- Thread starter irishpaddy
- Start date
dealing with police/ladrones
I will add my vote to the never drive in the DR again list. I tried, survived but it's just not worth the risk and anxiety when driving here. I am an experienced NYC driver but trust me nothing compares to like the DR, ok maybe Mombasa or Hong Kong.
I drove a Toyota 4x4 Hilux SUV, was never stopped and I assume it was the size and umphh of that particular vehicle. But dealing with people hanging off your bumpers, cutting lanes in front of you, and last but not least the golden rule of 3rd world driving - "It's always the Gringo Fault" drove me to finally sell my truck and never drive in the DR again.
Same with thinking about the DR as a retirement haven - forget it, i'll come and visit but never live here fulltime.
I drove a Toyota 4x4 Hilux SUV, was never stopped and I assume it was the size and umphh of that particular vehicle. But dealing with people hanging off your bumpers, cutting lanes in front of you, and last but not least the golden rule of 3rd world driving - "It's always the Gringo Fault" drove me to finally sell my truck and never drive in the DR again.
Same with thinking about the DR as a retirement haven - forget it, i'll come and visit but never live here fulltime.
As said in previous posts, it's really up to you how you want to handle this problem. As for me, I only stop for the police/amet etc. when absolutely cornered or trapped. If there is anyway to go around, turn before, avoid I will do it and not stop no matter what they are doing to stop me. I just look the other way and keep on driving. If trapped and have to stop then I argue and fight in english first and act like a dumb confused American, it this doesn't work to get me out of the situation then I switch to Spanish and continue arguing and fighting with them. Usually they let me go but if necessary I will give them 100 pesos and that usually does the trick. If they give me a ticket then I tear it up and throw it out the window as soon as I'm out of site of them. Never had a single problem at the airport when leaving, getting new registration or anything. Never have my discarded tickets came back to haunt me yet. That's been my experience and I love driving here as opposed to the U.S. as you can literally get away with anything.
I understand the desire to be immediately and conveniently mobile. Until I moved to the DR, I always had a vehicle, sometimes two and usually several bicycles. My life style since I stopped working doesn't necessitate a car. Yes in January, in the middle of a blizzard at -25C it was an easy decision to warm up the car and drive to work. When it was raining and I needed to go somewhere I'd hop in the car. After I stopped commuting to work, my car sat in the driveway and didn't move at least 21 days out of every month.
Here, however, if one does an honest assessment of the need for a car the results might be surprising. It is hard to get over the convenience factor and our upbringing in a car dominated society. But a list of pros/cons is pretty telling. Now, I can't stand on the side of a road without being asked 5 times in 10 minutes if I need a ride. Down the street and around the corner, sure I'll hop on a concho. Between Sosua and Cabarete and sometimes POP, I'll do the guagua if I'm feeling particularly thrifty. Otherwise I call a guy from my list of touristica taxis and off we go. They love me when I call them and their AC always works.
If you don't need to travel any great distance everyday - like to work and home or you live close to town or a subway maybe a car of your own is not be an absolute necessity. Necessity and desire are not the same thing.
Everyone gets to make up their own mind. I am pleasantly surprised to see the number of people here who have voluntarily decided that driving and vehicle ownership is not for them. People who need a vehicle should of course get one. Those who have a vehicle just because they always have had one or prefer to have one, may not be adequately weighing the costs vs benefits. With respect to the "costs", I'm not even considering the economics.
I see the need for someone who lives in a place like Cabrera or Constanza, to have a car. With guaguas, taxis, buses and in one case a subway, some may not really need to expose themselves to the risk of driving everywhere all the time or at anytime.
I have said many times before, you can take a lots of private taxis for the cost of a P.O.S. car in this country and never have to talk to a hot and thirsty cop. If you are driving here strictly for the sake of convenience and you are being stopped frequently cuz someone says they are hungry, and this makes you concerned, that in and of itself is pretty telling. Convenience has its costs and risks here. Either reevaluate your circumstances or accept those as part of the cost of convenience.
Here, however, if one does an honest assessment of the need for a car the results might be surprising. It is hard to get over the convenience factor and our upbringing in a car dominated society. But a list of pros/cons is pretty telling. Now, I can't stand on the side of a road without being asked 5 times in 10 minutes if I need a ride. Down the street and around the corner, sure I'll hop on a concho. Between Sosua and Cabarete and sometimes POP, I'll do the guagua if I'm feeling particularly thrifty. Otherwise I call a guy from my list of touristica taxis and off we go. They love me when I call them and their AC always works.
If you don't need to travel any great distance everyday - like to work and home or you live close to town or a subway maybe a car of your own is not be an absolute necessity. Necessity and desire are not the same thing.
Everyone gets to make up their own mind. I am pleasantly surprised to see the number of people here who have voluntarily decided that driving and vehicle ownership is not for them. People who need a vehicle should of course get one. Those who have a vehicle just because they always have had one or prefer to have one, may not be adequately weighing the costs vs benefits. With respect to the "costs", I'm not even considering the economics.
I see the need for someone who lives in a place like Cabrera or Constanza, to have a car. With guaguas, taxis, buses and in one case a subway, some may not really need to expose themselves to the risk of driving everywhere all the time or at anytime.
I have said many times before, you can take a lots of private taxis for the cost of a P.O.S. car in this country and never have to talk to a hot and thirsty cop. If you are driving here strictly for the sake of convenience and you are being stopped frequently cuz someone says they are hungry, and this makes you concerned, that in and of itself is pretty telling. Convenience has its costs and risks here. Either reevaluate your circumstances or accept those as part of the cost of convenience.
I drive from Jarabacoa to Santiago about 3-4 times a month and to Santo Domingo about every three months. I have been stopped twice by AMET , both times for making illegal left turns and both times my wife talked them out of tickets. The only PN we have been stopped by are at the roadblock they put up between Jarabacoa and La Vega ( near the autopista Duarte) and never had any issues. I don't find driving here hard, although my body feels the tension after I get home. I have driven in three or four middle Eastern countries as well as Greece, Italy, and Cyprus. Santo Domingo driving is a pleasure compare to Cairo or Athens.
Ditto, 5-6 times a month to Santiago, 2-3 times a month to Santo Domingo, the odd monthly excursions to other destinations, not including 120,000+km all over the country by motorcycle.
We've been stopped four times in 8.5 years: one blowing a red light I couldn't see, blinded by a high truck in front of us at Estrella Sadhala & Argentina, once in the same spot because of excessively tinted glass, two weeks ago on the Autopista for doing 15km over the limit and once on the Jimao road just leaving the Sabaneta de Yasica by the PN looking for documents when they still had traffic enforcement. No tickets, although no doubt the officers were frustrated.
We've been stopped three times by PN near La Vega looking for guns---always on weekends. One voluntarily cost a Gatorade (which we buy in bulk.)
We had a guest on a motorcycle randomly stopped by the Army between Nagua & La Entrada---one of 7 on bikes. Some outrage in English about "extranjero turismo" ended that one pronto.
Living in the DR is not for everyone, nor is driving in the DR.
IMO, it all has to do with adaptive behaviors: some cannot wipe the culture of their homeland from their brain, and cannnot cope with living out of that box. Some cannot adapt---which includes predictive behaviors---to the driving conditions here. Some fall prey to exaggerated anecdotes about supposedly predatory behaviors of the authorities. Some cannot abide by the #1 difference between the driving culture in the DR and that from which they came.
In the states & Canuckia, your "personal space" on the road is around 3.5-4'---if a vehicle or pedestrian gets within that radius, it's time to freak out. In the DR that personal space is about 6". If you can't deal with that reality, then you shouldn't be on the road.
Adapting to predictive behaviors is also critical: yes, a moto will cut in front of you. Yes, a car or truck will try to muscle into your lane without warning. Yes, people & slower motos are right off the road. Yes, motos will go the wrong way down a one-way street and act all manner the fool. Yes, that red light is merely a suggestion. Yes, "yield right of way" is a non-sequitur. Yes, that vehicle in front of you may just suddenly stop. Yes, all those cars around you between 5 & 8pm may have a drunk driver at the wheel, as well as any car on the road after noon on weekends. So understand the risks you face and mitigate them as best as you can.
I, for one, find the "rules of the road" here refreshing. While it can indeed be organized chaos, those who embrace the chaos can thrive. Those fearful of chaos will succumb, and shouldn't be here.
Always remember: you are the foreign body in the Dominican Driving Culture Petri Dish. It's up to YOU to adapt---or perish.
I wrote a short ebook that describes the driving culture of the DR along with suggested strategeries. While aimed specifically at motorcycling, it is equally helpful for cage drivers here. If you PM me your email address and preferred format---.pdf, .doc, .epub or .mobi---I'll be happy to send you a copy.