Imagine waking up one morning to find that the entire way you drive has changed overnight. That’s exactly what happened in Sweden on September 3, 1967, a day fondly known as Dagen H (H Day). It was the day the Swedes swapped sides, moving from driving on the left-hand side of the road to the right—a decision that was bold, a bit chaotic, but ultimately brilliant.
Sweden had been driving on the left side of the road for as long as anyone could remember, much like the Brits. But there was a hitch—Sweden’s neighbors, Norway and Finland, were all driving on the right. This caused no end of headaches, especially at the borders. And here’s the kicker: even though Swedes were driving on the left, most of them owned cars with the steering wheel on the left, too, which is designed for right-hand driving. This mismatch wasn’t just inconvenient; it was downright dangerous. Narrow roads meant that head-on collisions were all too common.
As more and more cars hit the road—going from half a million in the 1950s to an expected 2.8 million by the mid-1970s—the need for change became crystal clear. Something had to be done to cut down on accidents and make driving safer.
Even though a whopping 83 percent of Swedes voted against the switch in a 1955 referendum, the government decided to proceed with the change anyway, putting safety first. Enter the Statens Högertrafikkommission (try saying that three times fast!)—the state commission tasked with making the switch happen.
Planning for Dagen H was no small feat. It took four years of meticulous preparation, with experts, including psychologists, to help ease the nation into the idea. The goal? To make sure that on the big day, everyone knew what they were doing.
When the day finally arrived, Sweden was buzzing with activity. At the crack of dawn, workers were out on the streets, tearing down old signs and unveiling new ones, swapping road markings from yellow to white, and giving everything a fresh new look. Stockholm alone had to update around 20,000 signs! Cars had to be tweaked with new headlights that suited right-hand driving.
As you might expect, the switch didn’t go off without a few bumps in the road. The first few hours were a bit chaotic as drivers got used to the new system. But in the end, the changeover was a huge success. Not only did the number of accidents drop dramatically, but the roads became safer and easier to navigate as more and more vehicles hit the streets.
Looking back, Dagen H was a massive undertaking, but one that paid off. Sweden’s roads are safer, and the country showed the world that it’s possible to pull off a major transformation with careful planning and a little bit of guts.
So, next time you’re driving along, and everything’s running smoothly, spare a thought for the Swedes who one day had to completely flip the way they drove—and did it with style.
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