Get Instant Updates Now Subscribe to GoSouthExpat
Top 10 Most Annoying Latin American Driving Habits
by Pauline
1. You can't turn right on a red light even if no traffic is coming from the other side. But everyone does. 2. Pedestrians by law have the right of way but drivers never respect this. Crossing a street means weaving between cars at just the right moment if you can. 3. Drivers often don't wait for a red light to turn green. They are already halfway into the intersection when it is still red. 4. Many drivers stay in the right lane but when they get to an intersection they turn LEFT crossing in front of moving cars that plan to drive straight forward. 5. Drivers don't use turn signals. Instead they put their arms out the window and expect everyone to understand that means they are going to turn. When someone does use turn signals, everyone else ignores them. 6. When a police or ambulance is coming through with sirens nobody moves out of the way! In the US everyone has to pull off to the right and let them through. Nobody does that here. Ever! 7. The noise is deafening. Drivers use their horns for everything! Gonna turn? Honk your horn. Want someone to move out of your way? Honk your horn. Picking up your girlfriend at her house? Don't get out and ring the doorbell - honk your horn! 8. Drivers double park in the streets creating traffic jams and chaos. Two lane roads become one lane roads in an instant. 9. No smog checks. The dark thick smoke spewing from cars, trucks and buses is killing our atmosphere. People don't get their cars fixed and so many of them are diesel! 10. City bus drivers are dangerous! They race each other to be the first to pick up passengers. They don't make full stops - they start driving before you're even fully on or off the bus when you exit or board. They don't respect assigned bus stops. They load way to many people on the bus like sardines. The smell is horrific. They don't clean the buses and don't keep them maintained so they suffer breakdowns and flat tires and all the passengers have to get off and wait for another bus. My experiences in Venezuela and Bolivia. Not sure how it is in other countries. I'm in Brazil now. Drivers are so much more educated here. Guestbook • Contact • Answers ASAP • Our Community • Blog Site Map • Privacy Policy • News • Videos • Experts • Links |