge Improvement Act of 1756: A Study of Early Modern Urban Finance and Administration |url=https://figshare.com/articles/The_London_Bridge_Improvement_Act_of_1756_A_Study_of_Early_Modern_Urban_Finance_and_Administration/10097465 |publisher=University of Leicester|date=18 December 2009|type=PhD}} It was later legislated as the London Bridge Act 1756 (29 Geo. 2 c. 40), which required that "all carriages passing over the said bridge from London shall go on the east side thereof" – those going south to remain on the east, i.e. the left-hand side by direction of travel.{{cite book |title=The Statutes at Large from the 26th to the 30th Year of King George III |date=1766 |publisher=Printed by J. Bentham |url=https://archive.org/details/statutesatlarge57britgoog/page/n574/mode/2up}} This may represent the first statutory requirement for LHT.{{cite journal|last1=Hamer|first1=Mike|date=25 December 1986 – 1 January 1987|title=Left is right on the road|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qfak8nsMNGIC&pg=PA16|journal=New Scientist|issue=20 December 1986/1 January 1987|pages=16–18|access-date=7 October 2016}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In the Kingdom of Ireland, a law of 1793 (33 Geo. 3. c. 56 (I)) provided a ten-shilling fine to anyone not driving or riding on the left side of the road within the county of the city of Dublin, and required the local road overseers to erect written or printed notices informing road users of the law.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6oZRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA798 |title=Statutes Passed in the Parliaments Held in Ireland |volume=1789–1793|date=14 August 1799|publisher=George Grierson, printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty}} The Road in Down and Antrim Act 1798 (38 Geo. 3. c. 28 (I)) required drivers on the road from Dublin to Donadea to keep to the left. This time, the punishment was ten shillings if the offender was not the owner of the vehicle, or one Irish pound (twenty shillings) if he/she was.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0G9BAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA416 |title=Statutes Passed in the Parliaments Held in Ireland ...: From the Third Year of Edward the Second, A.D. 1310 [to the Fortieth Year of George III A.D. 1800, Inclusive].|date=14 August 1799|publisher=G. Grierson, printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty}} The Grand Juries (Ireland) Act 1836 (6 & 7 Will. 4 c. 116) mandated LHT for the whole country, violators to be fined up to five shillings and imprisoned in default for up to one month.{{cite book |title=A collection of the public general statutes |date=1836 |publisher=Eyre and Spottiswoode |location=London |pages=1030–1031 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/acollectionpubl01britgoog/page/1030 |chapter=6 & 7 Will. 4 c. 116 s.156 |via=Internet Archive}}

An oft-repeated story is that Napoleon changed the custom from LHT to RHT in France and the countries he conquered after the French Revolution. Scholars who have looked for documentary evidence of this story have found none, and contemporary sources have not surfaced, {{as of|1999|lc=y|post=.}} In 1827, twelve years after Napoleon's reign, Edward Planta wrote that, in Paris, "The coachmen have no established rule by which they drive on the right or left of the road, but they cross and jostle one another without ceremony."{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jGMDAAAAQAAJ&q=%22drive+on+the+right%22&pg=RA1-PA118|title=A New Picture of Paris, Or, The Stranger's Guide to the French Metropolis: Also, a Description of the Environs of Paris|first=Edward|last=Planta|date=30 June 1831|publisher=S. Leigh and Baldwin and Cradock}}

Rotterdam had no fixed rules until 1917,{{cite web |url=http://www.engelfriet.net/Alie/Hans/rechtsrijden.htm |title=De geschiedenis van het linksrijden |publisher=Engelfriet.net |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-date=25 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225111208/http://www.engelfriet.net/Alie/Hans/rechtsrijden.htm%20 |url-status=live }} although the rest of the Netherlands was RHT. In May 1917 the police in Rotterdam ended traffic chaos by enforcing right hand traffic.

In Russia, in 1709, the Danish envoy under Tsar Peter the Great noted the widespread custom for traffic in Russia to pass on the right, but it was only in 1752 that Empress Elizabeth officially issued an edict for traffic to keep to the right.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldstandards.eu/cars/driving-on-the-left/ |title=Why do some countries drive on the left and others on the right? |work=WorldStandards.eu |access-date=20 July 2021 |archive-date=12 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712123607/https://www.worldstandards.eu/cars/driving-on-the-left/ |url-status=live }}

File:Ecke Kärntnerstraße Annagasse mit Werbetafel Tabarin und Chapeau Rouge ca 1930.jpg, Austria, {{circa|1930}}]]

File:Danish motorcyclists about to cross the border between Sweden and Norway in 1934.png

After the Austro-Hungarian Empire broke up, the resulting countries gradually changed to RHT. In Austria, Vorarlberg switched in 1921,{{cite journal |last1=Vasold |first1=Manfred |year=2010 |title=Obacht! Linksverkehr |url=http://www.deutsches-museum.de/fileadmin/Content/data/020_Dokumente/040_KuT_Artikel/2010/34-2-57.pdf |journal=Kultur & Technik |access-date=13 December 2016 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923223325/http://www.deutsches-museum.de/fileadmin/Content/data/020_Dokumente/040_KuT_Artikel/2010/34-2-57.pdf |url-status=live }} North Tyrol in 1930, Carinthia and East Tyrol in 1935, and the rest of the country in 1938.{{cite web |url=http://graz.radln.net/cms/beitrag/10908163/36832857/ |title=1938 wechselte man nicht nur die Straßenseite – ARGUS Steiermark – DIE RADLOBBY |website=graz.radln.net |access-date=2019-04-04 |archive-date=4 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404115510/http://graz.radln.net/cms/beitrag/10908163/36832857/ |url-status=dead }} In Romania, Transylvania, the Banat and Bukovina were LHT until 1919, while Wallachia and Moldavia were already RHT. Partitions of Poland belonging to the German Empire and the Russian Empire were RHT, while the former Austrian Partition changed in the 1920s.{{cite web |url=http://komunikacja.krakow.eurocity.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=412&Itemid=226 |title=Krakowska Komunikacja Miejska – autobusy, tramwaje i krakowskie inwestycje drogowe – History of the Cracow tram network |date=3 March 2006 |publisher=Komunikacja.krakow.eurocity.pl |access-date=11 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516030528/http://komunikacja.krakow.eurocity.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=412&Itemid=226 |archive-date=16 May 2006 |url-status=dead }} Croatia-Slavonia switched on joining the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1918, although Istria and Dalmatia were already RHT.{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/details/01703017.5423.emory.edu |title=Austria, including Hungary, Transylvania, Dalmatia and Bosnia |last=Baedeker |first=Karl |access-date=28 July 2017 |year=1900 |page=xiii–xiv |quote="In Styria, Upper and Lower Austria, Salzburg, Carniola, Croatia, and Hungary we keep to the left, and pass to the right in overtaking; in Carinthia, Tyrol, and the Austrian Littoral (Adriatic coast: Trieste, Gorizia and Gradisca, Istria and Dalmatia) we keep to the right and overtake to the left. Troops on the march always keep to the right side of the road, so in whatever part of the Empire you meet them, keep to the left."}} The switch in Czechoslovakia from LHT to RHT had been planned for 1939, but was accelerated by the start of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia that year.{{cite web |url=http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/seventy-five-years-of-driving-on-the-right |title=Seventy-five years of driving on the right |date=18 March 2014 |publisher=Radio Prague |access-date=1 April 2017 |archive-date=1 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401233010/http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/seventy-five-years-of-driving-on-the-right |url-status=live }}

In Italy, it had been decreed in 1901 that each province define its own traffic code, including the handedness of traffic, and the 1903 Baedeker guide reported that the rule of the road varied by region. For example, in Northern Italy, the provinces of Brescia, Como, Vicenza, and Ravenna were RHT while nearby provinces of Lecco, Verona, and Varese were LHT, as were the cities Milan, Turin, and Florence.{{cite book |last1=McManus |first1=Chris |title=Right Hand Left Hand: the origins of asymmetry in brains, bodies, atoms, and cultures |date=2002 |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=0-674-00953-3 |page=247 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=20oza63ZuG4C |access-date=5 November 2019}} In 1915, allied forces of World War I imposed LHT in areas of military operation, but this was revoked in 1918. Rome was reported by Goethe as LHT in the 1780s. Naples was also LHT although surrounding areas were often RHT. In cities, LHT was considered safer since pedestrians, accustomed to keeping right, could better see oncoming vehicular traffic. In 1923 Benito Mussolini decreed that all LHT areas would gradually transition to RHT.{{cite web |last1=Biocca |first1=Dario |title=Quando l' Italia si buttò a destra |url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2011/07/24/quando-italia-si-butto-destra.html |website=la Repubblica |access-date=4 November 2019 |language=it |date=2011-07-24}}

Portugal switched to RHT in 1928.

Finland, formerly part of LHT Sweden, switched to RHT in 1858 as the Grand Duchy of Finland by Russian decree.{{cite web|url=http://home.aland.net/bosse/hogertrafik.htm|title=Högertrafik i Sverige och Finland|work=aland.net|access-date=1 April 2015|archive-date=25 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225111215/http://home.aland.net/bosse/hogertrafik.htm|url-status=live}}

Spain switched to RHT in 1918, but not in the entire country. In Madrid people continued to drive on the left until 1924 when a national law forced drivers in Madrid switch to RHT.{{cite web|url=https://revista.dgt.es/es/motor/noticias/2020/07JULIO/0715-Conducir-derecha.shtml#:~:text=El%2066%25%20de%20la%20poblaci%C3%B3n,se%20iba%20por%20la%20izquierda.|title=¿Por qué circulamos por la derecha?|work=dgt.es|access-date=2 January 2024|archive-date=2 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240102175451/https://revista.dgt.es/es/motor/noticias/2020/07JULIO/0715-Conducir-derecha.shtml#:~:text=El%2066%25%20de%20la%20poblaci%C3%B3n,se%20iba%20por%20la%20izquierda.|url-status=live}} Madrid Metro still uses LHT.

Sweden switched to RHT in 1967, having been LHT from about 1734{{cite web|url=http://www.vardo.aland.fi/hogertrafik.htm|title=Högertrafik|publisher=vardo.aland.fi|language=sv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203201537/http://www.vardo.aland.fi/hogertrafik.htm|archive-date=3 December 2007|access-date=11 August 2006}} despite having land borders with RHT countries Norway and Finland, and approximately 90% of cars being left-hand drive (LHD).[https://books.google.com/books?id=TdYnAQAAIAAJ&q=%22left+hand+drive%22 Réalités], Issues 200–205, Société d'études et publications économiques, 1967, page 95 A referendum in 1955 overwhelmingly rejected a change to RHT, but, a few years later, the government ordered it and it occurred on Sunday, 3 September 1967{{cite web|url=http://realscandinavia.com/this-day-in-history-swedish-traffic-switches-sides-september-3-1967/|title=This Day in History: Swedish Traffic Switches Sides – September 3, 1967|date=3 September 2014|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-date=19 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519070802/http://realscandinavia.com/this-day-in-history-swedish-traffic-switches-sides-september-3-1967/|url-status=live}} at 5 am. The accident rate then dropped sharply,{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C941144%2C00.html|title=Sweden: Switch to the Right|date=15 September 1967|magazine=Time|access-date=31 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018034155/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,941144,00.html|archive-date=18 October 2012|url-status=dead}} but soon rose to near its original level.{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/08/14/driving_on_left/|title=Salon News: Whose side of the road are you on?|last=Mieszkowski|first=Katharine|date=14 August 2009|work=Salon|access-date=12 December 2010|archive-date=21 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121005051/http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/08/14/driving_on_left/|url-status=live}} The day was known as Högertrafikomläggningen, or Dagen H for short.

When Iceland switched to RHT the following year, it was known as Hægri dagurinn or H-dagurinn ("The H-Day").{{cite news|url=http://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2013/05/26/45_ar_fra_haegri_umferd/|title=45 ár frá hægri umferð|work=Morgunblaðið|date=26 May 2013|language=is|trans-title=45 years with right-hand traffic|archive-date=7 July 2019|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707155602/https://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2013/05/26/45_ar_fra_haegri_umferd/|url-status=live}} Most passenger cars in Iceland were already LHD.

The United Kingdom is LHT, but two of its overseas territories, Gibraltar and the British Indian Ocean Territory, are RHT. In the late 1960s, the British Department for Transport considered switching to RHT, but declared it unsafe and too costly for such a built-up nation.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8239048.stm|title=Could the UK drive on the right?|first=Tom|last=Geoghegan|date=7 September 2009|publisher=BBC News|access-date=4 July 2012|archive-date=1 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801220244/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8239048.stm|url-status=live}} Road building standards, for motorways in particular, allow asymmetrically designed road junctions, where merge and diverge lanes differ in length.{{cite journal|year=2006|title=Layout of Grade Separated Junctions|url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/dmrb/vol6/section2/td2206.pdf|publisher=The Highways Agency|journal=Design Manual for Roads and Bridges|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504112611/http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/dmrb/vol6/section2/td2206.pdf|archive-date=2011-05-04|pages=4.9ff}}

Today, four countries in Europe continue to use LHT, all island nations: the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland (formerly part of the UK), Cyprus and Malta (both former British colonies).

File:drive on left in australia.jpg, heavily visited by international tourists, reminding motorists to keep left in Australia]]

Many former British colonies in the region have always been LHT, including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu; and nations that were previously administered by Australia: Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

File:Drive on the left in NZ 20171228.jpg to remind tourists to drive on the left in New Zealand.]]

Initially traffic was slow and very sparse, but, as early as 1856, a newspaper said, "The cart was near to the right hand kerb. According to the rules of the road, it should have been on the left side. In turning sharp round a right-hand corner, a driver should keep away to the opposite side." That rule was codified when the first Highway Code was written in 1936.{{Cite web |date=4 December 1936 |title=ROAD SAFETY. OTAGO DAILY TIMES |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19361204.2.13.9 |access-date=2021-10-27 |website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}}

Samoa, a former German colony, had been RHT for more than a century, but switched to LHT in 2009,{{Cite news | title = Samoan cars ready to switch sides | publisher = BBC News | date = 7 September 2009 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8240992.stm | access-date = 7 September 2009 | first = Nick | last = Bryant | archive-date = 25 February 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210225045819/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8240992.stm | url-status = live }} making it the first territory in almost 30 years to change sides. The move was legislated in 2008 to allow Samoans to use cheaper vehicles imported from Australia, New Zealand, or Japan, and to harmonise with other South Pacific nations. A political party, The People's Party, was formed by the group People Against Switching Sides (PASS) to protest against the change, with PASS launching a legal challenge;{{cite web |last1=Whitley |first1=David |title=Samoa provokes fury by switching sides of the road |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/5732906/Samoa-provokes-fury-by-switching-sides-of-the-road.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/5732906/Samoa-provokes-fury-by-switching-sides-of-the-road.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | date = 3 July 2009 | website=The Telegraph |access-date=12 September 2019}}{{cbignore}} in April 2008 an estimated 18,000 people attended demonstrations against switching.{{Cite news | title = Samoa drivers brace for left turn | publisher = BBC News | date = 6 September 2009 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8236773.stm | access-date = 7 September 2009 | first = Michael | last = Dobie | archive-date = 24 February 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220224122801/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8236773.stm | url-status = live }} The motor industry was also opposed, as 14,000 of Samoa's 18,000 vehicles were designed for RHT and the government refused to meet the cost of conversion.{{Cite news| title =Outcry as Samoa motorists prepare to drive on left| work =Reuters| date = 7 September 2009 | url = https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE5861QV20090907| access-date = 7 September 2009| first=Pauline| last=Askin}} After months of preparation, the switch from right to left happened in an atmosphere of national celebration. There were no reported incidents. At 05:50 local time, Monday 7 September, a radio announcement halted traffic, and an announcement at 6:00 ordered traffic to switch to LHT. The change coincided with more restrictive enforcement of speeding and seat-belt laws.{{cite web| url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/samoan-drivers-change-from-right-hand-side-of-the-road-to-the-left/story-e6frf7lf-1225770454009 |title=Samoan drivers change from right-hand side of the road to the left |work=Herald Sun |access-date=31 October 2012}} That day and the following were declared public holidays, to reduce traffic.{{cite news| url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10523412 |title=Samoa announces driving switch date|work=The New Zealand Herald |date= 25 July 2008|access-date=10 June 2012 |first=Cherelle |last=Jackson}} The change included a three-day ban on alcohol sales, while police mounted dozens of checkpoints, warning drivers to drive slowly.

{{update section|date=September 2023}}

Rwanda and Burundi, former Belgian colonies in Central Africa, are RHT but are considering switching to LHT{{cite news|url=https://24tanzania.com/burundi-rwanda-to-start-driving-on-the-left/|title=Burundi, Rwanda to start driving on the left|last=Nkwame|first=Marc|date=27 July 2013|newspaper=DailyNews Online|access-date=28 May 2016|archive-date=25 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225111224/https://24tanzania.com/burundi-rwanda-to-start-driving-on-the-left/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rwandatransport.com/2013/07/rwanda-to-adopt-eac-driving-standards/|title=Rwanda to adopt EAC driving standards|author=Peter|work=Rwanda Transport|access-date=12 August 2013|archive-date=25 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225111124/http://www.rwandatransport.com/2013/07/rwanda-to-adopt-eac-driving-standards/|url-status=dead}} like neighbouring members of the East African Community (EAC).{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.co.ug/index.php/news/regional-news/78-regional-news/1458-rwanda-wants-to-drive-on-the-left |title=Rwanda wants to drive on the left |publisher=Independent.co.ug |date=3 June 2012 |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-date=14 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314061551/http://www.independent.co.ug/index.php/news/regional-news/78-regional-news/1458-rwanda-wants-to-drive-on-the-left |url-status=dead }} A survey in 2009 found that 54% of Rwandans favoured the switch. Reasons cited were the perceived lower costs of RHD vehicles, easier maintenance and the political benefit of harmonising traffic regulations with other EAC countries. The survey indicated that RHD cars were 16% to 49% cheaper than their LHD counterparts.{{cite web |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201009271438.html |title=East Africa: Rwanda Looks to the Left |publisher=allAfrica.com |date=27 September 2010 |access-date=10 June 2012 |archive-date=20 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020071830/http://allafrica.com/stories/201009271438.html |url-status=live }} In 2014, an internal report by consultants to the Ministry of Infrastructure recommended a switch to LHT.{{cite journal|last1=Bari|first1=Mahabubul|title=The study of the possibility of switching driving side in Rwanda|journal=European Transport Research Review|volume=6|issue=4|pages=439–453|date=29 July 2014|doi=10.1007/s12544-014-0144-2|bibcode=2014ETRR....6..439B |doi-access=free | issn=1866-8887}} In 2015, the ban on RHD vehicles was lifted; RHD trucks from neighbouring countries cost $1,000 less than LHD models imported from Europe.[https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/Business/Right-hand-drive-vehicles-return-on-Rwandan-roads-/1433224-2652722-1hwl76/index.html Right-hand-drive vehicles return on Rwandan roads] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319050229/https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/Business/Right-hand-drive-vehicles-return-on-Rwandan-roads-/1433224-2652722-1hwl76/index.html |date=19 March 2020 }}, The East African, 13 March 2015{{cite news|last1=Tumwebaze|first1=Peterson|title=Govt okays importation of RHD trucks, to decide on other vehicle categories in October|url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2014-09-09/538/business-govt-okays-importation-of-right-hand-drive-trucks,-to-decide-on-other-vehicle-categories-in-october|access-date=29 October 2014|work=The New Times|date=9 September 2014|ref=newtimes2}}

File:Laos - Traffic Switchover Point.svg]]

Although many LHT jurisdictions are on islands, there are cases where vehicles may be driven from LHT across a border into a RHT area. Such borders are mostly located in Africa and southern Asia. The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic regulates the use of foreign registered vehicles in the 78 countries that have ratified it.

LHT Thailand has three RHT neighbours: Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. Most of its borders use a simple traffic light to do the switch, but there are also interchanges that enable the switch while keeping up a continuous flow of traffic.{{cite web|last1=Jennings|first1=Ken|title=What Happens When Left-Hand Roads Meet Right-Hand Roads|url=http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2013-04-15/lotus-bridge-macau-maphead-ken-jennings|website=Conde Nast Traveler|date=15 April 2013|access-date=18 November 2016|archive-date=19 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119182223/http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2013-04-15/lotus-bridge-macau-maphead-ken-jennings|url-status=live}}

There are six road border crossing points between Hong Kong and mainland China. In 2006, the daily average number of vehicle trips recorded at Lok Ma Chau was 31,100.{{cite web |url=http://www.yearbook.gov.hk/2006/en/13_08.htm |title=Hong Kong 2006 – Transport – Cross-Boundary Traffic |publisher=Government of Hong Kong |date=15 August 2007 |access-date=12 December 2010 |archive-date=20 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720034325/http://www.yearbook.gov.hk/2006/en/13_08.htm |url-status=live }} The next largest is Man Kam To, where there is no changeover system and the border roads on the mainland side Wenjindu intersect as one-way streets with a main road.

The Takutu River Bridge (which links LHT Guyana and RHT Brazil{{cite web|url=http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/news/local/04/27/takutu-bridge-opens-to-traffic-2 |title=Takutu bridge opens to traffic |publisher=Stabroeknews.com |date=27 April 2009 |access-date=12 December 2010}}) is the only border in the Americas where traffic changes sides.

[[File:Legality of wrong-hand-drive vehicles.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|Legality of wrong-hand-drive vehicles by country

{{legend|#ff0000|Usage illegal}}

{{legend|#ffbb00|Usage legal, but registration illegal or unknown}}

{{legend|#00bb44|Registration illegal for normal vehicles, with exceptions for special (e.g. diplomatic) vehicles}}

{{legend|#0000ff|Registration and usage legal}}

{{legend|#C1C1C1|No data}}]]

In RHT jurisdictions, vehicles are typically configured as left hand drive (LHD), with the steering wheel on the left side of the passenger compartment. In LHT jurisdictions, the reverse is true as the right hand drive (RHD) configuration. In most jurisdictions, the position of the steering wheel is not regulated, or explicitly permitted to be anywhere.[https://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?language=en&num=C-61/12&td=ALL Court of Justice of the European Union, C-61/12 – Commission v Lithuania], European Union, steering wheel can be anywhere, 2014-03-20. The driver's side, the side closer to the centre of the road, is sometimes called the offside, while the passenger side, the side closer to the side of the road, is sometimes called the nearside.{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-cobuild/nearside |title=Nearside (dictionary definition) |publisher=Dictionary.reverso.net |access-date=12 December 2010 |archive-date=1 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001182040/http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-cobuild/nearside |url-status=live }}

Most windscreen wipers are preferentially designed to better clean the driver's side of the windscreen and thus have a longer wiper blade on the driver's side and wipe up from the passenger side to the driver's side. Thus on LHD configurations, they wipe up from right to left, viewed from inside the vehicle, and do the opposite on RHD vehicles.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

In both LHD and RHD vehicles, gear shifters are in the same position, and the shift patterns are not reversed.

Historically there was less consistency in the relationship of the position of the driver to the handedness of traffic. Most American cars produced before 1910 were RHD. In 1908 Henry Ford standardised the Model T as LHD in RHT America, arguing that with RHD and RHT, the passenger was obliged to "get out on the street side and walk around the car" and that with steering from the left, the driver "is able to see even the wheels of the other car and easily avoids danger."{{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=Wayne|title=Car Crazy: The Battle for Supremacy between Ford and Olds and the Dawn of the Automobile Age|date=2015|publisher=PublicAffairs|isbn=9781610395526|page=279|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JgIrCgAAQBAJ&q=car+crazy+wayne+miller&pg=PR4|access-date=12 December 2016}} By 1915, other manufacturers followed Ford's lead, due to the popularity of the Model T.

In specialised cases, the driver will sit on the nearside, or curbside. Examples include:

• Where the driver needs a good view of the nearside, e.g. street sweepers, or vehicles driven along unstable road edges.{{cite web|url=http://www.lhdspecialist.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921030931/http://www.lhdspecialist.com/location_of_the_steering_wheel.php|url-status=dead|title=天彩彩票_官网手机版|archive-date=21 September 2011|website=lhdspecialist.com}} Similarly in mountainous areas the driver may be seated opposite side so that they have a better view of the road edge which may fall away for very many metres into the valley below. Swiss Postbuses in mountainous areas are a well known example.
• Where it is more convenient for the driver to be on the nearside, e.g. delivery vehicles. The Grumman LLV postal delivery truck is widely used with RHD configurations in RHT North America. Some Unimogs are designed to switch between LHD and RHD to permit operators to work on the more convenient side of the truck.

Generally, the convention is to mount a motorcycle on the left,{{cite web|last1=Hinchliffe|first1=Mark|title=How to mount your motorbike|url=https://motorbikewriter.com/mount-motorbike/|access-date=11 December 2016|date=11 March 2014|archive-date=7 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907120732/http://motorbikewriter.com/mount-motorbike/|url-status=live}} and kickstands are usually on the left{{cite web|title=MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING A MOTORCYCLE|url=http://www.motorcycletesttips.uk/motorcycle-riding-tutorials/mounting-and-dismounting-a-motorcycle/|website=Motorcycle Test Tips|access-date=11 December 2016}} which makes it more convenient to mount on the safer kerbside as is the case in LHT. Some jurisdictions prohibit fitting a sidecar to a motorcycle's offside.{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2003/si/5/made/en/print|title=S.I. No. 5/2003 – Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) Regulations 2003|work=Irish Statute Book|pages=42. (1)|no-pp=yes|quote=where a side–car is attached to a mechanically propelled bicycle, the side–car shall be ... fitted on the left side of the vehicle|access-date=6 November 2017}}; {{cite web|url=https://www.magireland.org/2014/news-media/motorcycle-sidecar-trailer-legislation/|title=Motorcycle Sidecar & Trailer legislation|date=9 February 2014|work=MAG Ireland|publisher=Irish Motorcyclists Association|access-date=6 November 2017|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107012741/https://www.magireland.org/2014/news-media/motorcycle-sidecar-trailer-legislation/|url-status=live}}{{cite web | url= http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/made | title= The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 – Section 93 | publisher= UK Government | date= 25 June 1986 | access-date= 9 December 2012 | archive-date= 14 November 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121114084723/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/made | url-status= live }}

In 2020, there were 160 LHD heavy goods vehicles in the UK involved in accidents ({{#expr:160/3175 * 100 round 0}}%) for a total of 3,175 accidents, killing 215 people ({{#expr:215/4271 * 100 round 0}}%) for a total of 4271.Department for Transport statistics, Reported Road Casualties Great Britain Annual Report 2020, RAS40005, Reported accidents, vehicles and casualties by severity, vehicle type and left hand drive, Great Britain, 2020

It has been suggested that right-hand drive vehicles, and hence the left-hand traffic direction, are associated with greater safety. As most drivers are right-handed, the dominant right hand remains controlled on the steering wheel while the non-dominant left hand can manipulate gears.{{Cite web |title=The Advantages and Disadvantages of Left Hand Drive Cars in UK |url=https://lefthanddrives.com/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-left-hand-drive-cars-in-uk/ |website=Left Hand Drives|date=28 July 2020 }} The right field of vision may also be more dominant, thereby permitting a superior view of oncoming traffic.

{{unreferenced section|date=February 2023}}

Some manufacturers primarily produce left-hand drive vehicles, due to the larger or nearer market for such vehicles. For such models supplied to left-hand traffic markets, in the right-hand drive configuration, the manufacturer may reuse the same dashboard configuration as is used in the left-hand drive models, with the steering column and pedals moved to the right-hand side. Oft-used controls (such as audio volume and fan controls) that were placed near the left-hand driver for ease of access, are now situated on the far side of the center console for the right-hand driver. This may make them more difficult to reach quickly or without looking away from the road ahead.

In some cases, the manufacturer's dashboard design incorporates blanks and modular components, which permits the controls and underlying electronics to be rearranged to suit the right-hand drive model. This may be done in the factory, after import, or as an after-market modification.

{{Main|Headlamp}}

File:Low beam light pattern for right-hand traffic.svg

Most low-beam headlamps produce an asymmetrical light suitable for use on only one side of the road. Low beam headlamps in LHT jurisdictions throw most of their light forward-leftward; those for RHT throw most of their light forward-rightward, thus illuminating obstacles and road signs while minimising glare for oncoming traffic.

In Europe, headlamps approved for use on one side of the road must be adaptable to produce adequate illumination with controlled glare for temporarily driving on the other side of the road,{{cite web|url=http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/R112rev2_e.pdf|title=UN Regulation 112, "Motor vehicle headlamps emitting an asymmetrical passing beam or a driving beam or both and equipped with filament lamps"|access-date=21 October 2019}}{{RP|p.13 ¶5.8}}. This may be achieved by affixing masking strips or prismatic lenses to a part of the lens or by moving all or part of the headlamp optic so all or part of the beam is shifted or the asymmetrical portion is occluded.{{RP|p.13 ¶5.8.1}} Some varieties of the projector-type headlamp can be fully adjusted to produce a proper LHT or RHT beam by shifting a lever or other movable element in or on the lamp assembly.{{RP|p.12 ¶5.4}} Some vehicles adjust the headlamps automatically when the car's GPS detects that the vehicle has moved from LHT to RHT and vice versa.{{Citation needed|date=January 2018}}

In Europe since the early 1980s,{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/11/made |website=legislation.gov.uk |title=The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 Schedule 11 |access-date=2 April 2022}} cars must be equipped with one or two red rear fog lamps. A single rear fog lamp must be located between the vehicle's longitudinal centreline and the outer extent of the driver's side of the vehicle.{{cite web|url=https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/2015/R048r12e.pdf|title=Regulation No. 48 |website=UNECE |date=16 October 2014 |access-date=21 October 2019}}

ANCAP reports that some RHD cars imported to Australia did not perform as well on crash tests as the LHD versions, although the cause is unknown, and may be due to differences in testing methodology.{{cite web|title=Popular family SUV Hyundai Tucson slammed for 'four-star' Australian crash test result|url=http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/motoring/popular-family-suv-hyundai-tucson-slammed-for-fourstar-australian-crash-test-result/news-story/466995147eb262b628fc71ca5e1cd89b|access-date=5 November 2017 |publisher=News.com.au |date=11 November 2015 |first1=Joshua |last1=Dowling |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206034200/https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/motoring/popular-family-suv-hyundai-tucson-slammed-for-fourstar-australian-crash-test-result/news-story/466995147eb262b628fc71ca5e1cd89b |archive-date= 6 December 2021 }}

{{main|Double-track railway}}

File:Handedness of rail traffic worldwide.png

In most countries, rail traffic travels on the same side as road traffic. However, there are many instances of railways built using LHT British technology which remained LHT despite their nations' road traffic becoming RHT. Examples include: Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Egypt, France, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Laos, Monaco, Morocco, Myanmar, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, Senegal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tunisia, Uruguay and Venezuela. France is mainly LHT for trains except for the classic lines in Alsace–Lorraine,{{cite web |title=Strasbourg to Paris Driver's eye view PREVIEW |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdOJZ9imhq8 |date=13 February 2017 |via=YouTube |publisher=Video 125 |access-date=11 March 2019}}{{cbignore}} Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/EdOJZ9imhq8 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20190918215937/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdOJZ9imhq8&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}. which were converted from LHT to RHT under German administration from 1870 to 1918. In North America, multi-track rail lines with centralized traffic control are typically signaled to allow operation on any track in both directions, and the side of operation will vary based on the railroad's specific operational requirements.{{cite web |last1=Lundsen |first1=Carsten |title=North American Signaling Basics |url=http://www.lundsten.dk/us_signaling/movement.html |date=27 September 1998 |website=Railroad Rules, Signaling, Operations |access-date=17 October 2022 |archive-date=9 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809222905/http://www.lundsten.dk/us_signaling/movement.html |url-status=live }} In practice however, rail traffic is more often RHT.

File:Kereta MRT Jakarta sedang melewati jalur peralihan antara jalur layang dan jalur bawah tanah.jpg is a train that uses the right lane which is dominated by the left lane on highways in Indonesia.]]

Indonesia is the only country in the world which has RHT for rails (even for newer rail systems such as the LRT and the MRT systems) and LHT for roads.

Metro and light rail sides of operation vary and might not match railways or roads in their country. Some systems where the metro matches the side of the national rail network but not the roads include those in Bilbao, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Catania, Jakarta, Lisbon, Lyon, Naples, and Rome. A small number of cities, including Madrid and Stockholm, originally ran on the same side as road traffic when the systems opened in 1919 and 1950 respectively, but had road traffic change in 1924 and 1967 respectively. Conversely, metros in France (except for the aforementioned Lyon) and mainland China run on the right just like roads, while mainline trains run on the left.

A small number of systems have situational reasons to differ from the norm. On the MTR in Hong Kong, the section originally known as the Ma On Shan line (now part of the Tuen Ma line) runs on the right to make interchanging with the East Rail line easier, while the rest of the system runs on the left. On the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, lines that integrate with Korail (except Line 3, which is disconnected from the rest of the network) run on the left, while the lines that are not run on the right. In Nizhny Novgorod, Line 2 runs on the left due to the track layout when it first opened as a branch of Line 1. In Lima, Line 1 runs entirely on the left, while Line 2 runs entirely on the right.

Metro Line M1 in Budapest is the only metro line to have switched sides. It originally ran on the left but switched to right hand-running during the line's reconstruction around 1973.

The former Rochester subway, that operated from 1927 to 1956 ran on the left to let unidirectional vehicles with doors on the right use stations with island platforms.

Because trams frequently operate on roads, they generally operate on the same side as other road traffic.

{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2023}}File:Riverine Patrol Boat Cockpit Console.jpg

Boats are traditionally piloted from starboard (the right-hand side) to facilitate priority to the right.

According to the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, water traffic is effectively RHT: a vessel proceeding along a narrow channel must keep to starboard, and when two power-driven vessels are meeting head-on both must alter course to starboard also.

Typically, especially for larger vessels, a radio call will be made between two vessels, or with a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) to co-ordinate if the vessels will pass "green-to-green" or "red-to-red". Marine traffic uses a system of green lighting for the starboard (right-hand) side and red for port (left-hand) side: to pass "green-to-green" the green (starboard, right-hand) side of the vessels will pass each other, essentially being left-hand traffic. Similarly, passing "red-to-red" means the red (port, left-hand) side of the vessels will pass each other, forming right-hand traffic.

In busy waterways, directional shipping lanes may be set up to facilitate handedness of traffic. For example, the Strait of Dover (Pas-de-Calais) on the English Channel uses RHT with North Sea-bound vessels following the French coast and Atlantic-bound vessels following the English coast.

For aircraft, the US Federal Aviation Regulations suggest RHT principles, both in the air and on water, and in aircraft with side-by-side cockpit seating, the pilot-in-command (or more senior flight officer) traditionally occupies the left seat.{{Cite web |title=FAR Part 91 Sec. 91.115 |url=http://www.airweb.faa.gov/REGULATORY_AND_GUIDANCE_LIBRARY%5CRGFAR.NSF/0/2EA99FD06D59A9BC852566CF00614DEA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010060732/http://www.airweb.faa.gov/REGULATORY_AND_GUIDANCE_LIBRARY%5CRGFAR.NSF/0/2EA99FD06D59A9BC852566CF00614DEA |archive-date=10 October 2018 |website=Federal Aviation Administration |quote=When aircraft, or an aircraft and a vessel, are approaching head-on, or nearly so, each shall alter its course to the right to keep well clear.}} However, helicopter practice tends to favour the right hand seat for the pilot-in-command, particularly when flying solo.{{Cite web|url=https://pilotteacher.com/are-helicopters-flown-from-the-left-or-right-seat/|title=Are Helicopters Flown from the Left or Right Seat? It Depends! |website=Pilot Teacher |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230928082627/https://pilotteacher.com/are-helicopters-flown-from-the-left-or-right-seat/ |archive-date= 28 September 2023 }}

Of the 195 countries currently recognised by the United Nations, 141 use RHT and 54 use LHT on roads in general.

A country and its territories and dependencies are counted as one. Whichever directionality is listed first is the type that is used in general in the traffic category.

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{{more citations needed|section|date=November 2021}}

{{incomplete table|date=October 2021}}

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According to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which mostly covers Europe, if having a vehicle registered and legal to drive in one of the Convention countries, it is legal to drive it in any other of the countries, for visits and first year of residence after moving. This is regardless of whether it fulfils all the rules of the visitor countries. This convention does not affect rules on usage or registration of local vehicles.

File:觀塘道 - panoramio.jpg|Left-hand traffic on Kwun Tong Road in Hong Kong

File:Jalan Raya Cilegon - panoramio.jpg|Left-hand traffic in Cilegon, Banten, Indonesia

File:Mumbai 03-2016 109 Western Express Highway near Bandra.jpg|Left-hand traffic on Western Express Highway in Mumbai, India

File:MacauRuaDoViscondePacoDeArcos1.jpg|Left-hand traffic in Macau

File:Eshima oohashi 04 (14781816175).jpg|Left-hand traffic on Eshima Ohashi Bridge in Japan

File:Along Sukhumvit Road Bangkok (15539992071).jpg|Left-hand traffic in Bangkok, Thailand

File:DriveLeftIRL.jpg|Road sign reminding motorists to drive on the left in Ireland

File:Drive-on-the-left-kent-1b.jpg|Road sign in Kent, England, placed on right-hand side of the road

File:Fari-Wechsel.jpg|Change of traffic directions at the First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge

File:איילון Highway 20 (Israel) (6).JPG|Right-hand traffic on Ayalon Highway in Israel

File:Garching Bundesautobahn 9.jpg|Right-hand traffic on Bundesautobahn 9 in Germany

File:Открытие развязки МКАД и Волгоградского проспекта (27).jpeg|Right-hand traffic in Moscow, Russia

File:MRTC 3000 trains from Kamuning footbridge.jpg|Right-hand traffic in Metro Manila, Philippines

File:Traffic Lady. Pyongyang, North Korea. (2604170573).jpg|Right-hand traffic in Pyongyang, North Korea

File:Traffic in Oslo.JPG|Right-hand traffic in Oslo, Norway

File:Gyeongbu Express Way.jpg|Right-hand traffic on Gyeongbu Expressway in South Korea

File:Beijing traffic jam.JPG|Right-hand traffic in Beijing, China

File:Taipei Roosevelt Road.JPG|Right-hand traffic in Taipei, Taiwan

File:Kennedy Expressway and Metra.jpeg|Right-hand traffic in Kennedy Expressway, US

File:Corral Road, Gibraltar.jpg|Right-hand traffic in Gibraltar

• Hook turn
• Traffic-light signalling and operation
• World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20171020071550/http://www.nicholashodder.com/download/leftright.kmz Google Maps placemarks of border crossings where traffic changes sides] (placemarks file, requires Google Earth)
• [http://www.tramz.com/py/as.html The Extraordinary Street Railways of Asunción, Paraguay]

{{Traffic law}}

{{Road types}}

Category:Chirality

Category:Driving

Category:Road transport

Category:Rules of the road

Category:Traffic law