Friday, July 6, 2018

Driving in Santo Domingo

Ever since I arrived in Santo Domingo a year and a half ago, I’ve been wanting to write something about the traffic here. But it is so complicated, it’s had to percolate in my brain all this time as I try to figure out how to adequately explain it.  

So that I don't sound overly negative about the Dominican Republic, here's a picture from my visit last fall to Bahia de las Aguilas, which is widely considered to be the most beautiful beach in the DR (and possibly the world, depending on who you talk to). It was gorgeous and pristine, and I am honored to have been able to go there.


And now that we've had that palate cleanser, let's talk traffic. To start, it’s important to know that, according to the World Health Organization, the DR is ranked #14 in the world for traffic related deaths. In the Western Hemisphere, it’s #1. (#1 on the global list is Thailand.) I’ve also heard that the DR is #2 in the world for motorcycle deaths. I haven’t been able to confirm that statistic, but it would lend credence to what most people say - that a majority of those traffic deaths involve motorcycles. When you arrive, you are told that the question is not IF you will be in an accident, but WHEN.  

The only way I can even attempt to explain traffic here is to break it down.

The Actors: 

1)  Guaguas (vans) and carro publicos (sorta taxis) – These are basically your public transportation options. All of these look like they are survivors of a demolition derby. They are completely battered. Most don’t have any functioning break lights, turn signals, etc, because they’ve all been smashed. I regularly see doors attached with duct tape (or held up by the driver’s arm) and cardboard where the windows should be. The side mirrors are often broken. The seats inside barely have any cushioning. And they cram WAY more people into these vehicles than they were ever intended to hold. So they’re basically demolition derby clown cars. The drivers make their living on the road, so they believe the road belongs to them. You always let them go ahead of you in traffic, because they don’t care if they hit you. I haven’t had this happen to me, but I’ve heard that sometimes they’ll bump your car to try to get you to move out of the way. Hence, their smashed headlights. Ending up behind one can mean that you’re stuck going 10 mph while they look for more people to cram into their cars. But it can also mean that you can sneak through heavy traffic, because they’ll create a path. [Note: I've heard that the new traffic law limits the number of people that can ride in a car. I have not yet noticed that this law is being observed.]

2)  Motorcycles – Some are taxis. Some are just people with motorcycles. A few have side mirrors. They often have at least two people on them. I've seen up to four people on a motorcycle. Sometimes a baby is smooshed between the driver and the passenger. Sometimes a baby is riding on the passenger's hip, completely open to the wind and whatever crazy car goes by. The drivers are required to wear helmets, but the passengers are not. Sometimes the driver "wears" a helmet by hanging it from their arm. I'm sure their elbow appreciates it. What I've seen most often lately is that the helmet is technically on their head, but it's pushed so far up (either on their head or over a baseball cap that the driver is also wearing) that the part that would normally cover their chin is "protecting" their forehead. Motorcycles follow NO rules of the road. They drive down the left side, the right side, the middle, the sidewalk... Basically, wherever they can get by. At least once per day, I am going around a curve in the road to suddenly find a motorcycle coming straight at me in my lane. They often appear to be operating under the assumption that all the rest of us on the road are stationary, and that wherever we are when they look at us, that is where we will be in five seconds. Motorcycles have crossed from my left to my right practically right under my bumper while I'm in motion. I've seen a motorcycle do the same thing with a Mack truck, and I'm still amazed that guy is alive.

3)  Daihatsu - There are a ton of used Japanese Daihatsu trucks or used trucks from other countries, such as Korea. Some are big trucks. Some are the small, flat-bed pickup trucks that are piled higher than the cab with bananas or some other fruit or vegetable. Some of the trucks are missing their bumpers. Some are missing the entire hood of the vehicle, so that the engine is just out in the elements hanging on by whatever. (Sorry, I'm not a car person.)

4)  The other cars – There are plenty of cars on the road that are just your standard vehicles: Hondas, Hyundais, Toyotas, Kias, and the occasional Porsche or Lexus or Mercedes.

5) Bicycles/pushcarts - To add a little flavor, you also have the occasional guy pushing a cart - or a bicycle attached to a cart - down the side of the road. He's got coconuts or pineapples or ice cream or something else to sell.

6) AMET (traffic police) – These guys have a thankless job. But sometimes there's a reason you're not thanking them. They are often at busy intersections directing traffic. Sometimes they are helpful with the flow of traffic. Sometimes you spend an extra 15 minutes at an intersection because they are letting other people go and go and go, or they skipped your side in the rotation. When they tell cars to stop, people don't pay attention and five more cars go flying by. Although in that sense, they're treated the same as a traffic light. 

7)  Others – And then there are the people crossing the street or at the intersections trying to sell you stuff. Or if you're on your way to the Embassy, standing in the middle of the lane waving a sign trying to get people heading to the Consular Section to go use their parking lot. And if you get off the main roads a little, you can have stray dogs or the occasional chicken that will decide to cross the road. I don't know why the chickens want to cross the road.

The Rules:

HAHAHA.  You’re funny.

Seriously, I don’t think drivers here acknowledge the existence of any rules or laws with regard to driving. Including the laws of physics. Reference my previous comments regarding the motorcycles. I've heard that the driving test in the DR is to simply go out to a parking lot, drive around a bunch of barricades, and then park. If that's true and it's really that simple, that could explain a lot.

The Scenario:

When I first observed traffic in Santo Domingo, I decided that I needed to think of driving here like a dance. It’s all about going with the flow and following their lead. The problem sometimes is figuring out what music everybody is dancing too. Our former Community Liaison Officer has said that we Americans get in accidents because we’re dancing salsa, and the Dominicans are dancing merengue. More recently, we’ve developed a different metaphor for driving around here – it’s like Mario Kart. Everything's flying at you from all directions, and it's every man for himself.

So here's a scenario. You're driving down a two-lane road. There aren't any lines on the road, but you know it's a two-lane road, because it's not wide. Cars are going by on the left. Motorcycles are going by between you and the cars on the left. But they're also going by on the right. And occasionally they'll pass from one side of your car to the other, often right in front of you. Sometimes motorcycles are coming at you in your lane. Sometimes other cars are coming at you in your lane - either because they're going around one of those pushcarts filled with coconuts, a carro publico or a truck has stopped on their side of the road and blocked traffic, or because they are tired of sitting in the long line of backed up traffic on their side of the road, and they've decided to simply go around the traffic. In your lane. But they'll squeeze back over to their own side when you drive up and stare at them. Sometimes that two-lane road becomes a three- or four-lane road, and everybody accepts that it's okay, because there's enough space for you to squeeze through between the cars on your left and the sidewalk or ditch on your right. And watch out for that giant pothole that reopens every time it rains. 

Actually... You know what? I don't think I can adequately explain traffic in the DR. You'll just have to come visit and see for yourselves.

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