Задание

Read the text.

When it comes to car safety Sweden has a pretty good reputation. And it’s based on fact. Sweden has one of the world’s lowest rates of traffic fatalities - only 2.8 deaths for every 100,000 people.

As Swedish society became motorized fatalities quickly began to rise. The number of deaths on the roads more than doubled between 1950 and 1970. One of the reasons was the majority of cars were left-hand drive imports being driven on the left-hand side of the road.

It means the driver is closer to the curb and further away from the center of the road, which makes overtaking much harder, as the driver can’t see around the car in front, something which makes head-on collisions much more likely. But on September 3rd 1967 the Swedish Government made a big change in the name of safety. Sweden decides to switch from left to right!

The country changed to driving on the right side of the road. Its traffic infrastructure was completely revamped in just one day. That included changing 360,000 road signs.

Understandably, safety was a huge focus. The Government created a special team to make sure the changeover went without incident. Speed limits in urban areas were reduced. Outside of towns they were introduced where previously they hadn’t existed. ‘H Day’, for högertrafik, Swedish for ‘right traffic’ even had its very own song. There were plenty of other everyday reminders too like these helpful glasses or H Day underwear.

Divide the statements into two groups.

FALSE STATEMENTS

TRUE STATEMENTS

One of the reasons for the deaths on the road was the fact that in Sweden the majority of cars were right-hand drive vehicles.

On September 3, 1967 the Swedish Government made a big change and decided to switch from right to left.

In Sweden there is one of the world’s lowest rates of traffic fatalities.

The country increased speed limits in cities.

The number of deaths on the roads in Sweden grew between 1950 and 1970.

Driving on the right means that overtaking is much harder, as the driver can’t see around the car in front.

In Sweden the traffic infrastructure was completely changed in just one day.

Sweden changed 360,000 road signs.

The country introduced speed limits outside of towns they were where previously they hadn’t existed.

There were funny songs and other reminders about the new rules.