Driving, dr style

lumiere987

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Jul 4, 2007
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Beware new drivers to the DR, what you have learned about driving code in your respective countries does not necessarily apply here for the moment. Old timers here can probably tell you and submit to this thread both good and horrendous experiences on the road. I now have over a year driving in the country and I would like to share my limited observations. :chinese:

First of all, I do not support the notion that you should not travel by car in the DR.

The first day here, I rented a car?(Not all car rental agencies are the same) and I am sure many unpleasant experiences can occur. I never got problems renting with the exception of a Boca Chica rental company who charged me for a tire which was destroyed on the highway, not because of a pothole, but simply worn out. They charged me and lost months of rental business from me?This particular company, as many here, could not see the long term benefits.

Do not for a minute believe the maps?.What may look like a main road is not necessarily what it is the actuality; I had calculated a trip based on the map at the leasurely speed of 45 miles an hour, not knowing that for 40 or so miles my speed ended up abruptly after changing from a beautiful highway to a dirt road with potholes all over, reduced to to 5 miles and hour average. Of course I was not driving a 4x4 which would have helped a bit. The road was so bad that I had to ask to make sure I was still on the correct road?and on a rainy day!.....forget it. To be fair, I must say that I have seen the road infrastructure is improving tremendously and some highways are a pleasure to be on and being able to stop and enjoy magnificent sites is a must.

Driving both offensively and defensively is my way of looking at things. Offensively if you want to get anywhere; ?courtesy? here translates by ?taking advantage?. So, if you want to go anywhere, you have to be forceful and somewhat daring. On the other hand, defensive driving is a must?Forget the notions of priorities; it does not exist. Driving on the wrong side of the road, driving the wrong way in a one-way street, burning red lights, being passed from the side of the road?.all of this is possible. If you go with the notion that nothing can possibly come from this side or that side?They will prove you wrong. Speed limit is not a word here?One of the most difficult things for me to do here was to pass police cars on the highway at high speed. True that I enjoy the freedom of driving at the speed I like without fear of being stopped by a radar totting cop. Even though driving in the capital city is mayhem and I imagine that driving in other cities here is the same; Yet, I am surprised at the small numbers of accident I witnessed so far?Far less accidents here than in big cities I have been driving in (US, Europe and South America).

Night time driving is a risky proposition; junkyard cars and trucks are on the road at all time?Adjusting their lights not to blind someone else is the least of their problems and no difference between low beam and high beam here, and even worst no beam at all! I remember returning one evening during a tropical depression and almost colliding with a big truck on the left side of the highway going at 15 miles per hour, driving with no front or back lights. On a 30 mile drive that night I counted 2 trucks 3 cars and an assortment of moto-conchos without either back lights or no lights at all.

Now policemen are everywhere and you may be pulled on the side by a roadblock. It can sometimes be a not so pleasant proposition. I was one time with a Dominican friend, driving on the highway, he told me at the site of 2 policemen on the side, ?if these particular cops attempt to stop you, keep on going, these guys are known to stop you and ask for money so, wave at them and keep on going?. I have not been in that situation on the highway even though some local cops have attempted to get a few pesos from me. Other residents have told me that if I get into an accident and hit some person on the highway?keep on going to the nearest police station; if you stay you may get lynched. Very difficult decision to take if you get into a situation like that. A couple of weeks ago I saw a mangled body on the highway with a police car nearby, obviously a hit and run?no sheet over the body, just a small piece of cardboard on the face. I was stopped in Santo Domingo by a police car with two young officers in greyish uniforms; I was totally lost, trying to find my way out of the city. They asked me papers, I explained in my broken spanish that I was lost?They told me to follow them. I was not sure to either take off my own way or follow them, I had fears of being taken somewhere and robbed or shot by them. I prepared a few payoffs pesos just in case and hid the rest. They took me it looked like everywhere and nothing made too much sense to me until I recognized where I was, back on the right road. They stopped, came to my car, I thanked them and handed over a couple of hundred pesos for ?cerbesas? I said?The two young men got offended and refused?So there goes the notion that all cops are rotten. I thanked them profusely and went on my way. Not the same experience with some officers; I got a ticket for being on my cell phone; a friend got a ticket for not wearing his seatbelt. Of course you can be a moto-concho and carry 4 persons behind you without helmet and a baby in your arm without getting a ticket or drive at night without lights. Hard to explain these priorities. Like to hear your experiences and comments.:ninja:
 

granca

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Aug 20, 2007
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I first thought that ? might is right?, the bigger you were the more priority you took. This, however, is not true, many times has somebody waved or stopped to let me through. Apart from the thought that they are all stark raving bonkers every time I drive I seem to have no problems and go where ever I want. Just one golden rule I have is DON?T DRIVE AT NIGHT.
 

MikeFisher

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Feb 28, 2006
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to the motoconcho with 4 passengers and a baby in the arms,
the only legal reason to stop him would be if the driver doesn't wear a helmet,
the law doesn't count the passengers here.
i am driving on the island over 13 years now,
and i am on the road due to business every day,
road up and down, mostly just here in the area of punta cana and higuey,
i don't visit st dgo more often than nec., don't like big cities nowhere.
eventhat we still have a bunch of cars and trucks aso without the proper lights working, motoconchos will sure not have working backlights within this milennium, but i have to say that from my own observation over time, it is improving.
not so many years back here in my small home area PC it was a rarity to find at nighttime a car/vehicle with all lights working, front and backlights. today i would say it goes towards the opposite. most vehicles(the motoconchos are the 100% exception!) have their lights working and get stopped at different checkpoints when this is not so. yes, to explain the need of adjusting the beam height of a light, ooh yeeah, we can't get it all at one time.
little by little it will come closer to civilized driving.
one huge agreement with the OP's statement/observation:
from my first day on experiencing dominican traffic i wondered myself how it comes that there are very few accidents, specially hard accidents, compared to that mass of crazy driving.
but it is a matter of fact.
stay save everybody
Mike
 

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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i believe there is a law for the amount of passengers on a motorconcho- depends on childrens ages and whatnot
 

MikeFisher

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JR,
basically you are right,
like in a car's matricula is written how many passengers the car is built for.
but before the country will take a look on such or the need of seatbelts for passengers and not only the driver of a car or the use of carseats for children and not to carry the whole bunch on mommy's nees on the passenger front seat, yeap, i think before the country goe's into such details we will first see some more time passing by, lol.
Mike
 

socuban

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Nov 24, 2002
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It's not just a drive, it's an adventure!

I've been stopped for;

Running red lights
Not having the registration up to date
Gun/doc check

I don't have a problem driving around SD at any hour, it's the long rides back from the campos at night that can be treacherous with above mentioned "obstacles" on the road. Add rain and any major thoroughfare at night becomes a white knuckle ride.

The city is like a bumper car ride.........
 
Also if you are involved in an auto accident and there are any injuries you will be arrested until they sort it all out,and if you are a foreigner be prepared to pay $$$$$$ thru the a$$. No matter who is at fault you will be found at fault, I have seen it happen to several people.
 

NV_

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Aug 4, 2003
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I love driving in this country. No stress of being on the lookout for the cops when you want to test out your new ride. Red lights arent mandatory if there are no amets around. All road rules are optional as long as there are no amets to catch you. Its all out chaos but thats a good thing with my style of driving.

As for the last post about auto accidents, #1 rule, if you can take off after an accident, DO IT! Chances are slim to none that you will get caught AND the hell that you will go through if you DO stick around is not worth it (especially when all the affected parties realize you arent dominican). IF an AMET tries to stop you and there is an opporunity to take off, DO IT....

In other words, the "law" here is NOT to be respected. Untill you see an officer (using that word to describe the clowns who enforce the laws in this country is somewhat funny) with a weapon in his hands, all bets are off. If a cop with a weapon IN HIS HAND attempts to stop you, DO IT, these clowns are ALL itchin to let off a few rounds. Thankfully it takes a lot for a cop to unholster his weapon here (at least the traffic cops). As for the rest of these cops, if you see a weapon in there hands, stop.
 

Sanation

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May 21, 2007
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Great post, Lumiere987!

*Touch Wood* I've been driving for 7 months in this country (mainly in the Capital) and other than a couple of road rage incidents (that is me enraged!) I have had no 'bad experiences' to report.

I was stopped by the Police last night coming out of Carrefour (just off Autopista Duarte). I put the window down, they saw I was a Gringa and they motioned me to move on. (I think it threw them when I indicated to move to the side of the road!) :cheeky:

I actually enjoying driving in this country - yes it is frustrating at times, I swear alot - but heah, it's all part of the fun. Night driving can be interesting and you do need to be extra vigilent (isn't that what the high-beams and horn are for?). ;)
 

Castellamonte

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Mar 3, 2005
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I've been driving around the Dominican Republic for about eight years now. When I first came to the island I quickly realized that there are three criteria for purchasing a vehicle. First is size, the larger the better, second is lights, the brighter the better, and last is noice, the louder the horn the better. So I purchased by Ford F150 Lariat, added offroad 250,000 candlepower flood lights and added two additional horns.

Size matters because, rightly or wrongly, people tend to notice larger vehicles more and and tend to dive out of the way faster. That's beneficial to me. Dominicans (and gringos who drive like Dominicans) tend to ignore anything that isn't causing an artificial eclipse of the midday sun. Big ass trucks are great for that!

Candlepower matters because as you are zipping down the road you may notice there is a distinct lack of streetlights. With huge floods you can snap them on and see a mile or so ahead. It is also easier to pick out the motoconchos with 5 people and a pig on them but sadly lacking any lights, front or rear. Otherwise you might squish a few folks and even that will cause people to take a dim view of your driving skills.

It's also useful for the morons who come at you with more lights than an aircraft landing at Las Americas. Flash them your candlepower and they blink and shut theirs down to a more standard level. At least until they pass...

Noise is useful because you need to beep at folks when you are passing them. Their minds are either in different places or missing altogether. A nice beep will get their attention. Unless there is a huge speaker system nearby drowning out every other noise on the planet. That's when the 'horns on steroids' come in handy.

After eight years I can tell you I've been in a few accidents, none of them my fault. No one has been hurt beyond a headache or scratch. Knock on wood.

Driving here is an adventure. It's also extremely dangerous. If you are a very good driver, exceptional even, it won't matter a whit. Drive at your own risk!
 

lumiere987

Member
Jul 4, 2007
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1 million $ car insurance to be safe

Also if you are involved in an auto accident and there are any injuries you will be arrested until they sort it all out,and if you are a foreigner be prepared to pay $$$$$$ thru the a$$. No matter who is at fault you will be found at fault, I have seen it happen to several people.

I understood that if you take 1 million pesos car insurance, the insurance company will bat for you; they arrest you but put you in a hotel instead of a jail...Does anyone know??
 

theman

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Aug 25, 2008
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I understood that if you take 1 million pesos car insurance, the insurance company will bat for you; they arrest you but put you in a hotel instead of a jail...Does anyone know??


1 million pesos? You cant be serious, it's almost 29k US !!! For Insurance. I would rather give a couple of hundreds to the cops.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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1 million pesos? You cant be serious, it's almost 29k US !!! For Insurance. I would rather give a couple of hundreds to the cops.
That's the policy limit, not the premium.

A RD$1 million peso full-coverage policy on my 2002 X-Terra ran about RD$25,000...
 

SKY

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Apr 11, 2004
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I understood that if you take 1 million pesos car insurance, the insurance company will bat for you; they arrest you but put you in a hotel instead of a jail...Does anyone know??


There are hotels run by the Insurance Companys, but they are pretty much either in Santiago or SD. Your insurance company can and should give you the information you need. If you are in an accident with injuries call your Insurance Agent immediately. You should have his or her cell phone number handy. Also a lawyer will help.
 

lumiere987

Member
Jul 4, 2007
136
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I love driving in this country. No stress of being on the lookout for the cops when you want to test out your new ride. Red lights arent mandatory if there are no amets around. All road rules are optional as long as there are no amets to catch you. Its all out chaos but thats a good thing with my style of driving.

As for the last post about auto accidents, #1 rule, if you can take off after an accident, DO IT! Chances are slim to none that you will get caught AND the hell that you will go through if you DO stick around is not worth it (especially when all the affected parties realize you arent dominican). IF an AMET tries to stop you and there is an opporunity to take off, DO IT....

In other words, the "law" here is NOT to be respected. Untill you see an officer (using that word to describe the clowns who enforce the laws in this country is somewhat funny) with a weapon in his hands, all bets are off. If a cop with a weapon IN HIS HAND attempts to stop you, DO IT, these clowns are ALL itchin to let off a few rounds. Thankfully it takes a lot for a cop to unholster his weapon here (at least the traffic cops). As for the rest of these cops, if you see a weapon in there hands, stop.

I must say that your rule #1, to take off after an accident if you can, would be a difficult thing for me to do. Are you suggesting to take off and not report it? What if someone on the other side is hurt? Do you not come to the help of a person in danger?
I wonder if this is the opinion of many others here...
 

LaTeacher

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May 2, 2008
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i think it probably depends on the severity of the accident. i'm with you. lumiere, in that i couldn't take off if someone is hurt or in danger of being hurt in the aftermath. is it really worth the money and hassle you save if the person dies? i don't know.

but i am with NV if it's a little fender bender or something less serious that wouldn't leave people (seriously) injured.
 

MikeFisher

The Fisherman/Weather Mod
Feb 28, 2006
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I love driving in this country. No stress of being on the lookout for the cops when you want to test out your new ride. Red lights arent mandatory if there are no amets around. All road rules are optional as long as there are no amets to catch you. Its all out chaos but thats a good thing with my style of driving.

As for the last post about auto accidents, #1 rule, if you can take off after an accident, DO IT! Chances are slim to none that you will get caught AND the hell that you will go through if you DO stick around is not worth it (especially when all the affected parties realize you arent dominican). IF an AMET tries to stop you and there is an opporunity to take off, DO IT....

In other words, the "law" here is NOT to be respected. Untill you see an officer (using that word to describe the clowns who enforce the laws in this country is somewhat funny) with a weapon in his hands, all bets are off. If a cop with a weapon IN HIS HAND attempts to stop you, DO IT, these clowns are ALL itchin to let off a few rounds. Thankfully it takes a lot for a cop to unholster his weapon here (at least the traffic cops). As for the rest of these cops, if you see a weapon in there hands, stop.

that's the most stupid post i ever read and full of low-life talking.
if you ever have a accident and you are the injured person bleeding while trapped in his wrack i wish you that other people around are more human than you are and help you out there to save your life.
Mike