Countries That Drive on the Left Side of the Road

This is a summary of countries that drive on the left side of the road.

One of the biggest concerns for road-trippers venturing abroad is which side of the road to drive on.

While most people know that the UK drives on the left and the US drives on the right, beyond that, it can sometimes get a little confusing.

Obviously, it makes sense for one territory to choose a direction and stick to it, so as to avoid the inevitable crashes and confusion between countries.

But oddly, it isn’t always quite so straightforward.

A good rule of thumb to remember is that Britain and most former British colonies – including India, Australia and South Africa – drive on the left, while continental Europe and the USA drive on the right. There are, however, a handful of exceptions to that rule that may surprise you.

Nearly 75% of countries in the world require drivers to drive on the right side of traffic. Although the majority drive on the right, there is no global standard driving system which causes some countries to require driving on the left. Left side drivers include the majority of former British colonies and the right drivers include US, Latin America and most European nations. The following is a summary of countries who drive on the left.

List of Countries Who Drive on the Left

Asia

15 Asian nations drive on the left. These countries include Hong Kong, India, Brunei, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. The history of driving on the left in Japan began during the Edo Period (1603-1867). In 1872, the British laid out the first railway line in the country. It was left-sided and laid the foundation for left-sided driving in Japan. East Timor started driving on the left in 1976 under Indonesian rule and continues to do so today.Macau and Hong Kong, unlike Mainland China, drive on the left. Thailand was never colonized but also drives on the left.

Africa

African countries have left-sided traffic including the former British colonies of Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia, Swaziland, Uganda, and Tanzania. Other former British colonies including Sierra Leone and Nigeria changed to right-sided driving because they border former French colonies. Mozambique, having been colonized by the Portuguese, drives on the left even though its former European power switched to right-sided traffic in the 1920s. Mozambique borders nations which drive on the left as well. Mauritius also adheres to left-handed traffic.

Australia and Oceania

Australia and its territories (including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island) all drive on the left. New Zealand and its territories (The Cook Islands and Tokelau) are also included in the list of left-handed drivers. Other territories that drive on the left include the former British colonies of Fiji, Pitcairn Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Niue. Nauru, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Solomon Islands also have left-sided traffic.

Europe

The first legislation to make traffic left-sided in the UK was made in 18th century in London. This law required that traffic on the London Bridge keep left. The Highway Act of 1835 made this law applicable in the British Empire. Although most European countries switched to right-sided traffic in the 20th century, the UK still continues to drive on the left. Guernsey, the Isle of Man in addition to Jersey, being Crown Dependencies of the UK, also keep left. Ireland, Malta, and Cyprus have left-sided traffic as well.

West Indies

The UK Overseas Territories in the West Indies keep left which are Anguilla, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands. Countries formerly part of the British Empire that drive on the left side include Saint Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Grenada. The U.S. Virgin Islands also have left-sided traffic.

History of Left-Sided Traffic

Historically, the majority of the human population has always been right-handed. It is theorized that left-handed traffic began in the days of horse travel. The left-sided position but them at the advantage of having easy access to their sword with their right-handed in case of an enemy encounter.

Which Countries Drive on the Left Side?

Some of the countries that drive on the left side of the road include the United Kingdom, South Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

List of Countries Who Drive on the Left

Places With Left-Hand Drive
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bermuda
Bhutan
Botswana
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Cayman Islands
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Cook Islands
Cyprus
Dominica
East Timor
Eswatini
Falkland Islands
Fiji
Grenada
Guernsey
Guyana
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Isle of Man
Jamaica
Japan
Jersey
Kenya
Kiribati
Lesotho
Macau
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Malta
Mauritius
Mauritius
Montserrat
Mozambique
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
New Zealand
Niue
Norfolk Island
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Pitcairn Islands
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
Seychelles
Seychelles
Singapore
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Sri Lanka
Suriname
Tanzania
Thailand
The Bahamas
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos
Tuvalu
U. S. Virgin Islands
Uganda
United Kingdom
Zambia
Zimbabwe

The post Countries That Drive on the Left Side of the Road appeared first on Gradaxis.

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