Driving in DR

May 14, 2006
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First trip to DR in June! Flying into Punta Cana, staying at Casa Del Mar in La Romana. We'd like to get off the resort and see some of the country.
How is the driving in DR? Where is it best to get a car; at the airport, hotel, etc.? Any hints and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 

la_barbie

Bronze
May 6, 2004
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Good luck with your driving... I rent a jeep everytime I go and drive, but my drivings messed up to begin with so I fit right in with them !
 

Rick Snyder

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Nov 19, 2003
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Dave in West Chester,
As Rellosk said welcome to DR1. Also like he said I would suggest that you don't drive here either as this is your first trip here. Because you would be driving and watching the road the availability of you seeing the wonderful sights would be diminished. You will find many companies offering trips in and around your hotel and I would strongly suggest that you get out and explore as we have so many beautiful things to see.

If you should decide that the tours won't fill your demands then I too suggest that you rent a driver as they have the experience needed to drive here and it allows you to take in all the sights.

Once you get back home please do us a favor and give us a report in the "Trip Report Forum". Let us know how your vacation went. Take care and enjoy.

Rick
 

sweetdbt

Bronze
Sep 17, 2004
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I think it is simplistic to say that a "newbie" should never drive in the DR. A lot depends on the individual, their experience, and their confidence in their abilities to adapt to new situations. I rented a car on my first trip to the DR, and on each subsequent trip, and have driven all over the country. It demands concentration, and you cannot assume that anyone else on the road will obey laws, including those of common sense. Quite frankly, I feel safer behind the wheel than with someone else driving, but that's just me. If having a car fits your travel plans and budget and you are an experienced and skilled driver, I wouldn't rule it out.

There will be several companies with rental offices at the airport, and this is the most convenient, but there is a daily location surcharge. You will save money if you can get to an office in the city, but that may not be an option in Punta Cana. You can do a search for rates and locations on Travelocity or Expedia.
 

Rick Snyder

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Nov 19, 2003
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Dave in West Chester,
There you go, 7 replies with 2 yes, 4 no and 1 maybe. Your choice.

Having lived and driven here for 10 years I can only say that I don't enjoy driving here and much prefer taking public transportation as I then don't need to worry about the "What If" factor and it allows me to get up close and personnel with the Dominicans which I enjoy.

From prior experience I will only say that a vacation is for enjoyment and should not have outside stresses placed on you or your loved one. Which ever way you should go we truly hope that you enjoy your vacation and as I said earlier we would really enjoy a report on how it went when you get back home.

If there are any other questions you may have then please feel free to post them as it is our pleasure and job to help you.

Rick
 

Chris

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Oct 21, 2002
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www.caribbetech.com
Have you driven in a developing country before? Yes, we drive every day, but it took me a year before I could actually drive without needing a drink and a shower at the end of the journey. It takes some getting used to and initially it is not fun. But if you are confident, and very quick to pick up on different driving styles, go for it. Just get the best insurance you can possibly get. If you do get into an accident, it will be one of the worst experiences of your life.
 

HOWMAR

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Jan 28, 2004
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I agree 100% with Chris. 99 out of 100 times you may be OK, but that one accident in the DR makes it not worth it. If you are involved in an accident, it is guaranteed that you will be at fault and it will cost you. From personal experience, even though I live in the DR, I will never drive. Years ago, as a tourist in a rental car with full insurance, I was broadsided one Friday night by a drunk motochoncho driver who ran a stop sign. He swore it was my fault. As I was not fluent in Spanish and the police spoke no English, I was brought to the Police Station. The "victim" swore out a complaint against me. The victims lawyer who showed up immediately said this could be resolved for a monetary settlement. The US consulate said I would be OK in jail until Monday when they could meet with me. The end result after seeing a Dominican jail cell. I paid. Granted, a rented driver may be no safer, but you have peace of mind that any accident is not your fault.
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
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From someone that has driven all over the DR for the past 10 years, go rent a car, it's the best way to see the country!

Make sure you rent from a reputable company like National/Alamo/Avis etc and you will not have a problem. People have problems when they rent from Micky Mouse companies. I have yet to see a post on this board in the past 10 years from someone having a very bad experience with National.

National and Avis combined rent over 30,000 vehicles a year here.
Most of these are to tourists and business people.

If driving was such a horrendous experience here, they wouldn't be writing that many contracts. If you can drive, have some common sense, you will be fine.
 

jackquontee

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May 20, 2005
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If I can chime in here

I must say that I agree with Robert. As a constant traveler to places Latin, I was always reluctant to drive, primarily because I simply didn't know where I was going. I always traveled in a taxi but, although convenient, I came to the realization that as long as I continued to travel via taxi, I would never learn how to get anywhere because I didn't have the need to---that was the driver's problem.

However, one of the greatest pleasures I've had during my trips to the DR was making the decision to start renting a car and driving myself. I've found that it forces me to learn how to get where I'm going, and has given me a much greater sense of freedom. I hop in the car and go!

Personally, I have not found it to be any more difficult to drive in the DR than I have in many of the large cities of the US. Is it a different type of driving? Sure. But unless and until you make the effort to adapt to it, I truly believe you're really limiting yourself in terms of being able to explore at will.

I won't address the issue of liability as I have no experience with that (knock on wood), but I refuse to allow it to limit me.
 

sweetdbt

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Sep 17, 2004
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jackquontee said:
However, one of the greatest pleasures I've had during my trips to the DR was making the decision to start renting a car and driving myself. I've found that it forces me to learn how to get where I'm going, and has given me a much greater sense of freedom. I hop in the car and go!

Good point. I suppose you can also learn your way around using public transit, but if you rely on a driver there is a tendency to just be along for the ride and not really understand where you are going. Part of my anticipation of each vacation is getting out the B&B map and looking at the different places I want to go and how to get there. Next month I'll have 2 weeks and I think I'll finally make it to the "frontier" (Southwest; Barahona and Lago Enriquillo)!!
 
May 14, 2006
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Probably has a lot to do with experience

Thanks for all the replies. I've driven in Mexico, Jamaica, St Thomas,
Ireland, and a lot of US cities. In developing countries you definitely
have to exercise extreme caution and common sense, but it does give
you a wonderful sense of the country and people.
I guess I'll just feel it out when we get there.;)
 

johnny C

New member
Sep 15, 2004
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Be prepared for few or no street signs, so as long as you have no trouble stopping and asking for directions in Spanish there should be no problem.

My advice would be to avoid getting to far off any main highway and try to avoid all driving at night
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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You should know that if you are involved in any sort of traffic incident (and the DR is the leading traffic death nation in Latin America) you will go to jail if anyone is injured, whether it was your fault or not. That is just a fact of life here.

Do what Grayhound suggests and leave the driving to someone else. You can probably get a car and driver for less than the cost of a rental car per day.

HB :D:D:D
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
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Hillbilly said:
You should know that if you are involved in any sort of traffic incident (and the DR is the leading traffic death nation in Latin America) you will go to jail if anyone is injured, whether it was your fault or not. That is just a fact of life here.

Do what Grayhound suggests and leave the driving to someone else. You can probably get a car and driver for less than the cost of a rental car per day.

HB :D:D:D

HB, a very large percentage of these accidents are motorcycles or pedestrians. Most people that died as a result of a traffic accident were not inside vehicles.

Yes it's a little crazy driving here, but it's not total anarchy.
If you have a little common sense, can see, then you will be ok.

In my opinion, driving is the best way to see the Dominican Republic.
I also practice what I preach :)

A couple of road trips:
http://www.dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42595
http://www.dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44589

This is what awaits me at the end of my upcoming road trip starting tomorrow. Sometimes the journey is worth the end reward. Life can get a little tough here sometimes :)

dr1_crib_6.jpg


So....

Go rent a car, borrow one or steal one.
Just get out and see this place, it's a paradise!
 

nb101858

New member
May 18, 2006
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Rookie Driver

Hello from a former rookie. The veterns will probable still call me a rookie since I have only been to the DR once. But the one time I was there I probable did 3 -4 trips in one. I was there for 6 days and drove 5 of the 6 days. I stayed in Boca Chica. I never asked any questions on the board I just read and learned from the veterans. The first evening I was there I took a taxi. I wanted to see the driving and if I could deal with it. After I saw anything goes, I said I can do that and I did. I rented a car and spent a day in Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, drove to Puerto Plata from Boca Chica, went to Sousa and the beach, drove back to Boca Chica from Sousa through the mountains. I loved it. I got lost and the sun went down. Oh man! You do not want to drive out of the city at night. Many highways are not marked at intersections. You will need to buy a very detailed map. The rent a car maps don't do much but get you lost. The 3 hour trip back to Boca turned into 7.5. Envision driving in New York and multipy that by 5 and you have DR driving.You have to drive both very agressive and defensive. You can't have road rage, you can't get upset when everyone blows at you. You can't get upset when trucks , buses and other cars just bogart their way infront of you especially when passing. Understand no passing lines in the road mean NOTHING. Some traffic lights even though working means nothing. observe the traffic and do as the Dominicans do. 1st day I made a mistake of stopping at a red light, that meant nothing and almost got run over by everything on the road. WATCH out for motorconchoes, they are everywhere usually with passengers and they do any, and everything mostly driving between the invisible lanes and on the shoulders. Keep you gas tank close to full. The main highways are good, but the secondary highways will turn into dirt roads a lot. Go slow through the mountains, the curves are sharp and the Domincans live right on the road. Their homes are sometimes 10 feet from the highway. Their back door is a cliff. Oh man the beautiful woman in the mountain villiages. You will need to concentrate on the road. The main highways also go through the center of towns. Speedlimit on hwys is posted at 80 but much of the time you will get run over if that is your speed. Every school has big speed bumps in front of it, a good way to destroy the front end. You will not allways see what you perceive to be a school. I could be a one room miniture house of shanty. I put 1500 miles on the ccar in 5 days. The rental company seemed amazed thet there were no new scratches when I turned the car in. If you rent a gcar do a through pre inspection of the car and mark down everything. Well I could go on , but you should get the picture. If I can answer any question for you I will. Oh did I mention I don't speak Spanish and travelled alone :). Having done this should take me out of rookie status! I plan to return in the late summer and fall and I will drive again.
 

CG

Bronze
Sep 16, 2004
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Driving/accident/jail

I thought last post quite real time. If you drive here, be aware allways, someone mentioned that to drive here you will need the reflexes of a fly,,, very well stated ! Regarding an accident and jail, I was told that if in case of the later that you as the conductor have the right to demand to be taken to a "CASA DU CONDUCTOR" ??. it's still the police station but much better than a cell,,. It costs a few dollars but much more pleasant,,, anybody out there heard of this ?? if true, very nice too know. Thank You for any input and enjoy the rest of the evening.
CG