The joys of driving and crossing the roads in Myanmar

Myanmar was governed by the British for over a century, therefore it acquired some of their customs and traditions. One of these is driving style. Early cars drove on the left, just like their old colonial overlords. The great majority of other countries drive on the right side of the road. Then, almost as abruptly as the capital was relocated to Naypyidaw, the government decided on one day in 1970 that all automobiles would drive on the opposite side of the road. So the driving is now on the right.

In principle, this may not seem like such a huge problem when you consider that this development occurred 40 years ago. However, it is an issue in practice. Older cars and roads were built to be driven on the left. Some bus stops are also located on the left side of the road. Because automobiles now travel on the right, it might present several issues and challenges for pedestrians. Consider racing across a traffic lane to get to the bus stop! Newer automobiles are intended for right-hand drive, however, older vehicles are not. This means you have a variety of cars, and because individuals rarely respect traffic regulations, it produces mayhem.