Much to their annoyance, Samoans are having to get used to driving on the left from this week.

The switch is the idea of Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, who says it will be more economical for Samoans to buy new and used cars from Pacific neighbours Australia and New Zealand.

It is the first time for some 40 years since a country has switched driving sides — Sweden made the change in the late 1960s.

The (possibly untrue) story was told at the time of the transport minister of an African country that was also thinking of switching, who was asked how he planned to make the change from left to right. He answered: “gradually.”

Britain looked at the idea of conforming with Europe after Sweden’s move but the logistics were so forbidding that nothing ever came of it. Apart from changing all the road signs, there were huge problems with motorway junctions, changing the side of bus doors, switching traffic lights and so on. It would have cost billions.

But the idea of Britons being able to take their cars through the Channel tunnel and seamlessly join the continental road system without having to have the front-seat passenger as a white-knuckle advisor on potentially fatal overtaking decisions remains attractive to many.

Do you think Britain missed the boat? Should we have made the switch to driving on the right? Could we still?

The motoring industry has been hit hard by the recession (as demonstrated by the cancellation of the 2010 British Motor Show) and consumers have struggled to secure the credit they need to buy a new car. But for those in a position to make a move, there has never been a better time to do a deal.

Car buying website Parker’s has named March 23 as the best car buying day of 2009. Price cuts, stock availability and dealers desperately chasing bonuses make it the optimum time to buy a car before prices on new and used vehicles start to go up again in the summer.

If you are getting revved up at the thought of some of the discount deals on offer, then here are some useful web tools and articles to help you finance and get the best deal on your new set of wheels.

Moneysavingexpert.com highlights the fact that, although you may get your hands on a cheap car, the rate at which it will lose its value is truly frightening. To help you cut costs, it has this guide to researching the best price, how to haggle your way to a further discount and, most importantly, how to finance the deal (including some dealer tricks to watch out for).

Parker’s website is a great source of independent car reviews and has this excellent tool that allows you to search prices of new and used cars. And, of course, you can start searching for your perfect new motor.

There are of course multiple ways to buy a car, from auctions to independent dealers. Times Online’s Buying Guide includes a useful run through of the available options so you can work out which is best for you.

Buying a used car is fraught with risks; one in three cars has a hidden history such as outstanding finance repayments, undeclared damage - it could even be stolen. For a small fee you can research a car’s track record at Autocheck, which could end up saving you big in the long run.

MSN UK Cars has devoted an entire section to beating the credit crunch. The Bangernomics pages are devoted to the science of buying and running a used car for less. They even reckon you can make money on some used cars.

The cost of running a car is often what puts people off buying. To help you save money on things like MOTs, insurance and breakdown cover, check out Auto Trader’s regularly updated page of special motoring offers.

Conservative Swindon council is planning to pull the plug on the 400,000-pound annual grant it makes towards running its speed cameras, saying the money could be better spent on other traffic-calming measures.

Its head of highways, Councillor Peter Greenhalgh, is widely quoted in newspapers as saying cameras are “a blatant tax on motorists.”

Local councils can no longer keep the fines the cameras bring in, which may explain why they may feel less enthusiastic about them than before, but there are plenty of other bodies like the AA which have always felt cameras are over-used and no substitute for active policing.

The Department for Transport says some 1,745 deaths and serious injuries are prevented every year by the cameras.

Would you be happy to see other councils follow Swindon’s example or do you believe that speed cameras are a necessary evil to improve road safety?