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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

10 Rules of the Road When Driving in Cuenca, Ecuador by Star

When you move to another country, one of the most important steps in the adaptation process is to learn the rules by which the society operates. We finally got the rules of the road in Cuenca down. I suppose these rules apply not only to Cuenca, but to other cities of Ecuador as well. My mom thought we needed to share these 10 Rules with you. So here they go:
  1. Speed up if you see a pedestrian or a dog crossing the street.
  2. Lanes on the road are just a suggestion. Although maybe the real rule is to keep the dividing stripes between your tires.
  3. In passing a car make, sure that you pull in front of them close enough to force them to brake or move to the next lane.
  4. There are two driving speeds: lighting fast-way beyond the speed limit and dangerously turtle slow.
  5. Illegal turns are allowed whenever you can get away with it.
  6. Honk your horn a few seconds before the traffic light changes to green just in case that the driver in front of you fell asleep. As matter of fact, just honk your horn every 5 seconds in traffic or when you come to a traffic light, and you should be alright.
  7. Passing on curves at high speeds is cool.
  8. When the road has lots of pot holes larger than lakes, you are supposed to go as fast as you can; don't worry about your car's suspension system, that's something to deal with tomorrow.
  9. U-turns and parking are permissible any time and on any road; the signs prohibiting them are just for decoration. If you want to be overly safe, turn on your emergency blinkers.
  10. Be alert and ready to brake or change lanes in the highways when you see the 'danger-men working' signs which will pop up no more than 10 feet from the actual road construction or obstruction.
And, one extra rule is to never open the windows if you are behind a truck, a bus, or a school van; unless, of course, you want to choke with the exhaust fumes. Wearing oxygen masks is always an option in these situations.


  1. Turning on the emergency lights give you permission to do any maneuver.

  2. This is Rule number 12 :) ... let's see how many more we get.

  3. I have been to Washington DC a couple of times in my life.
    It seems they are using the same rules there.
    Except for #6 ... in DC the horn is wired directly to the ignition. That way it blows the entire time the car is on.

  4. You get extra points for speeding up when a gringo crosses the street and you scare the living bejesus out of him

  5. Gave me a good's sad but so true.

  6. Sticking your arm out the window and waving the hand gives you perfect right to cut in left right away. Get the front seat passenger to do it on the right side, get the cut in to the right done.