Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:00a.m.
By Rachel Morton
In just under 11 hours, Samoans will change the side of the road they drive on - from right to left.
It will be the first country in about four decades to make the change, and there have been last-ditch attempts to get the government to stop the switch.
Ninety-eight percent of Samoa's population is Christian, and at church this morning they were saying special prayers for the safety of its people as it prepares for the change.
It is a change the government says is for the best, allowing cheaper cars to be imported and putting it in line with Australia and New Zealand.
Significant effort has gone into upgrading roading infrastructure, but it has had fierce opposition - mostly from the group PASS, or People Against Switching Sides, who staged the biggest protest Samoa has seen.
"We have not had a coherent, logical explanation for the switch," says Paplii Viopapa-Annandale. "I think the economic arguments surely cannot be balanced against the risk to people's lives."
The country's emergency services met this morning for a briefing, and again there were prayers and hymns.
Nobody wanted to be interviewed, but the police commissioner told 3 News the change is a good thing and the police force is prepared.
Samoans who support the change say the long-term economic benefits will outweigh the risks, and will make cars affordable for people who could not buy them before. The Chamber of Commerce however disagrees.
"It's a policy we cannot relate to," says Sina Ratzlaff-Lima. "In the case of cheaper vehicles, well I'm not sure that's something that a small developing nation would like."
And many believe the government has not followed democratic processes. It is an issue that was not raised publicly, and there was no economics, no stats or numbers to support the decision.
The change will happen at 6am tomorrow which along with the following day have been declared public holidays.
3 News
