Driving Side

Binary classification: "left" or "right". Based on national traffic regulations and road design standards. Extracted from REST Countries API car.side field. Determines which side of the road vehicles travel on, steering wheel position (opposite side), and traffic flow patterns.

Driving side is critical safety information for travelers renting cars or driving abroad. Wrong-side driving causes accidents, especially at intersections and roundabouts. Steering wheel position differs (left-hand traffic has right-side steering wheels). Countries with different practices require vehicle imports to be converted. Changing driving side is extremely rare and costly (Sweden 1967, Samoa 2009). Border crossings between different-side countries need special road designs.

Right-hand traffic (drive on right): ~75% of countries, ~65% of world population - All Americas: USA, Canada, all of Central/South America - Continental Europe: All EU countries, Russia, Turkey - Middle East: Most countries (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, Iran) - Asia: China, Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar (switched 1970) - Africa: Most countries (Ethiopia, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco) - Total: ~165 countries Left-hand traffic (drive on left): ~25% of countries, ~35% of world population - Former British colonies/influence: UK, Ireland, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, Guyana, Malta, Cyprus - Asia: Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, East Timor - Africa: Southern and East Africa (former British colonies) - Oceania: Most Pacific island nations - Total: ~75 countries Border crossings requiring side changes: - Thailand (left) ↔ Laos/Cambodia/Myanmar-partial (right) - Hong Kong/Macau (left) ↔ China (right) - special bridge designs - UK (left) ↔ France (right) via Channel Tunnel - traffic switches - Mozambique (left, former Portuguese colony that kept British neighbor influence) Historical changes: - Sweden "Dagen H" (1967): Switched from left to right (last Western European country to switch) - Samoa (2009): Switched from right to left (to import cheaper cars from Australia/New Zealand/Japan) - Myanmar (1970): British rule legacy, switched from left to right under military government - Okinawa, Japan (1978): Switched from right (US occupation) to left (Japan standard)

Coverage: 217 countries Update frequency: Static (changes extremely rare - last change Samoa 2009) Source: REST Countries API Limitations: Does not capture regional exceptions (some territories may differ from mainland). Does not indicate enforcement quality (some countries have poor adherence). Vehicle registration side (steering wheel position) may differ in border regions where imported vehicles common. Does not reflect safety infrastructure quality (lane markings, signage, roundabout design). Changing sides is politically and economically challenging - requires replacing all road signs, retraining drivers, modifying intersections, and potentially replacing vehicle fleet.