Driving in Samoa

In Samoa they drive on the opposite side of the road--the left side-- like Europeans. Last week when we first got our rental car in Apia, Samoa, Maril only got confused twice. On our first right hand turn, we ended up going head to head with an oncoming truck. Good thing the speed limit is 25 mph in town and everyone's brakes worked. On his first left hand turn he made the same mistake, but his co-pilot quickly corrected him.
It is pretty interesting that Samoans drove on the right side of the road up until they switched directions one day in 2009.
Wikipedia explains, "A plan to move to driving on the left was first announced by the Samoan government in September 2007. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi said that the purpose of adopting left-hand traffic was to allow Samoans to use cheaper right-hand-drive vehicles sourced from Australia, New Zealand or Japan, and so that the large number of Samoans living in Australasia could drive on the same side of the road when they visited their country of origin. He aimed to reduce reliance on expensive, left-hand-drive imports from America..... at that time, 14,000 of Samoa's 18,000 vehicles were designed for right-hand driving."
Can you imagine the chaos that we would experience here in America if the government decided to switch us over to the left? The Samoans figured it out though, and had a pretty smooth transition. The speed limit in Samoa is 25 mph in town and 35 mph outside of town--which helps--especially since American Samoa still drives on the right. The islands are so spectacular that you really don't mind driving slow. We Bring the Islands To You!  #SamoanStrength