There are folks who drive here a LOT and casual drivers/tourists.
It's a fact that by "civilised" Euro-Norte Americano standards night driving here is somewhat...well...different. It's not just the drivers, though. It's also the poor road conditions, the lack of stripes made with reflective paint, few raised reflectors and inconsistent street lighting.
Note, once again those with time and experience in country picked up on exactly what the intent of this thread is all about, and those without much...well...got bunched knickers.
Some of y'all need better observation skills. Next time you get behind one of those guaguas at night with the mega high-beams, please note how almost all oncoming vehicles will dim their lights, even those with very bright headlights. And vice versa.
This goes back to Dominican culture. They like music that foriegners find absurdly loud. THEY don't think it's loud, and think you're kinda weird for not liking the loud music. They like it that way. But there IS a volume that even Dominicans think is too loud. I've been to places where folks ask for the volume turmed dowm...usually to level that I...a sensitive eared gringo...think is still too loud.
Dominicans use the horns on their cars entirely different than the "civilized" Euro-Norte Americanos do. WE use them pretty much one way: defense. THEY...you know, the uncivilized "high almighty attutude" Dominicans, not the "civilized" Euro-Norte Americanos...use those horns for all sorts of reasons, and several layers of communicaton. Culture.
The same goes for lights on a car. WE...well, maybe you other Euro-Norte Americanos, since I may be one of the "high almighty attitude" Expats...have a much lower tolerance of light discomfort than Dominicans do. WE have more light, period. Our roads are better lit and roads without reflective paint stripes, centerlines, passing stripes, out-of-lane vibrators, reflective signs, etc. are almost unheard of. WE will harrrumph harrumph to city hall and tell those road bureaucrats we are taxpayers, by damn, and we DEMAND for things to get fixed.
Here? Meh. Not so much. The state did a fine job resurfacing several miles of the autopista between faux toll and Santiago...and for 2 months now you cannot see squat on it at night. Not even with high beams. Fresh asphalt may make for a smooth ride, but it reflects almost no light so you can't see jack: not even where the side is. As one poster said in a PM, it'll take a catastrophic mega-death crash to get something done and I agree. I doubt they have the money (it was probably budgeted...but that new Jeepeta was more important...:cheeky
Dominicans are ~used~ to higher amounts of light from vehicles, well, it's really dark and they need to see. Like we need to see. But THEY know the unwritten rules: stock high beams are not that bright, they don't blind me. But you'll note that when another car with super-bright lights flash...well, that's a little different.
And for the highly cultured, proudly civilized, easily offended out there, please, get your humor sensors re-calibrated. The lights I got are over-the-counter, nothing too ridiculous, just a LOT brighter than the standard, a good thing, as...I'll bet you didn't know this...it can be VERY DARK OUT THERE SOMETIMES. I've got tens of thousands of miles on me all over the country in every imaginable condition...including dust storms in the southwest, Hurricanes in the northeast/Cibao and floods in Santiago.
But, yes, if some guy won't lower his lights after a couple of courtesy flashes, I'm not going to lower mine. I'm done with that crap. If that puts me in the uncivilized "high almighty attitude" category, well so be it. I don't care. I'm becoming Dominican.
But I will never stop fantizing about my Death Ray high-beams. Some guys think of hookers. I think of high beams. Yes. Weird...:bunny:
