The tiny South Pacific island of Samoa (pop 177,000 and just 332km of paved roads) is about to switch from driving on the right side of the road to the left. Not only is this the first country to switch sides in many years (Yemen, 1977, seems to be the most recent) but it is also the first in living memory to switch to the British side rather than the American side.

And therein lies the reason for the changeover: apparently the government wants to discourage the import of American gas-guzzlers and encourage ex-pat Samoans in left-hand driving Australia and New Zealand to send back home more economical second-hand cars. Seems like a challenging way to protect the environment.

It brings to mind a press trip made by our editor to Hong Kong in 1996, some 18 months before the handover to China. At a meeting with a senior official from the Hong Kong tourism authority, one reporter asked whether China (right-hand drive) would likely force Hong Kong (left-hand drive) to switch. The official thought for a minute and then concluded that this wouldn't exactly be China's first priority - but his choice of words caused much merriment: "It won't happen overnight," he said...