Is Hong Kong Left-Hand Drive or Right-Hand Drive?
1 Answers
Hong Kong drives on the right-hand side. Information regarding the position of the driver's seat in vehicles is as follows: 1. Road Traffic Direction: The side of the road on which vehicles drive depends on the long-established traffic rules of a country, which have led to more detailed and stringent road traffic regulations. Many countries have legally determined the direction of vehicle travel. Due to the dominant position of the United States in the automobile manufacturing industry and the fact that major European car manufacturers are located in right-hand drive countries, right-hand traffic rules gradually spread to other continents with the popularization of automobiles. Currently, 34% of countries drive on the left, while 66% drive on the right. In terms of road mileage, 28% of the world's passable roads are left-hand drive, and 72% are right-hand drive. 2. Changes in Modern China's Traffic Direction: From a practical perspective in China, the traffic direction was chaotic from the late Qing Dynasty to around the 1920s. In 1930, the National Government issued a decree to uniformly require left-hand driving (right-hand drive). With the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the increase of American cars and troops in China—since the U.S. drives on the right (left-hand drive)—led to many accidents. Additionally, the high cost of converting American cars to left-hand driving (right-hand drive) influenced China's gradual shift from left-hand to right-hand driving. By 1945, right-hand driving (left-hand drive) was officially established as the standard and implemented starting in 1946. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, this rule has been followed to this day. Due to the recovery of Taiwan, it also switched from Japanese-style left-hand driving to the current right-hand driving. Therefore, China's current right-hand driving (left-hand drive) is actually influenced by the United States, as the U.S. aid vehicles at that time indirectly affected China's traffic direction change.
