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72% of the world's countries drives on the right side, including mainland Europe, and USA/Canada. Why don't the UK consider switching to right side traffic? It makes more sense, much less confusing, safer and much better.
Sweden (a country larger than the UK in size) switched it in the 1967, and they managed fine.
I don't see how it's safer. The driver's side in the car is swapped to match traffic - what's not safe is having the driver's side on the left of the car but driving on the left side of the road (or vice versa) like it is in St Thomas.
It might be cheaper for car companies to not have to specially make cars for the UK but to switch it now would be so expensive and UNsafe until everyone switched over, it's not worth it. People who can't afford to just instantly trade in their car for a brand new one will have to drive on the right side of the road with a car that has the driver's side still on the right - which, like I say, it very unsafe. Meanwhile, you'll have loads of people not used to driving on the right, probably causing more accidents. It would be a nightmare.
I don't know where you got the idea that Sweden is bigger than the UK - geographically, that's true but the UK has a much bigger population and much higher population density too which means more cars on the streets, packed into a smaller space. Making such a huge change is not as feasible as it would have been in Sweden, especially decades ago when Sweden's population was probably even lower than it is today.
Why don't we change? Because we assume that eventually the rest of the world will realise that you made a mistake and will do the proper thing and come in to line with the British.
Because we don't need to. Anyway its more conveniant driving on the left because your dominant hand has control of the steering wheel. My parents tell me it is very awkward driving on the right.
It makes more sense, much less confusing, safer and much better.
Actually it's not safer...
Humans are predominantly right eye dominant, which means the right eye can monitor oncoming traffic and the right side mirror when driving on the left in a right sided vehicle. Conversely when driving on the right in a left handed vehicle, the predominant eye is the weaker left eye used to monitor oncoming traffic and the left side mirror.
Then there are other vehicles to consider, all motorcycles have the kick stand on the left, so mounting can be performed easier kerbside (and easy means someone is more likely to do it). Horses are also traditionally mounted from the left side so again this can be performed from the kerb.
With manual gearbox when driving a right handed vehicle the left hand is responsible for gear changing, and the right (which is the more dominant hand) handles the bulk of steering duties (and I don't know many people who have crashed due to slow gear changes), and also simplifies the kinematics since the left foot is the clutch and left hand is the shifter (thus all gear changes are handled in the right brain hemisphere), in comparison to left handed vehicles where the left foot is the clutch and the right hand is the shifter (which requires right and left brain hemisphere coordination).
Countries like Sweden switched because they are located on a continent - the UK is an island and the only other nation it borders via land also drives on the left. There is absolutely no reason for us to drive on the right.
I'm sure the rest of the world will soon come to their senses and start changing over to the correct way of driving, which of course is on the left!! :-)
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