Traffic in Dominican Republic

Driving here is not for the faint of heart.  It is always in the top 2 or 3 most dangerous places in the world to drive.  This year we maintained our number 2 status in UN nations.
My wife describes it as a live video game.  I tell folks (tourists mostly) that you need a set of eyes on each side of your head (total 4 sides), a neck that swivels 360 degrees and the reflexes of a 14 year old on a game boy.  Or imagine driving at rush hour in Rome with a blindfold on

Really there are very few traffic laws that are enforced on any kind or regular basis.  Stop signs and stop lights are merely suggestions.  Traffic is chaotic at best especially in the bigger cities at major intersections.

Most local vehicles could not pass the simplest of inspections and most drive with out a license or insurance

As a gringo Expat living here you need to be very careful and "play" by the rules.

When we are back in the US my wife is constantly saying..."what are you doing?  You are driving like  you are in the Dominican Republic"   

Oh and parking.   Anyplace your car sort of fits is a good parking spot

Bob K

If you enjoy advnture, are aggresive, have huevos of steel, a sence of humor & a surfeit of patience you will love driving here. I won't drive in the two big cities but have explored the island on my V-Star motorcycle. That is for me, the way to see the island.  Have very, very good insurance if you decide to drive here.

I live in the capital  city,  where  about 5 million people live or more.  Seems daily they are all on the road at the same time.

Rush hour starts at  6:30 am and runs till 9:30 then again from  11 to  3 pm and then again  from  4:30 to 8 pm or so.

Except friday - rush hour starts at  6:30 am and ends at  8:30 pm.

Except if it rains then it goes till 2 hours after the rain stops.

It is faster to take the Metro Subway here than it is to try to drive most days.

There are few rules that are enforced. Except if you are a gringo then we get stopped.

It is not for the weak stomachs or those who drive cautiously.  Don't try it. 

If you are outside the cities it is a bit better but still every man for himself!

Dominicans face to face, are usually friendly and pleasant. Behind the wheel or handlebars, they morph into beasts !! We call it the "Ley de la mas grande " I live outside Jarabacoa. It is much worse when the wealthy come to their second homes on weekends and holidaze !

Another thing to consider when driving in DR, whatever happens in case of an accident it will be your fault!  if you're toddling down the road driving safely and sensibly and an utterly drunk Dom with no licence, insurance etc smashes into you - Yep its your damn fault Gringo.
And soon, said Drunk plus assorted family members, lawyers , etc be queuing up to take El Gringo to the cleaners !

Not always true. Perhaps in the tourist zones that is the case. I had a drunk on a motorcycle hit me head on at 10:30 in the morning. Fortunately, I was going slow and he ended up underneath my Landcruiser ! The witnesses made him give me the 200 pesos he had in his pocket. I have lived and worked here off and on for 34 years, and have never encountered what you are mentioning. Again, I have never lived or spent much time in coastal tourist zones. I have heard the stories, but it has never happened to me personally.

Yes that happens mostly in the tourist zones.  I too had an accident a couple years ago - motorcycle hit me head on. I was cleared completely by the fiscal.

But I also know way too many stories where expats were hung out to dry. Remember if you are driving past your tourist visa with NO  Dominican license then whatever happens will be your fault

True story.  A friend had parked (legally) and went to lunch at a restaurant.  He watched as s moto ran into the back of his car. The Moto driver demanded money to fix his bike.  My friend told him to bug off.  Well the moto driver got lawyer and took my friend to court where he was told to pay the moto driver for damages and court costs.  Flabbergasted he asked the judge why and he was told that if did not park there (legal or not) then his car would not have been hit by the moto....how can you argue with that logic??????

Bob K

Hi. Sorry for the delay. Traffic is not bad in Punta Cana or any of the surrounding cities. But can get a little tricky in Santo Domingo, rush-hour usually about 30 minutes delay.

When do you plan on coming?

Punta cana is too small and broadly laid out to have much traffic.  That is fortunate. Also not much of a town as such either.

Bob I had a friend parked on the Malecon in Puerto Plata. 2 motos drove straight into her. She had to leave the country as they came after her for ridiculous amounts of money. She didnt have her license Nd so was at fault.

A 30 minute rush hour delay would be a good day! Sadly here not the usual.

I have spent 30 minutes at a traffic light in SD.
You could not pay me enough money to drive there.  Cabs are just fine

Bob K

I used to love to go there 30 years ago ! I stay far away ..... I miss the Restaurants😵

Restaurants, shopping, museums, theater, people watching etc etc

Best time here is easter week, everyone leaves for the beach!!!

Easter week now that is funny and so true
Still a nice place to visit and spend time but not to drive.
Bob K

Yes - from my limited experience - drive in (best on a Sat or Sun, find your hotel, then walk or take a taxi (a decent one - there is a choice) then depart on a Sat or Sun or well after afternoon rush hour.....

Easier and cheaper to take the bus and then use the cabs or walk. In the Zona Colonial with a hotel there you can basically walk the entire district.

Bob K

Yes. Take the bus -  i prefer Metro. Then use Uber or taxis. My preferred taxi is Apollo here in the capital.

The  colonial zone is a beautiful place to visit. Lots of history, museums, churches, forts etc. Endless choice of restaurants and clubs for night time. Shopping is limited and tourist priced. 

For shopoing jump in an Uber and go to Agora Mall!

Metro ! When I was a Peace Corps volunteer here 35 years ago, they were the ultimate. Out of our budget ! We would watch them sail by from our chicken bus with envy, when the Autopista Duarte was still just a dangerous 2 lane road !  It used to take over 9 hours to get to Santo Domingo from Rio Limpio outside Loma de Cabrera. Thanx for that Metro memory !

Wow!!!  I remember the trips from puerto Plata all the way to Punta Cana.  I drove and it was NUTS.  Metro is far better most of the time.......LOL

The only thing in Punta Cana back then was Sugar Cane ! And Club Med.

I am with you ! I used to drive a 911 ambulance in NYC and I am scared to drive especially on the Roures. Who wants to be driving behind a car with 10 mattresses !

An older thread but always a good topic to discuss and refresh thoughts on the challenges driving here.

There was an unfortunate event today on Autopista Las Americas which simply amazed me and brings me to post and resurrect this thread..

I drive all around this lovely country and understand and have adapted to the standards of driving and shortcomings faced driving the highways.

But how did this truck driver find his way into the Caribbean Sea off a decent highway  during daylight hours?

https://youtu.be/5ZVFExm_8p0

The requirements permitting people to drive commercial vehicles including buses are too lax in DR and you need to be fully aware of their presence around you whilst driving the roads here.

I saw this and wondered as well!

Always expect the unexpected. I will get out of the way of big trucks and let em go on by.  Often their tires are bald, breaks squeal etc. I don't want the breaks failing behind me thank you very much!

well, lennoxnev, you have to factor into the equation the disdain which Dominicans harbor for maintenance. as planner  suggests, it might have been a case of bad tires, or maybe he hit the brakes and the vehicle sped up, and he could not steer it, because the last time he checked steering fluid was when Balaguer was president.

So true!!!!!    A truck  I inherited with this business is OLD as hell and was badly maintained. I have spent some real money getting it fit to be on the roads again.   And I will keep it that way.  Soon will be shopping for a new truck..... hint hint..... will be hiring Cruffman!

I think it comes down more to training or rather lack of it with these drivers in HGV's. A good driver knows the condition of his truck.

Remember also the new regulations on tyres comes into effect in about 30 days and INTRANT will be all over vehicles for the first week or so. Big fines apparently for old and lack of tread tyres. I live alongside 30 de Mayo and have been looking at the trucks that ply the road to Haina and it appears to me that tyres are being changed for the better over the past few weeks. I hope so. And as you know bad tyres also extends to cars and SUV's imported where they have suffered being parked up and flat. They look good on first look but have flawed rubber which fails quickly.

And a word of advice, if you ever have to drive at night or indeed early morning, many delivery drivers have a habit of stopping at some bar or drink on the way to or from the cities and party before completing their journey often with a bottle of rum to sip. Yep drunken HGV drivers are common at these times. HGV accidents at these times are common but the one in the video was during the day. The story did say there were two other injuries. I wonder if he had cab company (common) or maybe he was on the phone or whats app?

I see this every day en route to work: truck drivers,  bus drivers, gua gua drivers,  private vehicle drivers ON THEIR DAMN PHONES. They are not even watching the road.  Really, they drive right past the police over and over and over. NO ONE does anything about it.

My staff are  told that being on your phone when driving MY vehicles is grounds for immediate dismissal without liquidation!

Something is happening with dealing with HGV vehicles on the road with defects.

Perhaps too slow for most of us but I have noticed some improvements, and on a trip to Bonao this week saw several trucks pulled over by DIGISETT.

This article in Diario Libre today suggest that infractions are being dished out to SGV's regularly too - 22,000 HGV vehicles since early January:

https://noticiassin.com/digesett-fiscal … es-faltas/

There is hope and I do like to see less HGV's in the outside lanes of the autopistas.

Getting those damn slow Daihatsus out of the outside lane should be next.

OKAY if I'm going in to the Canadian Visa Centre and perhaps the US Embassy I will want to stay at the Weston Inn & Suites. I know that area and have walked up to IKEA from there. But if I were to take a bus from Moca, any idea where the right bus stop/terminal would be?

Bus from Moca will likely terminate at km 9 on JFK and there is a metro station opposite but a taxi will likley be best at about 250rd..

https://www.google.com/maps/search/Domi … 697448,14z

Weston Inn is on 27th Febrero and the nearest metro is not far away near olympic stadium.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Westo … 69.9316959

Good choice of hotel in the centre of town imo, but traffic in and out can be horrendous on 27th between Churchill and Lincoln and the restricted turns.