Ride a scooter in Santo Domingo??? Yes or no?

One of the most dangerous things you can do here is ride a moto.

Think of them as donor cycles.

Bob K

I absolutely agree, please do not do it!  And if your taxi is not punctual, find another who is! I can recommend several to you!

Really surprised at the moto answers guys, especially since I see so many of them in Sosua and Cabarete. I also see many expats riding around on them.  Could you expand as to why you do not advise using them? I have used them quite often in Cabarete, and I always wear a helmet.  I do agree that drivers here are not the most careful, but I think if you have previous biking experience, stay close to the right of the road and use your side mirrors, it is not that bad.  Accidents can happen in just about any vehicle, but I must admit that on a bike you are even more vulnerable.  I would say try getting another Taxi Driver as suggested, or if there is a route towards the school that is low traffic, then perhaps, using a scooter might not be a big deal or even perhaps a bicycle might work.  Use a helmet and don't invest in a fancy scooter or vehicle, the more beat up looking it is, the better.  Just my humble opinion, especially if you have previous riding experience :-)

MASSAGEWIZ wrote:

Really surprised at the moto answers guys, especially since I see so many of them in Sosua and Cabarete. I also see many expats riding around on them.  Could you expand as to why you do not advise using them? I have used them quite often in Cabarete, and I always wear a helmet.  I do agree that drivers here are not the most careful, but I think if you have previous biking experience, stay close to the right of the road and use your side mirrors, it is not that bad.  Accidents can happen in just about any vehicle, but I must admit that on a bike you are even more vulnerable.  I would say try getting another Taxi Driver as suggested, or if there is a route towards the school that is low traffic, then perhaps, using a scooter might not be a big deal or even perhaps a bicycle might work.  Use a helmet and don't invest in a fancy scooter or vehicle, the more beat up looking it is, the better.  Just my humble opinion, especially if you have previous riding experience :-)

Yes there are hundreds of them around Sosua and Cabarete and hundreds of accidents a week involving them. Have you seen the numerous on legged guys begging around  town?  All are a result of moto accidents.  Not hardly a week goes by when there is no a funeral or two for moto drivers.  How about the hundreds of tourists about with the famous tourist tattoo on their legs from burns for the moto exhausts.   Sorry I will stick with it is one of the most dangerous things you can do in this country.  In over 7 years here I have never been on one nor will every be on one,.
Live here for a while and see the aftermath for yourself.

Bob K

Two comments -  first do you know that we are second in the world for the number of highway deaths by capita??? Do you know that most of those are on scooters and motorcycles?

Second comment - she is asking about riding in the capital, in one of the busiest areas where there are thousands of vehicles on the road and very very few motorcycles and I hardly ever see scooters! There is a reason for that!!!

DON"T DO IT

Thanks to everybody. We decided to get a full time driver so I won't have to wait after my class, plus during the day I might need to go around too. And even I have more than 10 years experience riding motorbike but I know that I can't ride a bike here wearing a dress/ skirt.
Once again thank you all for all your comments. Hope I will get more useful answer from you guys for the coming topics.
Cheers.

Glad we could help! And great solution you found!!!

Planner and Bob. Just wanted to say that I appreciated your honest opinion.  I would also like to add that upon my many stays and visits, i have noticed a few things about motorists on scooters and motorcycles. I feel these 2 simple items would cut motorists deaths by a large percentage.  Number one. I noticed very few motorists wear helmets. I have seen entire families on a bike including new borns without helmets! Are helmets not available or that expensive on the island? Even a basic bike helmet would be better than nothing.  Number 2. A side view mirror. This one really bewilders me.  Why are most of the bikes without a side view mirror? Is this standard for the Island??? I have been riding and driving since I was 18, and would never go on the road without a rear or side view mirror.
Rule #1 always keep your eye on the road! If you have to keep turning your head to look back in order to change lanes, more likely to have an accident.  I hate to say this but it seems to me these motorists are their worst enemies! And lastly I forgot to mention. Headlights and tail lights for night driving. I don't see too many of those either.  All motor vehicles pose a risk of some sort, but there are many things you can do to reduce your chances of injury. Ohhhhh most important of all! Respect the speed limit! :-)

Huong Nguyen T Glad we could help and that is a good plan.

Bob K

MASSAGEWIZ   
To address your points.
Helmets are required by law (driver only). You can see how well that is adhered to. And most helmets that are worn are ill fitting, broken, or totally useless.  I love the guy who is wearing a plastic kids batting helmet.
Second mirrors.  The first thing many moto owners do is remove the review mirrors when the purchase a bike. Why you ask...I got 3 answers from owners (most guys you see driving around only rent the bikes on a daily basis from guys that own multiple bikes). First they are afraid the drivers (renters) will steal them.  Second someone else will steal them. Or they will get destroyed in a crash..

And life here goes on.....

Bob K

This whole helmet thing is a BIG JOKE.  Yes there is a law requiring drivers wear them.  But they use, as Bob said,  plastic baseball batting helmets. THey use anything they can get their hands on AND  most often they are not even done up!  In an accident they are worse then useless as they actually become a projectile!!!!! 

AMET enforces these rules as they choose or as they need lunch money!  And they enforce all the other rules of the road the same way.

Motoconcho drivers (motorcycle taxis) and pasolas (scooters)  for the most part do NOT adhere to any rules of the road.  They go as they please, wrong way,  thru a red light, up onto sidewalks..... whatever.   

This is why the DR has the highest death rate on the highways!!!!    Expats - please do not buy a pasola or motorcycle,  do not ride on the back of a motoconcho.  What are your life and limbs worth to you????

Planner... well said

Bob K

Thanks Bob. This hits me personally as I know people who have been badly injured and at east 3 who have been killed.

Yes we actually had to have a charity event to raise money for our housekeepers son who was in a bad moto accident a few years ago.  They wanted to amputate his leg.  We raised enough money for him to go to Santo Domingo and a visiting ortho team from Miami accepted him into their program and 2years later and 3 surgeries he was walking with a limp but walking on two legs

Bob K

Thank goodness you were able to help!  So often they routinely  chop off limbs here.  Most often it is lack of funds and sometimes it is lack of medical expertise. 

Good friend of mine was on a motoconcho on her way home from work,  they got into an accident and she was thrown off the bike into the windshield of a car coming towards them!  She died instantly.

If this seems graphic to you  GOOD!!!!  Think of this every time you are tempted to get on one of these death machines!

I do agree that bikes are not very safe and that your survival chances in a car is way better, but I think the problem lies in the culture and their attitude towards the rule of the road.  If people do not respect the rules of the road, then neither bikes or car are safe.  I have read about just as many car accidents as well.  It seems to me that it is just plain dangerous to be on the road period. :-/

Massagewiz this is true but still motos are much more dangerious.

Bob K

Agreed -  it is dangerous on the roads period especially if you don't know how to drive HERE.  It is different then most places in the world. You need to drive aggressively and defensively at the same time!

Thanks again for all the insight guys.  I would also like to add to the dangers of riding a bike over being in a vehicle especially late at night is the possibility of being robbed.

       I just found out today about an european friend who was robbed along with his pregnant girlfriend while riding on their way home on their scooter to playa encuentro. It was the stretch after aqualina hotel towards playa encuentro, direction coming from Cabarete headed towards Sosua. They said three motorists riding along the same stretch made them pullover and took their cell phones and cash. They did not take the bike and did not harm them, since he did not put up any resistance. It looks like they were looking for an easy score and he was obviously outnumbered. 

     I have heard that stretch of road on the way to playa encuentro at night is very lonely and that it is not safe to transit after hours unless you are in a group of riders or in a vehicle with closed windows.  Bob do you venture out late at night into Cabarete or do you stay put in Sosua after hours? He just moved to playa encuentro and I remember telling him about what I had read about here on the forums and what other locals had said about that place right before returning to N.Y. :-/ was very sad to hear about his robbery and really gives me a whole new sense of awareness while visitting.  Looks like tourists and local attacks are on the rise.
Just curious, but has anyone seen this page?   http://dominicanwatchdog.org/dominican_ … n_Republic  what is your opinion? Is this site for real or just propaganda??? Many of these stories do not make it to the main news channel I guess this would be bad for tourism.

The warning is great.  Yes I have seen that page,  he likes to stir up trouble and blow things out of shape. I am not sure what his agenda is, but he definately has one.  I do not regularly go to his page,  nor will I. Some of it is based on rumors, inuendos and gossip.  Often there is a grain or semblance of truth and then it is blown out of proportion.

Yes we have crime here. Yes bad things happen.  YOu need to learn to live here in a simple but defensive way.  If you are smart,  act smart and don't flaunt your self,  be respectful of Dominicans, stay out of backroads and be bloody careful at night!  Stay away from certain areas. We have them in every city and larger community. Learn where they are and stay away. Also always be vigilant.  I have 10 years here with no serious crime issues!

Thanks for the tips planner and your opinion on that site, it did seem a bit over the top to me as well.

Yes we go out to dinner and such in Cabarete as well as Sosua and have never  not felt safe.  Encuentro has a reputation as being one of the more less safe areas and was one we did not recommend to our clients for living.
As to the web site ... can you say CRAP. 
The guy is a muckraker and I take that site with less then a grain of salt.

Bob K

Love your way with words!!!

Thanks as always Bob. Always appreciate yours & planners wisdom.  I hope my friend is able to get his stuff back. He filed a report with the police and if not able to retrieve his valuables, hopefully the cops might consider beefing up security or placing more lighting in that stretch of road.

Neither of those two things will happen. He will never see his stuff again and there will be no increase of police presence.
There is a fair chance that these guys (crooks) may be operating with the protection of some of the police (meaning an individual or a couple of police officers)

Bob K

And always possible they operate in conjunction with the "chica".

Hi, I also looked at that site and was concerned but wanted to hear what others who live in DR had to say (especially Planner and Bob) and was reassured with the replies (and figured as much, just scare tactics).  But there is another story circulating regarding Bahia Principe San Juan all inclusive resort.  Apparently there were two Canadian women who were sexually abused by the bartender and then shot at by the security guard?  Has anyone heard about this?  The way the story is told is that these girls were treated badly by not only their attackers but the staff at the resort.  It seems extreme to me.  Because tourism is so important to DR, I can’t see this happening.  Now the Canadian government has a trip advisory out for travelling to the DR.
However this hasn’t deterred me from wanting to move there, I'll just have to be more cautious.

I’m sorry, I was misinformed regarding the Canadian government warning.  What they actually say is “There is no nationwide advisory in effect for the Dominican Republic. However, you should exercise a high degree of caution due to a high crime rate”.

I am very up to date on the Bahia Principe story.  Here is my take -  way too many holes in this story to be reliable.  It looks to me like these two "Anonymous" females probably did something that they regretted later!  Often they feel guilty and then need to cover up their behaviors.

Clearly if this had actually happened there would be stories and reports here in the DR to start with.  The hotels and resorts know that security and safety are paramount!  They will NEVER jeopardize their revenue streams by allowing this to go on!!!!

This has not been picked up by the general press in Canada or here in the DR.  It has not been verified or validated.

Lets be careful about   discussing this until there is a reliable report and or investigation.

I agree, we're only hearing the girl's side of the story and it sounds a little extreme.  A lot of people who know of my plans to move to DR have mentioned this story to me.

I can imagine they have.  Reality is gunshots get reported!  Loud banging on a door at 1 am gets reported by other people in rooms nearby. Imagine having any of that happen and STAYING AT THE RESORT!!!! Really???

My biggest issue is they want to be anonymous!  Yes they name the hotel. Not ok. IF you really did suffer this why would you not go public?

The hotel would be bending over backwards if this happened as indicated. I  just do not believe most of this.

Planner you are so correct. If this was a "real" thing there would have been police all over the place as well as the press.

I agree you your take that these "women" got into a situation with some local guys that they regretted and fabricated a story for the folks back home (like maybe husbands?????)

The sad part is that these unsubstantiated accusations have gotten so much attention by the travel boards. I still have not found anything in the local press here.

Bob K

I'm glad to hear both of your opinions on this "story".  When I first heard it from a co-worker (who thinks I'm crazy to be making the move to DR) I thought he was pulling my leg.

Yes Bob, I continue to look and there is nothing in the press. I have contacts in almost all the hotels and my follow up has revealed nothing of substance at all!!!! 

The fact these women are "anonymous" is all I need to start questioning!

Seriously, to your point. You are correct.  I like dominicans in general but they have a different way of viewing life and it's just the way it is.  Perfect example was that accident just days ago near Cabarete where to vehicles collided at 5-6pm on Sosua-Cabarete highway near the entrance to la Cienega kiling 7 people.  One car, a Toyota Camry, had 9 people in the vehicle [two in the trunk]...a Camry with 9 people!  Sad but that is the DR and moral to the story is be very very careful on putting your life in the hands and judgement of Dominicans because they don't have the same life view as most foreign nationals.

They definitely have a different (wacked out is more like it) point of view of basically everything.

Here is an example.

Today, my neighbor who lives next to me in the same building was upset that his 3br apt. is costing him 3500 pesos per month on his electric bill. He's really upset after I tell him my 2 br is 820 pesos electrical usage per month. His apt. has 3 kids and a wife and usually lots of other people there too, the lights are always on, his AC in his room is always on when there's electricity, his refrigerator is not an energy saving one, his outside lights are always on, the downstairs apt. shares his meter and his water pump is pumping for three units. He also has lights on the roof, in the back and in the front. He disregards all that.

His solution is to tell me to turn my lights on. I ask why, he says he needs more light out front. He then tells me he wants to change MY METER. So instead of him saving money on his electricity by limiting usage, and buying energy saving appliances, he wants to INCREASE MY BILL to make him feel better?

I could go on and on but it's really a topic for another thread.

Life view is a good term.  There is very little value to human life in this culture. One side effect is unnecessary chance taking and the other is a zest and love of living each day that is awesome.

Dreamtime -  it is  Dominican logic - all about feeling better.  Please do not use certain words, that is offensive.

Yes I have found a pretty low regard for life.

The accident in Cabarete the  other morning claimed 7 lives and there were 11 people in the publico, (4 in front, 5 in the back and two in the trunk) which in actuality was not at fault in this accident.  But rather the drunk driver of the SUV who also was one of those who died.  So tragic and so avoidable.

Bob K