You’re sitting in a rental car at Heathrow or maybe in the middle of Tokyo. Your heart is thumping. You know, intellectually, that the steering wheel is on the "wrong" side. But your brain—conditioned by years of pulling out of driveways and checking mirrors—is screaming that you’re about to commit a crime.
About 30% of the world feels this way when they visit the US or Europe. For everyone else, the fact that many countries drive left side road is just a Tuesday. It isn't a mistake. It isn't even "backwards." It’s actually the original way of doing things.
Most people assume the right side is the default. It’s not. If you go back to the Romans, or even the middle ages, everyone was a "lefty." Why? Because if you’re riding a horse and someone sketchy comes at you from the opposite direction, you want your sword hand—usually the right one—between you and them. You can't draw a blade across your own body nearly as fast. Simple as that. Swords dictated the road.
The split that changed the world
So, if everyone was riding on the left to keep their sword hands free, why did half the planet switch? You can basically blame Napoleon and Henry Ford.
Napoleon was left-handed. That’s the legend, anyway. He supposedly changed the rules of the road in France and conquered territories to mess with his enemies' traditional formations. But the real shift was more practical. In the late 1700s, huge freight wagons in France and the US were pulled by teams of horses. These wagons didn't have a driver's seat. Instead, the driver sat on the "near" horse—the one on the back left—so he could use his right hand to whip the whole team. To see the wheels of passing wagons and avoid crashes, these big rigs started keeping to the right.
The UK never adopted these massive wagons. They kept their small carriages and their "keep left" laws. When the British Empire expanded, they took that rule with them to India, Australia, South Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Where you’ll find left-hand traffic today
It’s a massive list. We’re talking about 75 or so countries and territories. It isn't just the UK. You’ve got Japan, which was never a British colony but was heavily influenced by British railway engineers in the 1800s. You’ve got almost all of Southern Africa. Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia are all left-side stalwarts.
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In the Caribbean, it’s a total mix. You can drive from a right-side island to a left-side island in a short boat hop. It’s chaotic for tourists.
Honestly, the pressure to switch is immense. Most countries that shared land borders with right-side neighbors eventually gave in. Sweden is the most famous example. They had a "keep left" system while all their neighbors—Norway, Finland—drove on the right. It was a mess. On September 3, 1967, known as Dagen H (H-Day), the entire country swapped sides overnight. They literally stopped all traffic at 4:50 AM, moved slowly to the other side, and started driving again at 5:00 AM.
Imagine that. One day you’re a lefty, the next day everything is flipped. Surprisingly, accident rates actually went down for a while because everyone was so terrified of crashing that they drove incredibly carefully.
Why some countries drive left side road and never look back
For an island nation like the UK or Japan, there’s no immediate pressure to change. Who are they going to collide with? The ocean?
But for places like Thailand, which is surrounded by right-side driving countries (Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia), the border crossings are architectural nightmares. They have these elaborate "bridge-over-bridge" flips or "X" shaped intersections where the lanes cross over each other just so people can enter the next country on the correct side. It’s a massive infrastructure headache.
There are also weird outliers. Take the Bahamas. They drive on the left, but because they are so close to the United States, almost all their cars are imported from Florida. This means they have the steering wheel on the "wrong" side for the side of the road they’re on. You’re sitting on the left side of the car, driving on the left side of the road. Passing someone is basically a leap of faith. You have to lean way over into the passenger seat just to see if the coast is clear.
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The Japan anomaly
Japan is a fascinating case. They were never part of the British Empire. So why the left?
During the Edo period, samurai wore their swords on the left hip. If two samurai passed each other on the right, their scabbards might clank together. In samurai culture, that’s an insult worthy of a duel to the death. To avoid accidental sword-clashing, they walked on the left.
When Japan started building its first modern railways in the 1870s, they asked the British for help. British engineers built the tracks for left-hand running. By the time cars arrived, the "left-side" habit was already baked into the national infrastructure. Even after the US occupied Okinawa after WWII and forced them to drive on the right, the prefecture eventually switched back to the left in 1978 to match the rest of the country.
The technical reality of the switch
If you’re used to one side, switching is a cognitive load you aren't prepared for. It’s not just the road. Everything is mirrored.
- The gear shift is in your left hand.
- The turn signal and windshield wiper stalks are often swapped.
- Your rearview mirror is to your left, not your right.
The biggest danger isn't actually the open road; it’s the intersections. When you turn right in a left-hand drive country, you’re crossing oncoming traffic. That’s the "death turn." In a right-hand country, the "death turn" is the left turn. Your brain will instinctively try to turn into the "near" lane, which, in London or Sydney, puts you head-on with a bus.
Also, look at the pedals. Thankfully, the pedals are always in the same order: Clutch (if manual), Brake, Gas. From left to right. That’s the one universal truth in the automotive world. If they swapped the gas and brake, the world would end in a week.
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The survival guide for driving "the other way"
If you're planning to visit one of the many countries drive left side road, don't panic. Thousands of people do it every day without dying. But you need a strategy.
Rent an automatic. Seriously. Do not try to learn how to shift gears with your non-dominant hand while also trying to navigate a roundabout in downtown Dublin. It’s too much. Give your brain a break and pay the extra $10 a day for the automatic transmission.
Follow the leader. If there’s a car in front of you, just do what they do. The most dangerous time is early in the morning on a deserted road. That’s when your muscle memory takes over and you drift to the "wrong" side because there’s no visual cue to stop you.
The "Driver in the Middle" rule. This is the golden rule. No matter what country you’re in, the driver should always be positioned toward the center of the road, not the sidewalk. If you find yourself next to the curb, you’re on the wrong side.
Roundabouts are your friend. They feel scary, but they actually force you in the right direction. Just remember: in the UK or Australia, you enter a roundabout and move clockwise. Give way to the people coming from your right.
Actionable steps for your next trip
Before you hop on a plane to a left-side country, do these three things:
- Study the "Yellow Line" rule: In many left-side countries, markings are different. Familiarize yourself with local road signs via the country's official transport website (like the UK's Highway Code).
- Use a "Left Side" prompt: Some travelers put a small sticky note on the bottom of the windshield that says "STAY LEFT." It sounds silly until you’re pulling out of a gas station at 11 PM and forget where you are.
- Practice in the parking lot: Spend 20 minutes in the rental car lot just doing loops. Get your eyes used to the new mirror placement and the feeling of the car’s dimensions on your left side.
Driving on the left isn't an eccentricity; it’s a historical legacy that millions of people navigate perfectly every day. Once you get past the first thirty minutes of terror, you’ll realize it’s just driving. The scenery is usually better anyway.
Expert Insight: If you’re truly nervous, remember that modern GPS apps like Google Maps or Waze have updated lane guidance for these countries. They will tell you exactly which lane to be in for those tricky right-hand turns. Rely on the tech until your intuition catches up.