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03.09.

1967: H Day: The Swedes Switch the Side of the Road they Drive on Overnight

1967: H Day: The Swedes Switch the Side of the Road they Drive on Overnight
Photo Credit To Wikipedia Commons

Story Highlights

  • Historical event:
  • 3 September 1967
  • The change was carried out in the early morning hours of this day in 1967. It was issued that all vehicles had to stop at 4:50 AM, and switch the side of the road they were driving on.

This day in 1967 was an important event in Swedish history, and was marked as H Day (the “H” stands for “Högertrafik”, the Swedish word for “right-hand traffic”).



One of the arguments for the mentioned change was the fact that all Sweden’s immediate neighbors drove on the right side, and Swedish citizens mostly owned left-hand drive vehicles, which were dangerous, especially during overtaking (the judgment of drivers was questionable).

The change was carried out in the early morning hours of this day. It was issued that all vehicles had to stop at 4:50 AM, and switch the side of the road they were driving on.

At 5:00, drivers were allowed to drive on the right side. There were no deadly accidents, and it is interesting to note that the total number of traffic accidents was actually reduced.

Today, drivers in many countries drive on the right side. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta are exceptions among the European countries, but there are also many countries where people drive on the left side: Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jamaica, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand, Kenya, and Malaysia.




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