Dangerous roads

puryear270

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Aug 26, 2009
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The blog (to which the OP linked) presumes everyone is in a car. The included videos has people driving about in cars.

She doesn't understand the wonderful phenomenon of driving a motorcycle drunk with no helmet at night down the right side of the road against oncoming traffic with the headlight turned off while texting on a cell phone. I don't even bother trying to dodge the idiots anymore, unless I think the woman on the back of the motorcycle is holding a baby in her arms.

And lately, a new phenomenon seems to be emerging: somewhat overweight women on scooters who think that red lights do not apply to them. I try to avoid them because I'm afraid the impact would damage my truck.
 
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Casino127

Member
Jan 13, 2012
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I bet the afghan roads are still worse

Try the one in the Kyber pass or the one in Ziarat, Baluchistan. My worst driving was in Belize. I couln t drive on the road since there was so much moon holes. The one from Nagua to S.F.Macoris is pain in the *ss at night !
 

puryear270

Bronze
Aug 26, 2009
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The joke in Jamaica is that you can tell the drunk drivers because they are the ones driving in a straight line. The sober people are all over the road avoiding potholes.
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
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As I have said many times, driving in the DR can sometimes seem like you have stepped into a video game. It is not just the other drivers that you have to worry about. You have people in the streets, kids and animals. Also people driving with no lights
and other issues. Is it the most dangerous? I'm still not sure. Driving on RT 95, on the east coast of the US, at 75 mph with 4 lane traffic or NYC is just as challenging. In the DR what scares you is that many people who drive just never learned the proper way. You need eyes in the back of your head.

LTSteve
 

CARIBETORNO

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May 3, 2013
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I guess I am used to driving on the bad roads ,none of it really bothers me.sometimes my son goes through small towns on bad road too fast with people right on the edge. I tell him to slow down.
 
Aug 6, 2006
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dangerous roads

As I have said many times, driving in the DR can sometimes seem like you have stepped into a video game. It is not just the other drivers that you have to worry about. You have people in the streets, kids and animals. Also people driving with no lights
and other issues. Is it the most dangerous? I'm still not sure. Driving on RT 95, on the east coast of the US, at 75 mph with 4 lane traffic or NYC is just as challenging. In the DR what scares you is that many people who drive just never learned the proper way. You need eyes in the back of your head.

LTSteve

Mirrors can be quite helpful.
 
Jun 18, 2007
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www.rentalmetrocountry.com
Youtube has many videos on this and roads much more dangerous as described in the article. Nat Geo or Discovery had a series about American drivers delivering cargo on the most dangerous roads all over the world. Have watched a few episodes and some had me sitting on the edge of my chair.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
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Santiago
There is an issue with the statistics WHO presented. The Dominican government records state there were 2470 fatalities due to accidents in 2010. WHO then uses a complicated equation to calculate the "real" number of deaths. Basically these are what could be termed "third world factors", in other words the poorer the country the higher the factor. In the DR's case the number of fatalities are adjusted to 4143, an increase of 60%, which has the effect of increasing the death rate from 24.9 to 41.7.

While I suppose I do understand WHO's reasoning somewhat I think their assumed death rate is inflated given the fact that their is sufficient infrastructure in this country to report deaths in most parts of the country.

One thing they did acknowledge is that the majority of the deaths are due to motorcycles (58%), then pedestrians (25%) and then vehicles (14%). In other words it's not really dangerous to drive a car here.
 
Aug 6, 2006
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[video=youtube;h2G6n-pveD4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=h2G6n-pveD4&NR=1[/video]

Here in Miami, we have a lot of drivers who it seems, have never had any experience with a machine more complicated than a plow. I always follow several car lengths behind, assume that others are drunk, high or both, look in the mirror every few seconds, and if I get honked at by some impatient fool, try to get him to pass me, so I can keep an eye on him better. I have been rear ended while waiting at stoplights twice in 20 years.

I have traveled in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Ecuador and most of Mexico and Central America, but I always take a bus or when necessary, a taxi. The cost of renting a car is excessive and I am pretty sure that I am likely to be safer, even though I might have to take a bit longer. I drove my car in Mexico, even in Mexico City, but only when I was in a hurry and needed to take the Perif?rico, which at the time excluded buses.

The bus drivers in Ecuador from Otavalo and Quito down to Vilcabamba are the best I have ever seen. The Interamerican Highway through Ecuador is almost entirely switchbacks, and despite the fact that the highway looks new, there are a lot of washouts and landslides.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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i learnt how to drive in DR: my parents do not have a car and then when i lived in london i used public transport so no need for a license. at first i was scared to drive here but now i am fine. it's important to look in the mirrors and always assume that everyone else on the road is an idiot who's out there to kill you.

however, i do not understand how can experienced drivers b**ch about DR. after driving for 15-20 years anywhere in the world one should be able to deal with dominican traffic easily.
 

bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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dr1.com
i learnt how to drive in DR: my parents do not have a car and then when i lived in london i used public transport so no need for a license. at first i was scared to drive here but now i am fine. it's important to look in the mirrors and always assume that everyone else on the road is an idiot who's out there to kill you.

however, i do not understand how can experienced drivers b**ch about DR. after driving for 15-20 years anywhere in the world one should be able to deal with dominican traffic easily.

In civilized countries vehicles only pass you on one side on a two way street, not in the DR. I don't find it difficult as I've driven in Africa, Italy, Cyprus, Israel, Australia....etc.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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accidents happen also in civilized countries. and large cities have a very heavy traffic flow. all you need in DR is to look in the mirrors a lot and keep your eyes peeled.
 
Aug 6, 2006
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I find it safer kind of in a way to drive here b/c i am always watching, where as in Canada I don't even remember getting home i was just in a daze and on auto pilot!

If I ever move to the DR or any other country permanently, I will reevaluate the driving situation. Driving rental cars and paying through the nose for both the rental and the insurance for what is essentially a recreational trip does not make sense to me. For others, it could be worth it.

I really enjoyed cobra's description of his motorcycle journeys. I don't think that I have the stamina to try them myself, but it is exciting to read about them.

In Montevideo in 2007, I met this huge Italian-Argentine that worked for the Discovery Channel. It was in this Hostel called the Lagarto and they had a paella night. This guy told us all about this expedition across the Sahara from Mauritania to Djibouti and the problems they had. There were about 20 people from all over the world--Japan, Korea, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico, France and so forth and we listened to his tales through about 15 pounds of paella and maybe 30 litros of Cerveza Pilsner (that is the brand). Of course, this was not so much about dangerous roads as traveling on no roads at all with only a GPS and a map which was not all that reliable.

I felt sorry for the poor souls on cruise ships and staying in four star hotels thinking that they were actually doing something exciting.
 

CARIBETORNO

New member
May 3, 2013
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i learnt how to drive in DR: my parents do not have a car and then when i lived in london i used public transport so no need for a license. at first i was scared to drive here but now i am fine. it's important to look in the mirrors and always assume that everyone else on the road is an idiot who's out there to kill you.

however, i do not understand how can experienced drivers b**ch about DR. after driving for 15-20 years anywhere in the world one should be able to deal with dominican traffic easily.
its really not that bad. there is no road rage, and it actually flows good under the circumstances. i do not find it as aggravating as i do traffic in major cities in usa