What to do when your leader decides to switch what side of the road you drive on in your country? For some, protests are in order. The pros and cons: By switching to the left, Samoa (not American Samoa, but just plain Samoa) aligns itself with Australia and New Zealand driving practices and makes it easier to acquire vehicles from relatives overseas. But that also means that demand for vehicles designed for driving on the right will plummet, making owners of those cars--often shipped to the island nation at great expense--unable to sell them. But the biggest con of all is that people are simply not going to follow the new rules consistently, and Samoa's already dangerous roads are going to turn deadly.
One recent Sunday morning, a bus was seen barreling down the right side of the road in the training area, the driver apparently oblivious to the fact that it was the wrong side. After nearly running head-on into a sport-utility vehicle, the bus driver swerved then returned to the wrong side of the road and chugged on.
Signs will only go so far, I'm guessing. I wish them luck in the change. They're going to need it.
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