What Countries Drive on the Left Side of the Road?

History has shaped the world and the establishment of their government and respective laws. That’s why if you’ve traveled a lot, you will notice how there are many common laws despite the difference in geographical locations. You can trace this back to the country’s history and their colonizers.

At a time when major countries like England and Spain were still exploring the world and conquering lands, they were also establishing their laws there. Examples of former British colonies like South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, implement the common laws of their colonizers, the British Empire.

As mentioned, countries that have been colonized mostly base their laws on the rules of their previous colonizers. These laws may include road traffic rules, land, taxes, etc.

For example, the left-hand driving side law in the country. Here are some of the countries worldwide that drive on the left-hand traffic.

Africa

• Botswana
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Saint Helena
• Seychelles
• South Africa
• Swaziland
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

Asia

• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• Brunei
• Cocos (Keeling) Islands
• HongKong
• India
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Macau
• Malaysia
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Singapore
• Sri Lanka
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste

Caribbean

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Grenada
• Jamaica
• Maldives
• Saint Kitts and Nevis (officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis)
• Saint Lucia
• Trinidad and Tobago
• United States Virgin Islands

Europe

• Channel Islands (Guernsey & Jersey)
• Cyprus
• Ireland
• Isle of Man
• Jersey
• Malta
• Northern Ireland
• Scotland
• United Kingdom (UK)
• Wales

North America

• Anguilla
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Dominica
• Montserrat
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• U.S. Virgin Islands

Oceania

• Cook Islands
• Fiji
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Pitcairn Islands
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Tokelau
• Tonga
• Tuvalu

South America

• Guyana
• Suriname (Surinam)

With Britain’s influence back in history, there are a number of countries in Europe that practice the same driving laws. Countries such as Ireland, Malta, Britain, Cyprus, and several other European Countries drive on the left-hand side of the road.

However countries such as Russia, Netherlands, and Sweden, both practice the right-hand driving or drive on the right-hand traffic. In other words, the steering wheel is on the right arm including the driver’s seat.