Dominican Driving

Driving in the Dominican Republic is like playing Frogger. It's amazing how small of a space people can fit their car into while passing someone on the highway.

Here are a couple rules of the road:

1. There are optional and mandatory stoplights. How do you know which are which? Here are my personal rules:
1. If another car goes through a red light, you can too.
2. If someone honks at you from behind you, you can go.
3. If there is really no one coming, you can go.
4. If it looks optional, you can go.
2. Speed limits are for the most part optional. Just go as fast as everyone else.
3. Driving on the wrong side of the road is okay, as long as you are passing a slower vehicle, motorcycle, or horse or avoiding a pothole. But remember to get out of the way before you get hit by traffic coming in the other direction.
4. When going over speed bumps, go as slow as possible. It doesn't matter how slow you are actually going, you will still hit the roof.
5. Hit all speed ditches at an angle. And very, very slowly.
6. Pedestrians move for you.
7. Watch out for dogs, motorcycles, and buses. 
8. When turning left, you don't have to wait until there is an actual opening, you just slowly shove your way into traffic and people will stop for you...usually. But they won't hit you, they just go around you.
9. Drive aggressively or you will get into an accident. 
10. Never stop for the police at night. If you are stopped by the police offer them a couple hundred pesos (RD$200-RD$300 to start) and they will let you go.
11. Drinking and driving is okay. 
12. Motorcycles and buses do not adhere to any of the above rules, so be very careful. My dad calles the motorcycles mosquitoes because they are always swarming around the car. Always look out of them.

These are the Dominican Driving Rules According to Kaitlyn. I prefer driving here. It's more exciting. I feel like Dominicans must be better at video games because ones reflex time must be super fast in order to not die. Surprisingly, I saw more accidents in the States then I see here, but in seems like the accident mortality rate must be higher because of the number of people not wearing their seat belts and drunk drivers.