WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

APIA, Samoa -- Sometime in the early morning hours of Sept. 7, residents of this small Pacific island nation will stop their cars, take a deep breath, and do something most people would think is suicidal: Start driving on the other side of the road.

(Thanks to CJrun)

In Miami, they added two toll-only express lanes on I-95 a while back. You didn't have to change directions or anything; you just had to grasp the concept that the two left lanes were express toll lanes. They announced this months ahead of time. There were signs everywhere.

There was carnage. 

Comments

[Not My Usual Alias]

I thought randomly changing sides of the road was S.O.P. in Florida. What's the big deal?

[bonmot]

"It could also help more people escape tsunamis, says Mr. Tuilaepa."

Wha . . .?

[Punkin]

They did that here (here being NH) last year. Every day I head straight for the Fast Lane and every day some idiot doesn't read the sign until the last possible second and swerves across 4 lanes of traffic.

And then there are the tourons (tourist morons) who pull up, realize there is no one there to take their cash, and w/o a transponder the gate won't go up - so they try to BACK UP!!!!

*need coffee.....and Xanex™*

[Jeff Meyerson]

Miami Carnage WBAGNFA Jerry Bruckheimer movie.

On second thought, it probably already is one.

[Mitch]

A formerly gated, conservative neighborhood in Victoria B.C. attempted to defy the Canadian lane change years ago. In their neighborhood only, they voted to continue English road customs. After a couple of head-on collisions they reconsidered their decision and joined the rest of the country.

[oneblankspace]

A few years ago, Samoa changed their name from Western Samoa, leaving no independent nation-state in the world whose name begins with W.

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From what I have heard from a Jamaican colleague, driving in the Virgin Islands is shoulder-to-shoulder: the driver's shoulder on the shoulder side of the road.

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Why do most Europeans drive on the right? It all dates back to the French Revolution, when they wanted to change everything. « You drive on ze left ? Non ! you will drive on ze right. You have a sevain day week ? Non ! you will have a ten day week. » (The USAmericans had a better reason for driving on the right.)

[Mot the Hoople]

It's taken them long enough to come to their senses.

Many of the cars sold in Aus and NZ are built in South Africa. Japan and most of the Far East also drive on the left.

[dolphan72]

And here all this time I thought it was so I wouldn't have to try to shift gears left handed!

[KJP]

I can only wonder how the drivers of Florida would cope with Macao's Lotus Bridge.

[mazarlarry]

"It could also help more people escape tsunamis, says Mr. Tuilaepa."

The editor could have made it easier for bonmot to grasp, had the sentence been more clearly linked to the previous one about more people having access to cars.

BTW Residents of Afghanistan routinely buy left drive junkers from Asia and drive on the right side of the road (if there is a road, and it has two lanes.)

[nursecindy]

I'm also wondering how it would help people escape tsunami's. This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. I also like the description they gave of the Prime Minister. Wavy whitening hair and flip flops.

[Wvplantman]

Now the other half of siamese twins will get to drive.

[GoHskrs]

@Wvplantman: That was the comment of the decade. 8^)

[CJrun]

Wvplantman, now THAT'S a comment!

Are you a WY plant man? Guessing you specialize in herbs (no trees, except for the Tetons, that I can recall).

[Wvplantman]

Thanks CJ, and no, not in WY. Born in WV but live in Miami. We suppy starter plants to wholesale ornamental nurseries.

Been to the Tetons though a number of times. Gran Targhee specifically, which is a unique place in that it is in Wyoming, but you can only get there from Idaho.