Saturday, January 22, 2011

Follow the Traffic- Which country drive which side

  countries with right-hand traffic
  countries with left-hand traffic

The terms right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic refer to regulations requiring all bidirectional traffic to keep either to the right or the left side of the road, respectively.This is so fundamental to traffic flow that it is sometimes referred to as the rule of the road. This basic rule eases traffic flow and reduces the risk of head-on collisions. Though originally most traffic drove on the left worldwide, today about 66.1% of the world's people live in right-hand traffic countries and 33.9% in left-hand traffic countries. About 72% of the world's total road distance carries traffic on the right, and 28% on the left.

Left-hand traffic
Left-hand traffic.svg
  • All traffic is generally required to keep left unless overtaking.

  • Oncoming traffic is seen coming from the right.

  • Right-turning traffic must cross oncoming traffic.

  • Most traffic signs facing motorists are on the left side of the road.

  • Traffic on roundabouts (traffic circles or rotaries) goes clockwise.

  • Pedestrians crossing a two-way road look first for traffic from their right.

  • The lane designated for normal driving and turning left is on the left

  • Most dual carriageway (divided highway) exits are on the left

  • Other vehicles are overtaken (passed) on the right, though in some circumstances overtaking on the left is permitted.

  • Most vehicles have the driving seat on the right.

  • A left turn at a red light may be allowed after stopping.

  • On roads without a footpath pedestrians may be advised to walk on the right.


  • Jurisdictions with left-hand traffic
    Note: Italics indicates year of change to driving on the left.
    Alderney
    Anguilla
    Antigua and Barbuda
    Australia
    Bahamas
    Bangladesh
    Barbados
    Bermuda
    Bhutan
    Botswana
    Brunei
    Cayman Islands
    Christmas Island
    Cocos (Keeling) Islands
    Cook Islands
    Cyprus
    Dominica
    East Timor (drove on right 1928-1976)
    Falkland Islands
    Fiji
    Grenada
    Guernsey
    Guyana
    Hong Kong
    India
    Indonesia*
    Ireland
    Isle of Man
    Jamaica
    Japan (Okinawa 1978)Jersey
    Kenya
    Kiribati
    Lesotho
    Macau
    Malawi
    Malaysia
    Maldives
    Malta
    Mauritius
    Montserrat
    Mozambique
    Namibia (1918)
    Nauru (1918)
    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 (2009)
    Seychelles
    Singapore
    Solomon Islands
    South Africa
    Sri Lanka
    Suriname
    Swaziland
    Tanzania
    Thailand
    Tokelau
    Tonga
    Trinidad and Tobago
    Turks and Caicos Islands
    Tuvalu
    Uganda
    United Kingdom
    British Virgin Islands
    U.S. Virgin Islands
    Zambia
    Zimbabwe

    * Until late 1960s, imported vehicles from USA were fitted with left-hand drive layout
    Total: 76 countries, territories and dependencies

    Right-hand traffic
    Right-hand traffic.svg
    • All traffic is generally required to keep right unless overtaking.
    • Oncoming traffic is seen coming from the left.
    • Left-turning traffic must cross oncoming traffic.
    • Most traffic signs facing motorists are on the right side of the road.
    • Traffic on roundabouts (traffic circles or rotaries) goes anticlockwise.
    • Pedestrians crossing a two-way road look first for traffic from their left.
    • The lane designated for normal driving and turning right is on the right.
    • Most dual carriageway (divided highway) exits are on the right
    • Other vehicles are generally overtaken (passed) on the left, though in some circumstances overtaking on the right is permitted.
    • Most vehicles have the driving seat on the left.
    • A right turn at a red light may be allowed after stopping.
    • On roads without a footpath pedestrians may be advised to walk on the left.
    Jurisdictions with right-hand traffic
    Note: Italics indicates year of change to driving on the right.
    Afghanistan
    Albania
    Algeria
    American Samoa
    Andorra
    Angola (1928)
    Argentina (1945)
    Armenia
    Aruba
    Austria (1935–38)
    Azerbaijan
    Bahrain (1967)
    Belarus
    Belgium
    Belize (1961)
    Benin
    Bolivia
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Brazil
    British Indian Ocean Territory
    Bulgaria
    Burkina Faso
    Burma (Myanmar) (1970)
    Burundi
    Cambodia
    Cameroon (1961)
    Canada (1920s)
    Cape Verde (1928)
    Central African Republic
    Chad
    Chile
    China, mainland (1946)
    Colombia
    Comoros
    Congo (Brazzaville)
    Congo (Kinshasa)
    Costa Rica
    Côte d'Ivoire
    Croatia
    Cuba
    Czech Republic (1939, details)Denmark 1793*
    Djibouti
    Dominican Republic
    Ecuador
    Egypt
    El Salvador
    Equatorial Guinea
    Eritrea (1964)
    Estonia
    Ethiopia (1964)
    Faroe Islands
    Finland (1858)
    France (1789)
    French Guiana
    French Polynesia
    Gabon
    Gambia (1965)
    Georgia
    Germany
    Ghana (1974)
    Gibraltar (1929)
    Greece
    Greenland
    Guadeloupe
    Guam
    Guatemala
    Guinea
    Guinea-Bissau (1928)
    Haiti
    Honduras
    Hungary (1941)
    Iceland (1968)
    Iran
    Iraq
    Israel
    Italy
    Jordan
    Kazakhstan
    Korea DPR
    Korea (1946)
    Kuwait
    Kyrgyzstan
    Laos
    Latvia
    Lebanon
    Liberia
    Libya
    Liechtenstein
    Lithuania
    Luxembourg
    Republic of Macedonia
    Madagascar
    Mali
    Marshall Islands
    Martinique
    Mauritania
    Mayotte
    Mexico
    Micronesia
    Midway Atoll
    Moldova
    Monaco
    Mongolia
    Montenegro
    Morocco
    Netherlands
    Netherlands Antilles
    New Caledonia
    Nicaragua
    Niger
    Nigeria (1972)
    Northern Mariana Is.
    Norway
    Oman
    Palau
    Panama (1943)
    Paraguay (1945)
    Peru
    Philippines (1946)
    Poland
    Portugal (1928)
    Puerto Rico
    Qatar
    Réunion
    Romania
    Russia
    Rwanda
    Saint Pierre and Miquelon
    San Marino
    São Tomé and Príncipe (1928)
    Saudi Arabia
    Senegal
    Serbia
    Sierra Leone (1971)
    Slovakia (1939-41)
    Slovenia
    Somalia (1968)
    Spain (October 1924)
    Sudan (1973)
    Svalbard
    Sweden (1967 )
    Switzerland
    Syria
    Taiwan (1946)
    Tajikistan
    Togo
    Tunisia
    Turkey
    Turkmenistan
    Ukraine
    United Arab Emirates
    United States (1792)
    Uruguay (1945)
    Uzbekistan
    Vanuatu
    Vatican City
    Venezuela
    Vietnam
    Wake Island
    Wallis and Futuna
    Western Sahara
    Yemen(1977)**

    *1758 in Copenhagen, 1793 in the rest of Denmark
    **In South Yemen
    Total: 163 countries and territories



    World map showing the driving directions for all countries and any changes that have occurred in the past starting with Finland's change in 1858.
       Has always driven on the right (RHT).
       Originally drove on the left, but now drives on the right.
       Has always driven on the left (LHT).
       Originally drove on the right, but now drives on the left.
       Once had different rules of the road (depending on one's location), but now drives on the right.


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