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Driving in Samoa
The rules of the road as our desk recorded them, native unit first.
Driving side
Left
Speed limits
40 / 56 / 56 km/h · 25 / 35 / 35 mph
urban / rural / motorway
International permit (IDP)
Required · Geneva 1949
A temporary Samoan licence must be purchased on arrival; bring your national licence and an IDP.
Blood alcohol limit
0.08% (0.8 g/l)
Tolls
None.
Headlights
Not required by day.
Child seats
Not enforced or widely available.
Samoa switched from right-hand to left-hand traffic in 2009 - one of very few countries ever to do so - and many vehicles are still left-hand drive, which makes overtaking awkward. Speed limits are low and villages expect you to crawl through.