One more time: Driving in the DR is not for Newbies

[B]Hillbilly[/B] said:

" How"? you ask? Easy, the guy was going North, and in front of the Citricos Dominicanos plant (Jugos Rica) there near Villa Altagracia, he turned off, to the left, crossed the devide, and apparently tried to cross the South-bound lanes without looking, or perhaps distracted by the kids or something.

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I've seen that too many times, specially motorcycle drivers. Some people won't just wait.

HB - this could happen anywhere. In fact, the very same scenario happened on the 4-lane I travel every day to work. Woman turned left and got smashed by a truck.

I don't think the DR accident had anything to do with "driving dangers in the DR" - at least the way you described it. Sounds like inattention by the driver - period.

Remember the guy that was coming here to vacation,

He wanted to rent a motorcycle and tour the country with his 12 year old daughter on the back! Never heard any more from him.Maybe they never found the bodies!!!!!!

Like all the others,he had driven in "latin America" before!!!!!!!

This ain't "Latin America",and it sure ain't Kansas!!!

I have "Near Death Experiences",and "Close Calls" here every day!

It is not the skill of the Dominican Drivers that keeps me from being killed,I can tell you that!!!!!!

Cris CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCc

PS,I just had the chance to read JanH's response!
All I can say is "See What I Mean?"

Very sad to loose people in those circunstances bu t i still think that while living in Miami i saw more accidents in one day than in a 2 weeks period in Santo Domingo or a maybe a month nevertheless people in Santo Domingo (capital) need to take a chill pill! some just want to fly over you while others are taking it too easy.

We have had near death experiences down there too and it was OUR skill - certainly not the Dominicans - that kept us alive.

But HB's example was a fatality that can happen anywhere. The frenchman simply turned in front of a semi. Had nothing to do with the country's drivers.

UNLESSSSSSS - HB was trying to say be on the look out for people turning in front of you (they do all the time down there) - !

Hillbilly,

No offense but this thread just proves once again that you are a wuss!

I have driven in many places on this planet that would put the DR to shame when it comes to road dangers.

If you are a bad driver don't drive. If you are a driver that realizes that "Driving Defensively" is a sure way to get hit then stay away.

Frankly, all of the stupidity on the roads in the DR is a much better choice than have to rely on public transportation.

Driving in the DR is not so bad

Actually, in my experience, driving in Italy is far worse.


I am quite comfortable driving in the DR and never had a problem. Defensive driving, and not at night works for me.

I guess it depends on how much you drive here. In the last three days, I've been from Cabarete to the other side of Samana during the day, and back at night, and near to Monte Christi in the day, and back to Cabarete at night. Arrived home about an hour ago - the damage is that my eyes see double because of all the brights on at night and that my shoulders are board-tight and sitting at the level of my ears with tension.

Only about 450 miles overall and I'm real happy to be alive... And I've driven in Africa and in Italy. Here in the DR, it seems as if driving is one big game of cavorting with Mr. Death.

Driving here, in some places might not be as dangerous as it is unconfortable. Mighty unconfortable. Take the road to D.D.'s farm for example (I am not picking on you dear). No lighting, no lines, many curves and pot holes galore. People seem not to remember to dim their lights leaving you half blind and you are tense expecting the next motorist or cow.

Never had any problem driving around there. And I did drive alone at night from SD all the way to Manzanillo many, many times. But I take 10 trips from SD to Santiago than 20 mins there at night.

In addition to nice folks on their vacation, I would just die if I had to run over a little dominican kid in the night.... a cute little two or three year old running along at the side of the road. You cannot see them unless by chance your lights sweep over them... or the other driver's bright lights light them up... They don't come issued with head lights you know.

I would also hate it to run into a vacca or a donkey or a horse at night. Or a small banana truck hanging skew 'cause it's packed so full of bananas that it wants to fall over - no lights... Oh man! it is an experience to drive any distance here at night. Usually we avoid it - sometimes we simply have to.

Re: Ah Tony, but I am an OLD wuss....

[B]Hillbilly[/B] said:

In the States and most of the civilized world you don't have people passing you on the right, especially if you happen to be in the right lane.!!

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AND you happen to have the right-turn signal on.

JanH said:

HB - this could happen anywhere. In fact, the very same scenario happened on the 4-lane I travel every day to work. Woman turned left and got smashed by a truck.

I don't think the DR accident had anything to do with "driving dangers in the DR" - at least the way you described it. Sounds like inattention by the driver - period.

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The driving dangers and the way vehicle operators manage have a lot to do with the accidents in the D.R.

The case in point is a recent accident in the Bavaro - Veron road in the East on October 6th. I observed the wreckage. A bus and a minivan were involved in a collision that took the lives of six and injured five. The dead included a mother and child. Why? Because the bus was on the wrong side of the road to avoid potholes in its proper lane and then collided with the oncoming mini. Yes, the potholes are one of the causes of the accident as reported in the press. However, there was more left out of it. An experienced Dominican driver traveling the same roads day after day knows where the holes are and drives in a manner to avoid them in advance even if it means going into the opposing lane of traffic at above posted speeds, no matter what. The area where the accident occured is at the apex of a small hill where the approaching road has a lazy curve. Can you guess what is next? Rule number one, You do not go over into the opposing lane on a curve. Rule number two, You do not go over to the opposing lane ascending a hill. Rule number three you do not speed on a hill. Any driver knows "you cannot see or react in time to oncoming traffic" under those conditions. The rules were not followed, the bus climbed the hill, ended up on the wrong side and the crash occured with such impact both vehicles went off the road completely, the bus pushing the minivan into an adjoining field. The minivan was rendered to a mass of tangled metal, all occupants died. Yet, everyone here knows that the culture allows the drivers to operate in anarchy, regardless of the holes. Yet, nobody will take responsibility. Wish everybody could be a wuss, the roads would be safer. Regards, PJT


www.listindiario.com.do/antes/octubre03/061003/cuerpos/republica/rep2.htm

Shhhhh .... PJT, not so loud ...

You'll have idiots going to the DR in droves to show that they're such superior drivers themselves that it won't happen to them.

PJT - My reply was to the specific accident HB mentioned. Your accident story would have illicited a different response from me.

I don't for a minute think it is just as safe to drive in DR as the states - your scenario proves that.

(I wouldn't even object to wearing a helmet driving my car in the DR!)

I just got this email today. Since I just drove from Sosua to La Romana, I can verify they are all true.

ROAD KILL
I have written before about driving in the Dominican Republic, and I know I have been pretty critical of the way drivers here operate their vehicles. Now I must admit that I didn't know what I was talking about. I was writing from the perspective of a person who has done a lot of driving in Canada and the United States, and knows the rules of the road in those countries. I had mistakenly accepted the myth that the D.R. has official driving laws, but nobody obeys them.

>There are rules, but they are not official. They are known, through some mystic process, only to Dominican drivers and foreigners who have been here long enough to learn them. Here they are, listed in no particular order of importance.

#1. Use your horn a lot, for any reason or no reason at all. Blast
the guy in front of you for stopping for a red light. In a traffic
jam, lean on that horn and add all the racket you can to the general confusion. It won't help one little bit, but you'll have the
satisfaction of making yourself heard (maybe); something like a
child throwing a tantrum.

#2 Always drive at top speed. Patience is a sign of weakness.

#3. If there is a vehicle in front of you, pass it. It doesn't matter if you have to go around it, over it, under it, or through
it; you must get in front of it. Even if you are a guagua driver and
you are going to pull over and stop as soon as you have passed the other vehicle.
>
#4. If you are a male driver, never let a female driver pass you. A
>real man can't put up with that kind of nonsense.
>
#5. Don't make left turns. The driver behind you will try to pass on your left while you are doing it, because God forbid he should have to slow down or stop while you make your turn. Pull over to the right and wait until the road is clear for five miles in either
direction before you turn; OR, get into the wrong lane half a mile
before your turn and make your left from there.

#6. If the driver ahead of you is making a left turn, ram him.

#7. If you are coming out of a driveway or sidestreet, and the only vehicle coming is a motorbike, pull out in front of him. In a
collision between a car and a motorbike, the motorbike is going to lose, so obviously it's up to him to stop.

#8. Ignore traffic lights. They're only there to impress the tourists.

>#9. If you are in a traffic jam, and you see an open lane which
might possibly be used to unsnarl the mess, block it as quickly as
possible. And don't forget that horn.

#10. If the vehicle in front of you is passing a vehicle in front of
him, pass them both so that you have three vehicles side by side in
a line across the highway, going in the same direction. If you're a
publico driver, this is a great way to scare the hell out of any
tourists in your car.

#11. When driving at night keep your highbeams on all the time. If drivers of oncoming cars find them too bright, well, that's what
sunglasses are for.

#12. Seatbelts are silly gringo decorations.

#13. If you see that the car you are overtaking is being driven by
someone you know, stay alongside him for a few miles so you can have a chat.
>
#14. Indicator lights are there to warn other drivers of what you
intend to do, but since every other driver on the road is an enemy, why should you give them any warnings?
# 15. When you park your car, remember that NO PARKING signs do not apply to you personally.

Of course, given the number of motorcycles on the road here, there are some special rules for them, too.

#1. When driving along that stretch of highway which runs through Cabarete, go at your flat out, top speed. It's your right to endanger yourself and the community; and besides, people love to hear the noise your engine makes when you have the throttle wide open - day or night.

#2. If you see a traffic jam up ahead, just use the sidewalks. If
you should run down a pedestrian, it's his fault for not jumping out of the way quickly enough.

#3. When you park your motorbike, leave it in a place where it will cause the greatest inconvenience; the road, the entrance to a driveway, the doorway of a store, etc.
#4. Hang your helmet on your handlebar so if you have an accident, people will have something to scrape your brains into after they've been splattered all over the road.

#5. It is not necessary to repair broken headlights or tail lights.
Car drivers should be able to see you in their highbeams, and they generally drive as if you're not there anyhow.

Oh yes; a driver's licence is nice, but who really needs one?



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright ? 1999 Revista LaCosta, Rep?blica Dominicana

El' Presidente alias Jerry
>http://home.indy.rr.com/jerryandsusan/

Re: Shhhhh .... PJT, not so loud ...

andy a said:

You'll have idiots going to the DR in droves to show that they're such superior drivers themselves that it won't happen to them.

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If I was wanting to be loud I would have presented the post all in CAPS. What I would like to learn is how to post in a manner that would get everyone's attention, sort of like the way when only burning tires gets the government's attention when the pueblo is upset.

Also, an idiot is a feebleminded person with the mental age not exceeding three years. Therefore, idiots would not be getting driving licenses. People who drive do have reasonable intelligence. It is just that some drivers exercise bad behavior when they do drive, they are the ones that get me upset, the one's that require behavior modification. Just that it (behavior modification) will not happen here in the D.R. unless some family member of a very-very-very-very high ranking politician succumbs to an accident. Otherwise, present behavior will continue to be the status quo.

....And JanH, I do agree with you it was driver inattention in H.B.'s story that caused the accident. However, it has drifted past my mind as to what lane the truck was in, the outside, or the passing. Its lane placement would have an causal effect on the accident. In the D.R. heavy and slow moving vehicles use the passing lane as a travel land with no real understanding of its intended use other than a means to get from here to there.

Getting down from my soapbox now. Regards, PJT

We were heading back to the city from the airport when ahead of us the driver hit his breaks to avoind hitting an old woman with a baby. That is part of the problem. People dart out in front of traffic.

Only in the DR!

We were in a taxi with bumper to bumber stopped traffic. A closed lane to our left was merging into ours. Just as I was thinking how it sucks to be them and no one will ever let them in, my driver jumps into thier lane to move up SIX cars and then tries to merge back. When our previous lane position was about to pass he literally made contact fighting his way back in.
To his credit, we did gain one pole position.