The real history of why Malaysians drive on the left side of the road

Have you ever wondered why we drive on the left side of the road here in Malaysia, while motorists in many other countries (roughly 75% of the world) drive on the right side?

It’s pretty common knowledge that Malaysians drive on the left side of the road thanks to systems set in place during the British colonial era. The British have always driven on the left side, and it makes sense that we do as well since we were once a British colony.

From this map, you can see that a majority of the world drives on the right side of the road, and the countries that drive on the left were British colonies in the past. Image: Tayaria

But when and why exactly did the British start driving on the left?

To answer this, we need to go back to the ancient past, when horseback riding was a more common mode of transport before metal cages with wheels that ran on petrol were invented.

Long before cars existed, people travelled on horses, and the idea is that since most people were right-handed, riding or walking on the left side of the road made the most practical sense.

Image: NightCafe

For one, Roman soldiers on horses would ride on the left side of the road or path in case they needed to draw their swords with their right hand when being attacked. On top of that, since their swords are usually hung on their left hip, it’s easier to mount the horse from the left, so it doesn’t get in the way.

How did Malaysia end up driving on the left side?

Since travelling on the left side was a common thing throughout the medieval ages of Europe, when the British took over the Malaysian peninsula and “introduced” their ways to the Malayan people, it included left-side travelling as well.

During colonial rule in Malaya, the British built roads, introduced vehicles, established traffic laws, and enforced left-side driving.

By the time Malaysia gained independence in 1957, the entire road system — from signage to vehicle design — was already left-oriented and changing it would have been confusing, expensive, and potentially dangerous since everyone was already used to driving on the left.

Imagine if, at the time, when most people were already used to driving on the left, the government had decided to adopt right-side driving when most cars in the country were left-driven. Today, in 2026, switching to right-side driving would make zero sense.

We’re not alone, though. There are many other countries in the left-side-of-the-road club, including: Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, India and South Africa.

While all these countries have one thing in common, which is British colonisation, the reason why Japan drives on the left side is pretty unique.

The Japanese drive on the left side because in the 19th century, they hired British engineers to build their railway systems. British trains ran on the left, so when cars became common later on, Japan just mirrored the railway systems for its roads.

So why does the rest of the world drive on the right side?

In Europe’s case, we can blame former French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who deliberately switched to right-side travel during the French Revolution, as it was seen as more “egalitarian” and as a symbolic rejection of aristocratic traditions.

As he expanded his empire across Europe, he enforced right-side driving in the territories he conquered, including Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. When cars eventually entered the picture, the practice became permanent.

Meanwhile, the United States of America also drives on the right, but not because of Napoleon.

Early American wagons were massive, so they had to be pulled by multiple horses. Drivers sat on the left rear horse, using their right hand to whip the team of horses, which made it easier to stay on the right side of the road while being able to see oncoming traffic on the left.

Later, add Henry Ford to the mix, and they got the Model T, America’s first mass-produced affordable car, which was designed with left-hand steering and right-side driving in mind.

Why don’t all countries just switch sides?

Some actually have, and it was utter chaos.

Let’s use Sweden as an example. The Scandinavian country switched from left to right on 3 September 1967 during an event known as Dagen H. During this crazy time, the Swedish government had to change every road sign, rebuild intersections, re-educate drivers and temporarily ban most vehicles.

Kungsgatan, Stockholm, on 3 September 1967, during the night, Sweden changed from left-side driving to right. Image: Wikipedia

On the day, all traffic had to halt for ten minutes at 4.50 am throughout Sweden’s 60,000 miles (96,560km) of roads. Thousands of soldiers, civil police, school police and volunteers were on duty throughout Sweden while an army of construction workers laboured through the night to make the final alterations to 350,000 street signs.

Sweden did this simply to align with its neighbours, Norway and Finland, to improve cross-border safety, especially since 90% of Swedish cars already had left-hand steering, making overtaking on the left dangerous.

So, as you can imagine, getting a whole country to switch from driving on the left side to the right side is going to be a logistical nightmare.

Good thing Thailand already drives on the left like we do!

How does being a left-side driving country impact Malaysian drivers?

From a practical point of view, you will need a right-hand steering vehicle as those are made specifically for driving on the left side of the road. The control stalks on right-hand drive cars are also different from left-hand drive cars, with the turn signal stalk being on the right and the windshield wiper controls on the left.

Left-steering cars are allowed in Malaysia, but there are strict regulations on them. For one, you would usually have to get them imported into the country, which would cost more than just getting a normal car that’s readily available here.

Such vehicles often require a special permit (Approved Permit) and must display a sticker at the rear that says “Caution: Left-Hand Drive” to warn other drivers of the different blind spots.

Driving a left-hand drive car in Malaysia is not encouraged, as much of the country’s infrastructure, such as terminals at toll gates and parking lots are designed for drivers sitting on the right side of the car.