The right-hand traffic diversion in 1967

On September 3, 1967 at 5:00 a.m., all buses, cars and bicycles drove over from left to right on the streets of Stockholm. Sweden then switched from left-hand traffic to right-hand traffic. It wasn't an easy transition for everyone to say the least - this iconic poster shows a view of Kungsgatan, Stockholm that morning.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the number of cars had increased in Sweden and more people started traveling between different countries. This meant that Sweden needed to adapt to the traffic system in the rest of Europe, where in most countries people already drove on the right side.

In 1955, an advisory referendum was held where a majority of Sweden's population voted no to introducing right-hand traffic. Despite this, the Riksdag decided in 1963 that Sweden would switch to right-hand traffic in 1967. This was actually the second time Sweden introduced right-hand traffic. Sweden officially had right-hand traffic between 1718 and 1734, but since no one followed it, they switched back to left-hand traffic again.

© Sjöberg Bildbyrå

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