How Sweden Became the Leader in Car Safety
In 1967, Sweden made a huge change to its roads — it went from driving on the left-hand side to the right, all in the space of one day. Like the US, Swedish cars are left-hand drive, and driving on the left-hand side of the road meant that seeing around the car in front of you while attempting to pass was difficult and lead to a high number of fatalities. With laws requiring seatbelts and other safety equipment, Swedish car manufacturers like Volvo gained a reputation for being among the safest on the road.