driving nightmare

Although the Puertoricans are undisciplined in traffic there are not a lot of accidents. Live and let live is the motto and it works, sort of.
You can f.i. see somebody on the left most lane of 4 or 5 lanes who suddenly realizes that he  (or she) needs to exit NOW. So she (or he) goes to the right because that's where the exit is. Other drivers just brake and let the car pass and nobody gets exited.
I've been here for 13 years now and I'm used to the traffic. If you can't beat them, join them.

The basic insurance comes with the marbete (sticker) that has to be renewed yearly. It covers up to $4000 in liability. Most older cars (6+ years) which have been paid off completely only have this insurance. Newer cars (99.99% of those are on monthly payments) have a good insurance which is included in the monthly payments.

But then when they leave the island and come here, they still try to drive like that. Which results in a considerable amount of accidents. And traffic tickets. But they still refuse to use their turn signals just like in PR. Never could understand that. And then there are the Police. The only time you see their blue lights is when something has actually happened.

I ride a bicycle 20 miles a day 5 days a week and my PR wife warns me about all the PR drivers on the road and to be extra careful. I drove in PR for awhile so I tell her that I can usually anticipate what they are going to do.

I have been here a little over a year and am just starting to feel somewhat comfortable driving.  I frequently drive between Bayamón and Old San Juan and have adopted an even more of a defensive nature.  Driving is certainly not a casual experience.  I am a pilot and I compare driving here to flying an airplane - constant attention is necessary.  You really need to keep your guard up all the time.

My wife and I like to joke that turn signals on cars here in Puerto Rico must be a VERY expensive option!!!  I would say that 95% of people do not use them.  Or, if they do use them, they're often stuck on!! 

Another interesting thing - people often run red lights. On a daily basis, I see drivers just go through red lights, and sometimes there's cops right behind them!!!

Once I got used to things, it became quite entertaining watching what drivers do here.  Particularly motorcyclists and scooter drivers.

On the other hand, there are times when other drivers are extremely accommodating.  I've seen people making U-turns on busy San Juan roads, and driving in reverse on the highway because they missed an exit, and other drivers patiently wait for them.

Drive safely!!!

I have been here 1-1/2 years, and at first I was very intimidated by the way they drive here, but once I became used to it, and constantly drive defensively I actually came to like the way they drive. I mean, like at a four way, they do not fool around looking at each other, they go! So when in Rome.... I began to drive not aggressive, but assertive.. with a good amount of give and take. I do wear my seat belt but I would anyway. I hear the cops have given tickets for that. In my area, there are very few horn blowers. I like that.. Its not unusual to have someone stop in the middle of the road to chat to someone. No horns blown.  I have had heard rumors that horns can even cause fights. Concerning horns, One weird thing I noticed is if there is a long line waiting, and the light turns green, someone way far back in line will blow their horn!  Can someone explain this to me? Run red lights if nothing coming, no use turn signals, Oh horns, I live on a curve, and it is common for trucks to blow horns at a sharp curve to alert oncoming, and this still irritates me to no end. I did expect loud music from cars before I came, and people drinking outside the bars especially on Friday. I was surprised how many bareback horse riders are on the road at night. One has to be careful. a horse is skittish, and I have actually seen people too inebriated to stay on the horse for long. No kidding. Just watch them carefully and think how much fun the others riding with them are having watching them trying to stay on. lol.
keep your sticker and tags up to date, and check your lights. Cops watch for that.
Usually the cops are loose, but there is a stretch of hwy 2 from outside ponce heading to San juan where I have seen the cops pull over a lot of cars. Speeding I think.
Hope this helps.

The driving here is what it is... lack of enforcement is the reason, and that's changing, and that will alter driving behavior, ever so slowly. I'm not complaining; I don't want this island to become like the mainland, full of BS rules. Rumor has it that cameras will be increasingly monitored by a mainland company, and tickets will be sent in the mail. Speed through intersections, red lights, and toll booths, and the tickets will come. Also, I've noticed a lot more local cops giving tickets, something I didn't see, just a few years ago.

The island needs the money, so more tickets is a good way to collect more funds. I wish they could eliminate tolls, but they never go away even in the mainland. Enforcement of driving rules can actually be good and make it safer to drive. Slow drivers on the left and use of the emergency lane to pass others are my priorities.

Driving in the island always been aggressive, and you are more propend to get a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt than to not use the signal light. They do have road blocks on the major party areas on the weekends to enforce drinking laws and at the beginning of the month to enforce registration papers.

As per for tolls, heck, I live in the DFW area (Texas), you cannot go thru any main highway without having to go thru a toll unless you want to go the long way.

In the island is normal to go thru a red light at night, even the cops encourage to do so because of the car jacking. I remember going to the car rental agency and they mentioned to do not stop at a red light after midnight.

I will not say cops don't enforce the traffic laws, it is more as to not enough cops to do so. I have friends in the PR police department and talking to them they are over work and under paid. They have to respond to way too many calls and have to choose between doing car stops or criminal calls, even the ones "assigned" to highway patrols. On top of that there is always the risk of getting shot, look at the statistics in the island, cops get shot regularly(at least one a month). I take my hat to them and always tell my friends to be extra careful it is a tough job, specially when you are under paid.

I will say this thou, the times we had have to ask for directions or been pull over, they were very friendly and helpful. Yes there are bad potatoes, but you will find that every ware.

It took us an hour or so to get used to the way of driving, but came to...enjoy it? I don't know how to describe it, but I didn't see a single accident in over a week of driving all around the island. I even encountered a stoplight that was broken and had become a free for all with 4 lanes going each way. It was completely chaotic but everyone was mindful of their surroundings and nobody got hurt. My only complaint is the "me first" mentality that I witnessed when trying to do difficult / busy merges. But then again, that happens here too so not much different.