Have you ever wondered when we started driving in the right lane in Ghana? Let us look at when Ghana changed driving from left to right. It is an amazing historic event that we have to take a look at.
In Ghana, we always drive in the right lane. This means whether you are driving a left or right-hand car, you must always drive in the right lane. That is not how it has always been.
Driving orientation has been part of the history of many countries. Some countries even take this as part of their identity. For decades, Ghana was known for driving on the left-hand side of the road, a legacy of its British colonial past. However, in recent years, the country has undergone a significant transformation, including a switch to right-hand driving. This shift was a complex and challenging process that had wide-ranging impacts on Ghanaian society. From road safety to the economy, you just name it.
In this article, we will explore the history of driving orientation in Ghana, why and how the switch was made, the challenges and consequences of the change, and how Ghana’s experience compares to other countries that have undergone similar shifts.
The switch from left-hand driving to right-hand driving in Ghana
In the current world, the majority of the countries in the world drive in the right lane. It is believed that only about 76 countries in the world drive in the left lane. Great Britain who is the colonial master of Ghana to date still drives on the left lane.
You might also want to read about how All Wheel Drive Work.
Due to colonialism, Ghana adopted the left lane driving. However, at a point in time, there was a switch and this switch has been one of the major changes to happen on our highways. Ghana switched from driving on the left lane to driving on the right lane.
Ghana switched to driving on the right lane on the 4th of August 1974 at exactly 6:00 am. Even though the switch was properly implemented, it was difficult for most Ghanaian drivers to adopt the new way of driving.
What was the reason for the switch?
The major reason for the driving orientation switch is to align with our neighboring countries. Ghana is surrounded by Francophone countries that drive in the right lane. This also made it difficult for the neighboring countries’ drivers to adjust when trading in Ghana.
To improve the quality of transportation by road from our neighboring countries, the lane was switched to align with the other countries.
Challenges after the switch
Switching from the left lane driving to the right lane driving in a single day might sound like it will cause more harm to road users. Of course, it did impact drivers negatively but the positive impact was more than the negative.
Negative impacts
- One of the negative impacts it had was minor accidents which were the result of some drivers getting confused over the new lane orientation.
- Another impact is the slow movement of vehicles since drivers are extra careful not to break the rules.
Positive impacts
If you want to know about the positive impacts, then there are a lot of positive impacts to count from the switch.
- The fact that drivers were extra careful when driving reduced the number of serious accidents significantly.
- Neighboring country drivers were able to navigate our roads easily without the need to adjust.
There are so many impacts from the lane switch but these are just a few.
Other countries that changed driving from left to right
Ghana is not the only country that made the decision to switch driving orientation. There are other countries that also took the initiative to switch driving orientation.
Nigeria was one of the countries that switched driving orientation. The country switched from the left lane to the right lane driving in 1972. That is close to two years before Ghana switched.
Other Sub-Saharan African countries including The Gambia, Siera Leone, and Rwanda all made similar switches.
FAQs
These are questions people frequently ask about this topic. If you have any other questions that have not been answered, here, kindly leave them in the comment box below.
The switch was primarily motivated by economic reasons, as most vehicles in Ghana were designed for right-hand driving, which made importing and maintaining them more expensive.
Additionally, many neighboring countries already drove on the right, which created difficulties for cross-border transportation.
Ghana switched to driving on the right lane on the 4th of August 1974 at exactly 6:00 am. Even though the switch was properly implemented, it was difficult for most Ghanaian drivers to adopt the new way of driving.
Yes, the switch helped to align Ghana’s driving orientation with many other countries in the region, which facilitated cross-border transportation and trade.
Additionally, it also reduced the cost of importing and maintaining vehicles and improved road safety in some areas.