New Zealand’s odd road rule set to exit

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand is finally yielding to the rest of the world on a unique road rule that confounded foreign drivers for decades.

For nearly 20 years, New Zealand has been the only place on Earth to force vehicles hugging a turn at an intersection to yield to traffic making a wider arc across the intersection. New Zealanders drive on the left, but in the U.S. it would be like making right-turning traffic yield to left-turning traffic.

That will change at 5 a.m. Sunday, when the reversal takes effect.

Just why New Zealand introduced such a quirky rule 35years ago remains unclear.

Some argue that the rule encourages civility by allowing cars making the more difficult turn to go first, but defenders are few. Some 77 percent of 6,000 drivers surveyed by the Automobile Association said they thought the change would have either a neutral or a positive effect on safety.

The New Zealand Transport Agency, which implements road rules, said Sunday’s switch will speed traffic flows, reduce accidents and avoid an estimated one fatality and 97 injuries per year.