>>>>http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26045590-2703,00.html
>>>>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8243110.stm
>>>>
>>>>(It was kind-of fun to watch the drivers make the switch on some of the news programs today :o)
>>>>
>>>>Wow. Now that is bravery :o) It really would be nice if all countries used the same - drive on the left or right - either as long as it was universal.
>>>
>>>I think it would be more interesting if they compromised - say, have everyone whose last name began with A-M drive on the right and everyone N-Z on the left. To keep it fair, once a week they could switch.
>>
>>In 1967 Sweden switched from left side driving to driving on the right side.The joke then was that they should let the trucks start one week earlier.
>>
>>Actually the first driver to be caught driving on the wrong side, was a Norwegian. In Sweden the switch had been announced heavily, but they somehow forgot to ask other countries to also inform about the switch.
>>
>>The switch was very expensive, since they had to replace all the buses, and all road signs also had to be replaced. At that time they had very few roundabouts in Sweden, but the few they had, had to be redesigned. From midnight until 06:00 AM no driving was allowed, except ambulances, fire fighters and the police, plus the people who had to replace all the road signs during the night..
>>
>>Although I was only 13 at that time, I remember it very well. You can read more about the switch here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,941144,00.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagen_H
>
>Do you know why the switch was made? It seems like a lot of trouble and expense to go to.

The government made the change to bring Samoa in line with Australia and New Zealand, where some 170,000 expatriate Samoans live and from where it is cheaper to import cars than from right-side driving countries in Europe, and the United States.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gHv9dCCKAr79WLVGpt2eyB2NJoFQD9AJ1S700

Maybe tomorrow the NYTimes will cover the story and you can read all about it :o)