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Shifting the Right of Way to the Left Leaves Some Samoans Feeling Wronged

Government Calls Traffic-Rule Switch 'Common Sense,' but It Sparks Road Rage

The tiny island nation in the South Pacific on September 7 become what experts believe to be the first country since the 1970s to change the direction in which cars drive. It's the biggest news to hit Samoa in years and is causing waves.
By Patrick Barta

APIA, Samoa -- Sometime in the early morning hours of Sept. 7, residents of this small Pacific island nation will stop their cars, take a deep breath, and do something most people would think is suicidal: Start driving on the other side of the road.

Samoa is about to become what's believed to be the first nation since the 1970s to order its drivers to switch from one side of the road to the other. That's spawned an islandwide case of road rage. Opponents have organized two of the biggest protests in Samoan history, and a new activist group -- People Against Switching Sides, or PASS -- has geared up to fight the plan.

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This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.