Rules of the road

:This article concerns rules of the road regarding land vehicles; for sea-going vehicles, see International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.

Anomalies

Caribbean

In many Caribbean islands where traffic drives on the left, such as the British Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, most passenger cars are LHD, being imported from the United States. Only government cars and those imported from Asia are RHD. The US Virgin Islands are particularly known for having a high accident rate caused by American tourists unfamilar with driving on the left in their rental cars - the confusion from which is obviously compounded by using a LHD vehicle.

Related Topics:
Caribbean - British Virgin Islands - Cayman Islands - Bahamas - Turks and Caicos Islands - United States

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Hong Kong and Macau

Under the auspices of the one country, two systems arrangement, traffic continues to move on the left in Hong Kong and Macau, now Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China, unlike in the mainland. Most vehicles are RHD and even suppliers for the People's Liberation Army have specially made RHD version vehicles for the garrison to drive in Hong Kong and Macau. LHD exceptions include some buses providing services to and from the mainland.

Related Topics:
One country, two systems - Hong Kong - Macau - Special Administrative Region - People's Republic of China - Mainland - People's Liberation Army

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Cross-border roadways are designed to make traffic enter from and exit to the "correct" side of the road. Vehicles registered in Hong Kong and Macau are required to have a special number plate issued by the authorities in Guangdong province to drive legally on the mainland.

Related Topics:
Hong Kong - Macau - Guangdong

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Japan

In Japan, foreign brands of car sold locally have traditionally been LHD, which is regarded as exotic or a status symbol. This even applies to British brands (although cars for the British market have the steering wheel on the right), in part because many have been imported via the US. However, some US manufacturers have made RHD models for the Japanese market, though with limited success; and as continental European brands become more popular, the preference is increasingly for RHD models.

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Myanmar (Burma)

As a former British colony, cars in Myanmar (formerly Burma) drove on the left side until 1970, when the military administration of Ne Win decreed that traffic would drive on the right side of the road. It is alleged that this was because Ne Win had been advised by his soothsayer, who had said "move to the right", although this was in fact a reference to economic policy. In spite of the change, most passenger cars in the country today are RHD, being second-hand vehicles imported from Japan, Thailand, and Singapore. However, government limousines, imported from China, are LHD. Virtually all vehicles are driven with a passenger in place to watch the oncoming traffic and inform the driver as to whether it is safe to overtake or not, as the driver cannot see this from his RHD position.

Related Topics:
Myanmar - Burma - 1970 - Ne Win - Japan - Thailand - Singapore - China

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Gibraltar

Although the British territory of Gibraltar changed to driving on the right in 1929, in order to avoid accidents involving vehicles from Spain, some public buses until recently were RHD, with a special door allowing passengers to enter on the right hand side. However, most passenger cars are LHD, as in Spain, with the exception of second-hand cars brought in from the UK and Japan and some vehicles used by the British forces.

Related Topics:
Gibraltar - 1929 - Spain - UK - Japan

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Russian Federation

Although driving is on the right everywhere in Russia, cheaper grey import cars from Japan are more popular than LHD cars of the same class. Russia is estimated to have more than 1.5 million RHD vehicles on its roads. In the far eastern regions, such as Vladivostok or Khabarovsk, RHD vehicles make up to 90% of the total. This includes not only private cars, but also police cars, ambulances, and many other municipal and governmental vehicles as well.

Related Topics:
Russia - Grey import - Japan - Vladivostok - Khabarovsk

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Considering that RHD vehicles by far outnumber the LHD ones (better suited to the rules) on the Pacific side of Russia, drivers in those regions have made multiple proposals about switching the sides of the road. However, they were denied by Russian government. During spring 2005, the rumour that RHD vehicles would be completely banned from the roads drove thousands of protestors to the streets everywhere in the country. On 4 July 2005 Russian minister of industry and energy Viktor Khristenko announced that RHD vehicles would be allowed on the roads but would have to conform to all Russian traffic safety requirements.

Related Topics:
4 July - 2005 - Viktor Khristenko

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United Kingdom

• Vehicles within United States visiting forces bases in the UK drive on the left, even though the US does not provide specific right-hand drive vehicles for their military fleet. But their white fleet does have right-hand drive vehicles. This is unlike British practice in Germany where even UK green fleet vehicles for British Forces Germany have been left-hand drive.
• On some British Army training locations, where the army once trained for conflict in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, traffic is meant to travel on the right. Most military bases in the UK though have the normal rule of driving on the left.
• There are several locations in the UK where traffic passes other traffic coming in the opposite direction on the left hand side, but most locations are separated by a barrier (such as on the south side of Portman Square in London). Outside the Savoy Hotel, among other places, however, there is no barrier.