Ethiopia follows the Right-Hand Traffic rule (red coloured on map above. Left hand traffic coloured in blue), just like 70% of the world’s countries and territories. Right-hand traffic (RHT) is the practice of keeping to the right side of the road, in bidirectional traffic. The steering wheels of the cars in Ethiopia are located on the left-hand side, and they are known as left-hand drive (LHD) vehicles. The driver here sits on the left side of the car, and roundabouts work in counterclockwise direction.

In ancient times, all traffic used to follow the Left-hand traffic rule. Most people, being right-handed, found it easier to mount their horses from the left. It made sense to climb from the side of the road rather than from the middle, hence they chose the left-hand rule. At the same time, the right hand would be free for greetings or for defense (by holding a sword).

However, when Napoleon came to power, he began changing the left-hand rule to right-hand to suit his own requirements. He being left-handed, preferred to stay on the right side of the road with his sword braced in his left-hand, ready for attack or defense. So he introduced the right-hand system in countries or territories he conquered.

The French Revolution also contributed to popularizing the right-hand rule. The farmers in France were earlier forced to travel on the right side of the road while the aristocrat travelled on the left side. Post the revolution, travelling on the right side became a symbol of freedom that quickly spread to other European countries. 


About 41 countries and territories in Africa follow right-hand traffic (RHT), while only 14 African countries and territories practice left-hand traffic (LHT). 

You can find a wide variety of LHD vehicles on Cargebeya.com. For any help with buying vehicles, insurance, or spare parts for your vehicles, just visit Cargebeya.com. 

Here is a list of countries for both RHT and LHT in Africa.

Countries following RHT in Africa

1    Algeria
2    Angola
3    Benin
4    Burkina Faso
5    Burundi
6    Cameroon
7    Cape Verde
8    Central African Republic
9    Chad
10    Comoros
11    Côte D'Ivoire
12    Democratic Republic Of Congo
13    Djibouti
14    Egypt
15    Equatorial Guinea
16    Eritrea
17    Ethiopia
18    Gabon
19    Gambia
20    Ghana
21    Guinea
22    Guinea-Bissau
23    Liberia
24    Libya
25    Madagascar
26    Mali
27    Mauritania
28    Morocco
29    Niger
30    Nigeria
31    Republic Of Congo
32    Rwanda
33    Senegal
34    Sierra Leone
35    Somalia
36    South Sudan
37    Sudan
38    São Tomé And Príncipe
39    Togo
40    Tunisia
41    Western Sahara

Countries following LHT in Africa:

1    Botswana
2    Eswatini (Swaziland)
3    Kenya
4    Lesotho
5    Malawi
6    Mauritius
7    Mozambique
8    Namibia
9    Seychelles
10  South Africa
11  Tanzania
12  Uganda
13  Zambia
14  Zimbabwe