APIA, Samoa (AP) - Amid prayers for safety, motorists in Samoa have switched from driving on the right to driving on the left side of the Pacific island nation's roads.

The chairman of Samoa's Council of Churches held an early morning prayer service Monday before a national radio broadcast instructed drivers everywhere to stop their vehicles. Minutes later, the prime minister broadcast instructions for drivers to switch sides on the highways at 6:00 a.m. local time.

Car horns and sirens sounded, church bells rang out and roads were crowded with vehicles and smiling drivers as police manned scores of checkpoints, warning drivers to slow down.

Despite predictions of chaos by opponents, there were no immediate signs of driving difficulties.

The switch from right to left side driving is being ushered in with a two-day national holiday to cut traffic volumes and a three-day ban on alcohol sales to avoid road crashes.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
AP-NY-09-08-09 0333EDT