Why Did Samoa Switch To Driving On The Left In 2009? It Came Down To Cheap Used Cars

On September 7, 2009, Samoa, an island nation in the middle of the Pacific, switched which side of the road its citizens drive on. At the time, it was the first country to do such a thing in more than 30 years, swapping from the right side to the left side. The reason behind the switch, however, may be the most interesting part of the whole saga, because it had to do with importing affordable used cars.

It all comes down to the fact that, at the time, there were about 170,000 Samoan expats living in Australia and New Zealand. For reference, Samoa is home to about 214,900 people today, but at the time of the switch, its population stood at approximately 180,000. Likely due to the fact that Australia and New Zealand are geographically closer to Samoa than America is, it's less expensive to import cars from these countries. And with Australia and New Zealand being left-side driving nations, the cars imported from these countries are, naturally, right-hand-drive (RHD). Samoan immigrants living in those two countries often send cars home to family back in Samoa, and having the two regions line up as to which side of the road they drive on would obviously make that whole situation easier. 

The cars our readers want to import often include RHD models. While importing RHD vehicles may be a fun, almost aspirational thing for Jalopnik readers and car enthusiasts, for most people, it's just a pain — some of you even considered operating these models to be some of your most out-of-depth driving experiences.

Despite all that, the switch came with its fair share of controversy — the announcement two years prior was met with peaceful protests and even a challenge in the country's Supreme Court over safety concerns. In an effort to make sure the switch went as smoothly as possible, the government banned alcohol sales for three days prior to the swap and instituted a temporary, two-day public holiday.

When the day came, however, the change went well. Over a national radio broadcast at 6 a.m., the police minister ordered all drivers to stop their cars, and a few minutes later, the prime minister told them all to switch sides. Reportedly, there was some hesitation, but with the help of police on the ground, drivers went on with their day without major issues, and the island of Samoa has been driving on the left side of the road for the past 17 years.