The countries in the world in general follow two types of broad rules for driving during bidirectional traffic. They either drive on the left side of the road, or on the right side of the road, to avoid collisions. Fewer countries follow the left-hand traffic rule, while the majority of the countries follow right-hand traffic rule. Currently, only about 30% of the world's countries and territories implement left-hand traffic (LHT) (marked blue on map above), which accounts for about a sixth of the world's area, 35% of its population and 25% of its roads.
The Kingdom of Eswatini, formerly and still commonly known in English as Swaziland, is one of the 14 countries in Africa that follows the LHT rule. LHT or left-hand traffic is the practice of keeping to the left side of the road, in two way traffic. In countries where one drives on the left-hand side of the road, the cars are built so that the driver sits on the right-hand side of the car. The steering wheels of these cars are located on the right-hand side, and they are known as right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles. People go around the roundabouts in the clockwise direction in such countries.
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History of LHT
Well before cars were invented, all traffic used to follow the left-hand traffic rule. As most people were right-handed, they found it easier to mount their horses from the left. It made sense to climb from the side of the road rather than from the middle, hence they chose the left-hand rule. At the same time, the right hand would be free for greetings or for defense (by holding a sword).
However, when Napoleon came to power, he began changing the left-hand rule to right-hand to suit his own requirements. As he was left-handed, he preferred to stay on the right side of the road with his sword in his left-hand, ready for attack or defense. So he introduced the right-hand system in countries or territories he conquered.
The French Revolution also contributed to popularizing the right-hand rule. The farmers in France were previously forced to travel on the right side of the road while the aristocrat travelled on the left side. Post the revolution, travelling on the right side became a symbol of freedom that quickly spread to other European countries.
However, the United Kingdom was not affected by this change, being an isolated island nation, just like other island nations, such as Japan and Indonesia.
During colonization, Britain introduced LHT to the Cape Colony (now Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa), Rhodesia, and the East Africa Protectorate (now Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda). Since Eswatini was formerly a British protectorate, LHT became prevalent here too.
Presently, about 41 countries and territories in Africa follow right-hand traffic (RHT), while only 14 African countries and territories practice left-hand traffic (LHT).
Here is a list of countries for both RHT and LHT in Africa.
Countries that follow RHT in Africa:
1 Algeria
2 Angola
3 Benin
4 Burkina Faso
5 Burundi
6 Cameroon
7 Cape Verde
8 Central African Republic
9 Chad
10 Comoros
11 Côte D'Ivoire
12 Democratic Republic Of Congo
13 Djibouti
14 Egypt
15 Equatorial Guinea
16 Eritrea
17 Ethiopia
18 Gabon
19 Gambia
20 Ghana
21 Guinea
22 Guinea-Bissau
23 Liberia
24 Libya
25 Madagascar
26 Mali
27 Mauritania
28 Morocco
29 Niger
30 Nigeria
31 Republic Of Congo
32 Rwanda
33 Senegal
34 Sierra Leone
35 Somalia
36 South Sudan
37 Sudan
38 São Tomé And Príncipe
39 Togo
40 Tunisia
41 Western Sahara
Countries that follow LHT in Africa:
1 Botswana
2 Eswatini (Swaziland)
3 Kenya
4 Lesotho
5 Malawi
6 Mauritius
7 Mozambique
8 Namibia
9 Seychelles
10 South Africa
11 Tanzania
12 Uganda
13 Zambia
14 Zimbabwe
