Taxis

A car loaded up with security guards.  You never see a car with just one person in it here.

I've been thinking about writing this for quite some time.  I take at least one cab every day, sometimes 2, in addition to an arrange lift every morning and several ministry transports

each week.  Suffice it to say that I've become quite versed in Namibian traffic rules and customs.

I'll start with what's the same as in the States.  Cars stop at red lights.  Cars have four wheels.  Horns are used. Okay, I'm stretching.

The differences however are many.

• While cars do stop at red lights, no one makes turns while the light is red.  The rule here is "if the light is red, you don't enter the intersection".  This is unlike in the States where you may make a right hand turn if there is no traffic even if the light is red.  I have blown through a few red lights though, but it was either very early in the morning or well into the evening.
• Stop signs are treated as yield signs- few people actually stop.  There are no yield signs, only round abouts.
• The side walk is okay to use as a passing lane.
• Flashing lights and tooting horns can mean anything from "nice car" to "how's it going?" to "get the *&@% off the road!".
• Cars are run down.  It's pretty typical to be in a cab who's shocks bottom out at speed bumps (without going fast), who's lights do not work, and who's breaks make annoying metal-on-metal scraping noises.  Other clunks, rattles or bangs are par for the course.
• No automatic transmissions.  I have yet to see even one.
• Cars have the right of way.  If a pedestrian (even in a cross walk) is in the way, they risk getting hit.  You have to constantly be watching while walking across intersections.
• Speed limits are not enforced.  You go as fast as possible for as long as possible, then slam the breaks at the next light.  Those who do not speed become obstacles.
• Changing lanes is akin to parallel parking- all it takes is a little more than a cars-length of room.  After each light turns green there is a race-like feeling as the faster cars weave in between everyone else trying to get out front.  This is scary regardless of the speed you are going.  If you're in a slow car, others are speeding around you like your standing still.  If your in the fast one you feel like your plowing through the remnants of a crash on a stock car speed way.
• Car accidents are akin to theatrical productions.  Everyone stops (litteraly) next to the wrecked car and offer's their inturpretation of what happened.  Even after passing the accidents, a conversation can last as long as 20 minutes with different accounts of what happened.  This usually also involves incessant gesturing for demonstrations, which can make hearing the driver's story very scary.
• Taxi's.  They stop in the middle of the road, weave through tight traffic and demonstrate a complete indifference to the care of their car.  Taxi's are involved in almost every accident and everyone loves to complain about them.

So yeah, driving here is a little unnerving.  But it's also a way of life and for the most part things seem to work.  Despite the daily accidents I see I have only been in a few myself, minor fender benders, and the one time when we hit a pedestrian (he was brought to the hospital); but other than that no problems.