It’s easy to take for granted which side of the road we drive on. Today, most of Europe drives on the right, with only the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, and Cyprus maintaining left-hand traffic. But a century ago, the map looked quite different.
A Divided Continent
In 1922, Europe was deeply divided on this seemingly simple question. Following the upheaval of World War I and the redrawing of many borders, the continent featured a patchwork of driving practices that would confuse any modern motorist.
As seen on the map, most of Europe drove on the right (marked in red), with a few countries like Spain and Italy implementing both driving directions (in purple). However, countries like Ireland, United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and Cyprus drive on the left (in blue).
The Great Switch
The most dramatic changes occurred during the mid-20th century. Austria switched to right-hand driving in 1938 following the Anschluss with Nazi Germany. Czechoslovakia and Hungary changed in 1939 as German influence spread across Central Europe.
Sweden made its famous “Dagen H” (H-Day) switch in 1967, when at precisely 5:00 AM on September 3rd, all traffic simultaneously changed from left to right-hand driving. This remains one of the most well-organized traffic changes in history.
Interesting Exceptions
Portugal had already switched to right-side driving in 1928, while Spain had been driving on the right since the 18th century.
The most surprising left-to-right conversion was Italy’s gradual transition. While cities like Rome and Milan drove on the right by 1922, many rural areas and former Austrian territories in northern Italy maintained left-hand traffic until standardization in the 1920s.
Eastern European countries generally followed the Soviet model of right-hand driving after World War II, cementing the continent’s current configuration.
Today’s Landscape
Today, the four European holdouts (UK, Ireland, Malta, and Cyprus) represent islands of left-hand driving in a right-hand continent – both literally and figuratively. Their resistance to change stems from a combination of tradition, infrastructure costs, and geographical separation that limits cross-border traffic confusion.
This evolution reveals how practical concerns, political influence, and continental standardization gradually shaped European driving patterns over the last century – transforming what was once a chaotic mix into today’s more uniform system.
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