One of the great things about living in the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe is a certain level of expectations with infrastructure. Driving in these Third World Countries opens up a whole other dimension to the possibilities of insanity on the roads.

Road signs, traffic lanes and traffic signals are all “guidelines” in these countries. A red light hardly ever stops a man on a motorcycle, a painted traffic lane showing 3 lanes of traffic is a nice idea in theory, but when that third lane suddenly ends into a concrete divider, with ZERO warning,you know you are no longer at “Home”. Often road signs to proceed are so confusing that just sitting still seems like the best option.

Check all the legalities of driving your own car, a rental car or a car you bought in your new home country. Correct drivers license? Correct insurance, title to the car and so forth. Keep COPIES with you of all documents to show to the police in case of a checkpoint or you are unlucky to be in an accident.

No article on Third World Countries can possibly be complete without mentioning corruption. As you are merrily driving along the road suddenly you are stopped by local police. Their aim is simple, to improve their paycheck! They will cite that you do not have the required document (they will invent one), no seat belt worn, bad driving and so on. The fine is bartered from a silly high figure down to something you can afford to give them. If you do not want to pay the fake fine then just ask them to escort you to the nearest police station, sometimes the traffic infraction then goes away. magic! Try to only have a small amount of money in your pocket/wallet and keep the rest hidden in your car.

Driving at night is always a bad idea. Heavy rain can often turn roads into lakes, drunk drivers with no license are out there at night and things just multiple very badly when driving at night.

Search for articles on cities and countries for more detail on driving issues and Do’s and Don’ts in that locale.