Driving instructors

[DrNoob]

Please don't laugh. And yes, I have read a lot of posts about the dangers of driving in the DR, which is why I didn't even attempt it till now.

I hold driving licenses from a couple of countries (1 of them is quite crazy in terms of driving but getting better) but which those the UK system of driving on the left and manual/stick shift is common.
I am getting tired of taking cabs/privados/motos and would prefer to drive myself as I feel I would be able to travel and explore the country more if I hire a car when in the DR.

So I am thinking of getting a driving instructor and a few lessons for a couple of weeks so at least I won't be at fault and I could also switch with the girlfriend when driving long distances. I usually am in and around Puerto Plata/Sosua/Cabarete. Prefer POP as learning in a busy town is more useful. Of course, I will avoid Santo Domingo for as long as I can.
Just trying to do this properly.

Any recommendations ? Thanks in advance !

 

[chico bill]

How old are you ? Why do you think a Dominican can improve your driving skills ?
Because frankly they are not setup to teach someone who has been driving for years and maybe they only thing they could teach you is to properly cut off someone in traffic
But they might help you pass the driving test which is in Spanish

 

[Manuel01]

If you have a cedula, you can convert your foreign license to a local one. At least that was possible 18 years ago.
If you don't have a cedula, you can't get a DR license anyway.

 

[SKY]

If you have a cedula, you can convert your foreign license to a local one. At least that was possible 18 years ago.
If you don't have a cedula, you can't get a DR license anyway.

Not possible without going through ALL the tests, including driving. And I never heard of it 20 years ago either.................At least not a US license......

 

[JLSawmam]

If DrNoob isn't used to driving on the right (his post leads me to think that might be the case) and is seeking to practice but not be liable for any accident, then perhaps doing so with a paid instructor is an option. I don't know if that would work or not. I was stationed in England for three years, so I speak from experience that it wasn't easy to make the switch...had to constantly remind myself of which side was correct And I would sometimes try to get in on the passenger side of my right-hand drive car...habits!

 

[Manuel01]

Not possible without going through ALL the tests, including driving. And I never heard of it 20 years ago either.................At least not a US license......

i did it without driving test, vision, blood type and i was good to go. But it was more expensive than doing the regular exam. According to intrant it's still possible; https://intrant.gob.do/index.php/se...-licencia-de-conducir-extranjera-a-dominicana
Para cambiar una licencia de conducir extranjera a dominicana, se debe seguir un procedimiento que incluye:

1. Dirigirse a la Sede Principal de Licencias de Conducir
2. Pasar por Registro
3. Realizar una evaluación médica
4. Hacerse la tipificación sanguínea
5. Capturar datos, foto y firma
6. Recibir la licencia

 

[DrNoob]

How old are you ? Why do you think a Dominican can improve your driving skills ?
Because frankly they are not setup to teach someone who has been driving for years and maybe they only thing they could teach you is to properly cut off someone in traffic
But they might help you pass the driving test which is in Spanish

Thank you. I am in my mid-forties and have been driving for 16 years now (UK and India). So just want to get used to driving defensively in here rather than actual driving.

If you have a cedula, you can convert your foreign license to a local one. At least that was possible 18 years ago.
If you don't have a cedula, you can't get a DR license anyway.

Not looking to get a license, just lessons in driving here

If DrNoob isn't used to driving on the right (his post leads me to think that might be the case) and is seeking to practice but not be liable for any accident, then perhaps doing so with a paid instructor is an option. I don't know if that would work or not. I was stationed in England for three years, so I speak from experience that it wasn't easy to make the switch...had to constantly remind myself of which side was correct And I would sometimes try to get in on the passenger side of my right-hand drive car...habits!

Thank you, you get what I mean.

 

[monfongo]

I don't think you will learn to much from a driving instructor as all they do is drive up and down the malecon, at least that's how they do it in POP.

 

[JD Jones]

i did it without driving test, vision, blood type and i was good to go. But it was more expensive than doing the regular exam. According to intrant it's still possible; https://intrant.gob.do/index.php/se...-licencia-de-conducir-extranjera-a-dominicana
Para cambiar una licencia de conducir extranjera a dominicana, se debe seguir un procedimiento que incluye:

1. Dirigirse a la Sede Principal de Licencias de Conducir
2. Pasar por Registro
3. Realizar una evaluación médica
4. Hacerse la tipificación sanguínea
5. Capturar datos, foto y firma
6. Recibir la licencia

It used to be you had to surrender your existing license, you couldn't keep it.

 

[Manuel01]

Even more interesting is that according to intrant; you don't even need a cedula anymore to get a DR Driver lisence. A Working or Student Visa is good enough.

 

[Northern Coast Diver]

So I am thinking of getting a driving instructor and a few lessons for a couple of weeks so at least I won't be at fault and I could also switch with the girlfriend when driving long distances. I usually am in and around Puerto Plata/Sosua/Cabarete. Prefer POP as learning in a busy town is more useful. Of course, I will avoid Santo Domingo for as long as I can.

To answer your question...In Puerto Plata, go to the baseball stadium at the traffic circle. On the road that circles the stadium within the parking area, are 3 or 4 driving schools, ready to give lessons, each morning.

 

[josh2203]

I don't think you will learn to much from a driving instructor as all they do is drive up and down the malecon, at least that's how they do it in POP.

Exactly. This the problem. My wife learned nothing in the driving school, I taught her everything. You won't get any normal traffic, no turning, no traffic lights in the driving school.

For switching from left-hand traffic to right-hand, just start in a quieter area, for example the Malecon, you get it quickly.

Or, if you have a car at your disposal, you might hire a driving instructor to take you to the POP city center, as apparently their their own cars, they are not allowed to enter there.

 

[DrNoob]

To answer your question...In Puerto Plata, go to the baseball stadium at the traffic circle. On the road that circles the stadium within the parking area, are 3 or 4 driving schools, ready to give lessons, each morning.

Thank you. Will give this a go next week. will go with a friend to avoid being gringo-priced.

Exactly. This the problem. My wife learned nothing in the driving school, I taught her everything. You won't get any normal traffic, no turning, no traffic lights in the driving school.

For switching from left-hand traffic to right-hand, just start in a quieter area, for example the Malecon, you get it quickly.

Or, if you have a car at your disposal, you might hire a driving instructor to take you to the POP city center, as apparently their their own cars, they are not allowed to enter there.

Thanks but I will probably try this somewhere other than the Malecon, been seeing too many accident videos and a family member of someone I know got hit a few days back in the Malecon.

I might do this with the instructors car elsewhere. I just need some confidence, I suppose

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

Maybe, "your gut" is telling you something. Perhaps for you driving in the DR is not a good idea. There is a reason the DR is on the list of top countries where driving results in high numbers of deadly traffic accidents.

You can take a lot of uber rides for the cost of a car and good insurance. You can rest assured that the driving schools in Puerto Plata are only geared towards passing the license test and there is no in-car training offered. A defensive driving class is a foreign concept in this country; where drivers believe going faster makes it possible for you to avoid being hit by the slower vehicles.

 

[slowmo]

Any recommendations ? Thanks in advance !

Get a dash cam.

 

[josh2203]

Thanks but I will probably try this somewhere other than the Malecon, been seeing too many accident videos and a family member of someone I know got hit a few days back in the Malecon.

I might do this with the instructors car elsewhere. I just need some confidence, I suppose

In my opinion, the Malecon isn't really any learning environment, as said, the cars drive there as as per the instructor, they are not allowed in the city. So if you can, definitely stay away from the Malecon to learn, you don't really get to learn anything there. The only thing my wife truly learned in the driving school was parallel parking reversing, that's what they do well, but that was in front of the said stadium, with no traffic whatsoever. They had even this staged area with cones and everything, good job there, but if parking is really the only thing you can do behind the wheel, that's doesn't quite work...

Good area, to just handing a vehicle would be peaceful streets in any residencial, we frequented Torre Alta 1-3 and Cerro Mar for this on a daily basis while the kids were in the school. That was fun. This was before she even started in the driving school. So if right-hand driving is something you need to practice, then those areas could work as little traffic, but a lot of turning and such involved.

 

[windeguy]

Not possible without going through ALL the tests, including driving. And I never heard of it 20 years ago either.................At least not a US license......

I don't think he has a US license, but rather a UK one.
Not sure if they validate UK licenses for such purposes in the DR for legal residents here.

I saw no reason to take lessons before driving here. I just bought a car in Santo Domingo and drove it home.

 

[drstock]

I don't think he has a US license, but rather a UK one.
Not sure if they validate UK licenses for such purposes in the DR for legal residents here.

I saw no reason to take lessons before driving here. I just bought a car in Santo Domingo and drove it home.

When I got my DR licence, about twelve years ago, it was possible to get one by using a UK licence after Residency. But you had to do it in Santo Domingo and it was pretty complicated. I just took the DR test like a normal driver to save time and trouble. It was a piece of cake, but somebody with no Spanish could struggle.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with driving lessons. Their only useful purpose is getting useless, inexperienced drivers through the test. I remember when I was taking my test, the booklet they give you to memorise the DR "rules of the road" had two different sets of speed limits on different pages. I went to one of the Puerto Plata driving school offices to ask which limits were correct, and they had no idea!

 

[SKY]

Twenty years ago I could have got a blind man a license in PP........

 

[DrNoob]

Thank you, I am going to take @josh2203's suggestion of Torre Alta, promise the girlfriend not to damage the car and do the practice in Torre Alta.
Then drive to Jumbo the next day and then to Malecon via the roundabout so slowly add more complexity (and danger levels) and then do a trip to Santiago for highway driving and more city traffic. The parking I can do quite well (UK city parking can be quite challenging, especially central London) so going to ditch the instructors idea. Will try to get the highway code equivalent booklet here and give it a read.

Thanks @drstock and @josh2203