Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Samoa to switch driving side to the left in September Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Samoa
wksamoa 23:43 UTC 19 Apr 2009 | Please be aware that September 7th 2009 Samoa will switch the side of the road to drive on from right to left. Both September 7th and 8th are declared Public Holidays for the people to get used to the new law. Countrywide the speed limit will be 15 mph (25 km/h) then, on all roads, for at least one whole week. They might lift it then, back to the usual 35 mph (55 km/h). It all depends on the number of casualties during the first days of confusion. Nothing that has been said here on TT about taxis and buses and rentals in Samoa will be valid anymore at that time and still for a while after that. Samoans are not used to driving on the left side of the road at all and by far the majority of the cars are still left hand drive (driver sits on the "wrong" side of the car). That refers to buses and many taxis too. People might have to step out of buses and taxis towards the middle of the road! Furthermore I would never trust neither a taxi driver nor a bus driver during the first weeks after that 'switch'. Even them - they might have never driven on the left side of the road before ...! My strong advice is to make sure that you drive yourself if possible. And, please, be especially cautious when coming from a country where you drive on the left side too. You are used to it (and might feel comfortable) - but the others are not. Not at all. So they might react quite different from what you are used to! |
pago 03:17 UTC 20 Apr 2009 | Not planning to be in Apia until mid-September, maybe by then the drivers will be use to this stupid law! | 1
wksamoa 21:42 UTC 20 Apr 2009 | I am afraid it will take a bit longer. | 2
moremanoi 01:36 UTC 21 Apr 2009 | The government is passing an absurd law which is reckless and dangerous. To think that Samoa will escape without loss of life is naive. Had I known this was on the table, I would never have planned to travel to Samoa next fall. There is a group called People Against Switching Sides which seems to be pressuring the government to back down. It appears that the people of Samoa were not consulted and the majority oppose this change. Hopefully, the move will not go ahead. | 3
cardamom 18:21 UTC 21 Apr 2009 | My friend's Father likes to tell tales of when Sweden switched from left hand to right hand driving-he owned a Saab with left hand drive so it was easier for him. Overnight all the signs were switched and speed limits were reduced for a month to allow people to adjust. | 4
pago 18:41 UTC 21 Apr 2009 | cardamom......I hope you're not comparing Sweden to Samoa and how smooth Samoa will handle everything?![;] Pretty funny.... | 5
cardamom 22:01 UTC 21 Apr 2009 | Glad someone saw the joke.....(!) | 6
wksamoa 02:56 UTC 22 Apr 2009 | Yes, I agree: Sweden proved that you can do it. Maybe someone can provide a stuffed elk to contribute to the shared experience. Anyway - it will certainly further enhance that unique Samoan experience of being passed by a fast and fearless fellow driver, sitting on the wrong side of the car now, with even less proper (if any) view of the oncoming traffic. | 7
silvanocat 05:19 UTC 22 Apr 2009 | In Palau they drive on the right hand side of the road and most of their cars are from Japan with the steering wheel on the right. The effect is that the drivers hug the curbs. It's very weird to see them drive with stray branches hitting the windshield. Having seen it, I would not dare drive like that. | 8
everythingeverywhere 13:26 UTC 25 Apr 2009 | Dumbest law ever. At least Sweeden was connected to other countries. Samoa is isolated. There is no need to change. | 9