Driving in Venezuela

Driving in Caracas and throughout Venezuela is an adventure. It generally helps to have Diplomatic licence plates, and more importantly, the Diplomatic Carnet, which serves as my drivers license. I haven't had to use it yet, but I've seen and heard about co-workers who flash it at the "police checkpoints" that are randomly set up on the roads. You lower your window slightly, flash your carnet, and say "Soy diplomatica" and keep driving. The checkpoints are usually set up as a ploy for getting bribes from drivers to be allowed to pass through (and may be set up by real police or otherwise). Those manning them are known to have guns, and generally just want money. But they generally leave diplomats alone once you declare yourself as such.

At night, anything goes. Red lights either mean 'stop and go when you can' or else they don't mean much at all. During the day they're obeyed a little more regularly. At night, it's not a good idea to be stopped on the road unless you absolutely have to, as a sitting car is a great target for theft, often by a motorcyclist, which are ubiquitous here. It was an adjustment for me to drive in the states again, where you have to sit through the entire red light, even when there's no one around (just ask Wayne!).

One of the first landmarks we learned after arriving was the "triangle of death" where three streets converge around a triangular median, with two lanes on each of the three sides and no traffic signals. The idea is to approach tentativey but assertively, and pounce when you see daylight. When I first arrived, I commented to one of the motorpool drivers that I didn't think I'd EVER want to drive here, and he gave me a good word picture that has served me well. He said "traffic here is like a river; it flows, faster at some places and slower at others, but it doesn't stop. If you stop you'll completely mess up the flow." That's my motto when nosing my way in at intersections with no traffic signals.

There are no known rules in regards to open containers of alcohol in the vehicle or car seats for babies/children. Over the holidays, my co-worker watched a woman across the street polish off a beer, set her 4-year old in the passenger front seat, crack open another beer, and then take off driving. Speed bumps are everywhere, as are huge potholes, so it's hard to pick up much speed in the city anyway.

GPS is a lifesaver for me here. There's a really good Venezuela map for Garmin available for free download online. Due to the mountains and frequent heavy clouds, the signal is sometimes delayed significantly, so I've done my fair share of touring different parts of the city that I have no need to see while waiting for a signal to reach "Javier" so he can tell me where to go. It's also not a good idea to mount the GPS on the windshield or dashboard because it invites someone to steal it from you while you're stopped in traffic, so I've been mastering the art of balancing it on my cupholder or holding it in my lap while I drive. It may be more possible to mount it once I get my windows tinted, which I'm still trying to figure out, so until then I keep it down.

There's an incredibly high fatality rate for motorcycle drivers, so State employees are not even allowed to bring motorcycles here. Nonetheless, traffic is so congested almost all of the time that many people are willing to take the risk and ride them in order to get through the city much more efficiently. They weave in and out of cars, creating extra lanes, and often are inches away from me as they whip past my car. We're advised that SUVs are a good option (but not required) for getting around here. I will say I'm glad I traded in my manual transmission with all the steep mountain roads and the stop and go traffic. I'll be able to sell it here when I leave for the same price I bought it for last year.

I can't finish talking about driving without mentioning gas prices. It's sold by the liter, and I must admit I can't even tell you how much it costs per liter. All I can tell you for sure is that I pay less than the equivalent of 1 USD to fill my 13-galon tank. I generally tip the man that fills it up as much as the cost of the gas. That is one thing that I will always appreciate. Apparently, there were protests in the streets a year ago or so when gas prices increased approximately 25% to their current level.