Ever been to London, stepped off the curb, and nearly gotten flattened because you looked the wrong way? Yeah, you aren't alone. It’s a classic traveler’s rite of passage. Most of the world—about 65 percent—sticks to the right side of the road. But the other 35 percent? They’re living the "keep left" life.
Honestly, it feels weird if you’ve spent your whole life driving on the right. You find yourself reaching for a gear stick that isn't there or accidentally turning your windshield wipers on when you meant to use the blinker. It's a mess. But this isn't just some random quirk. There is a massive list of left driving countries out there, and the history behind why they do it is actually kind of wild.
The Global List of Left Driving Countries
If you're planning a road trip, you need to know where you’ll be sitting on the "wrong" side of the car. It’s not just the UK. We are talking about roughly 75 countries and territories.
Europe: The Island Holdouts
Europe is almost entirely a right-side driving continent, thanks to Napoleon (we’ll get to him in a bit). But a few spots didn't get the memo—mostly islands.
- United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Guernsey and Jersey (The Channel Islands)
- Malta
- Cyprus
Africa: The Southern Hub
A huge chunk of Southern and Eastern Africa drives on the left. This is mostly a relic of the British Empire.
- South Africa
- Kenya
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia and Zimbabwe
- Botswana
- Namibia (They stayed left even after German influence)
- Mauritius and Seychelles
Asia: Big Players and Surprises
This is where the numbers get huge. Think about the population of India alone.
- India
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
- Japan (Fun fact: They were never a British colony, but they still drive on the left!)
- Thailand
- Indonesia
- Malaysia and Singapore
- Sri Lanka
- Hong Kong and Macau (Even though mainland China drives on the right)
Oceania: The Left is King
Down Under, it’s left or nothing.
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Fiji
- Papua New Guinea
- Samoa (Actually switched to the left in 2009 to buy cheaper cars from Australia!)
The Americas: The Rare Exceptions
In the Americas, driving on the left is pretty rare, limited mostly to the Caribbean and a couple of spots in South America.
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- Jamaica
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Guyana
- Suriname
- U.S. Virgin Islands (The only part of the U.S. that drives on the left!)
Why Japan Drives on the Left (It Wasn't the British)
Most people assume every country on the list of left driving countries was once a British colony. That's a logical guess, but Japan breaks the rule. Japan was never part of the British Empire.
So, why the left? It goes back to the Samurai.
Samurai wore their swords on the left side so they could draw them quickly with their right hand. If two Samurai passed each other on the right, their scabbards might clank together. In Samurai culture, that was basically a "fight me" invitation. To avoid accidental duels, everyone just walked on the left.
When Japan started building its first railway in the late 1800s, they asked for help from—you guessed it—the British. Since British trains ran on the left, the Japanese railway followed suit. By the time cars arrived, the "keep left" habit was already baked into the infrastructure.
The Napoleon Effect: How the Right Won
If the left side was the "natural" way for sword-wielding knights and Samurai, how did the right side become the global standard?
You can blame (or thank) Napoleon Bonaparte.
Before the French Revolution, the aristocracy in France drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasants to the right. After the revolution, driving on the right became a symbol of "the people." Napoleon then enforced right-hand traffic in every country he conquered—Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Spain.
The British, being the British, refused to follow Napoleon's lead. They stayed left just to be different. That stubbornness exported the "keep left" rule to every corner of the British Empire, from the Caribbean to the South Pacific.
The Great Switch: Sweden’s Dagen H
Imagine waking up on a Sunday morning and suddenly being told you have to drive on the opposite side of the road.
That happened in Sweden on September 3, 1967. It’s known as Dagen H (Högertrafikomläggningen).
Sweden was the last country in continental Europe to drive on the left. All their neighbors—Norway, Finland—drove on the right. This caused massive accidents at the borders. The government decided to switch. They spent years preparing, changing every road sign and reconfiguring bus stops.
At 4:50 AM that morning, all traffic had to stop. At 5:00 AM, they carefully crossed over to the right side and started driving again. Surprisingly, there weren't many crashes that day because everyone was way too terrified to speed.
Tips for Driving on the Left for the First Time
If you’re heading to a country on the list of left driving countries, don’t panic. You’ll adjust faster than you think.
- The "Hugging the Curb" Rule: If you're a right-side driver, your brain will naturally want to drift toward the center of the road. Remind yourself to "hug the curb."
- Follow the Leader: The easiest way to drive on the left is to just follow the car in front of you. If they turn, you turn.
- Roundabouts are the Boss: In places like the UK or Australia, roundabouts go clockwise. This is the hardest part to get used to. Give way to the right!
- Pedestrian Safety: This is actually more dangerous than driving. You’ve spent your life looking left-right-left. In London or Tokyo, you need to look right-left-right. Many cities actually paint "LOOK RIGHT" on the pavement because so many tourists get hit.
What to Do Next
If you're planning a trip to a left-driving nation, check if your current driver's license is valid there or if you need an International Driving Permit (IDP). Most rental agencies in the UK, Australia, and Japan will require one if your license isn't in English (or Japanese).
Also, if you're renting a car, try to book an automatic transmission. Shifting gears with your left hand while trying to stay on the left side of the road is an unnecessary level of stress. Stick to the automatic and focus on the road.