Switching to drive on the other side of the road
In the early hours of 3rd September 1967, the country of Sweden switched from driving on the left-hand side of the road, to the right.
12 years earlier, 83% of the population had voted against the switch in a referendum. The government thought better of popular opinion.
During the build up, every road junction had new sets of traffic signals put up and white lines painted, covered with black plastic and tape.
A media campaign was launched, involving branded milk cartons, ladies underwear, and even a contest to find the best song about the change. The winning entry was a song called Håll dig till höger, Svensson (‘Keep to the right, Svensson’) by the Telstars.
On the day, all traffic was instructed to stand still at 04:50, carefully move to the other side of the road, and then carry on at 05:00.
And they’ve been driving their sturdy Volvos on the right ever since.
