BASIC RULES FOR DRIVING IN JAMAICA
(Apr-10-2007)
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Turn signals will give away your next move. A real Jamaican driver never uses them.
- Under no circumstance should you leave a distance between you and the car in front of you, or the space will be filled in by somebody else, putting you in an even more dangerous situation.
- The faster you drive through a red light, the smaller the chance you have of getting hit.
- Never, ever come to a complete stop at a stop sign. No one expects it and it will result in you being rear-ended.
- Never get in the way of an older car that needs extensive bodywork. The other guy doesn't have anything to lose.
- Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that your ABS kicks in, giving a nice, relaxing foot massage as the brake pedal pulsates!!!
- For those of you without ABS, it's a chance to stretch your legs.
- Never pass on the right when you can pass on the left. It's a good way to scare people for a laugh.
- Speed limits are arbitrary figures, given only as a suggestion and are apparently not enforceable in Kingston.
- Just because you're in the right lane and have no room to speed up or move over doesn't mean that a Jamaican driver flashing his high beams behind you doesn't think he can go faster in your spot.
- Always slow down and rubberneck when you see an accident or even someone changing a tire.
- Learn to swerve abruptly. Jamaica is the home of the high-speed ‘dally’, thanks to the KSAC, which puts potholes in key locations to test drivers' reflexes and keep them on their toes.
- It is traditional in Jamaica to honk your horn at cars that don't move the instant the light turns green!!!.
- Remember that the goal of every Jamaican driver is to get there first ...by whatever means necessary
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