Driving in Uruguay

Anyone coming from the U.S. is in for road culture shock if they try to drive here. Traffic signs are mere suggestions. What is more important than obeying traffic signs is maintaining the flow of traffic. Traffic does not really stop, it just ebbs and flows as cars merge in and out and slow down just enough to allow for turns.

Here are three interesting and completely non-intuitive local driving rules.

• If there are on-coming cars on a narrow bridge where one must give way, the car going in the direction of Montevideo will have the right of way. This rule calls for a good sense of direction.
• Traffic to your right has the right of way at intersections. I know what you're thinking "duh, everyone knows that", but imagine driving through a city where there are many four way intersections that have neither a stop sign nor a traffic light. Before we learned this rule from a local, our method was to slow down just enough to see whether there was traffic to our left or right and observe whether they were letting us go first. It goes something like this: Car slowing towards intersection. Driver: Who has right of way? Passenger: They don't have a stop sign. Driver: I can't tell. Passenger: go go go! STOP! STOP!
• Here is a rule which takes the cake for least intuitive: If you want to turn left, you must move slightly to the right while signaling your intention to turn left. This is so the crazy speed demon behind you can pass you on your left before you make your left turn. Paying close attention to this one is essential to your survival here.
  

Other interesting tidbits about driving in Uruguayan cities:

• Traffic circles. Lots of them. These work pretty well if everyone plays by the same rule: before you enter the circle, give way to traffic already in the circle.
• Windshield washers. Unlike NYC, the indigent guy with the squeegee and bucket not only will ask you first if you want your windshield washed, but will desist if you say no. If you say yes, he will actually do a good job cleaning your windshield for a few pesos.
• Motos everywhere. Expect to be surrounded with swarms of various two wheeled contraptions in cities, such as bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles, some of them pulling trailers, or stacked with entire small families. Seeing Dad on the front, Mom on back with a kid in front of each parent is not unusual. More than once, we have actually seen people riding mopeds and carrying bicycles at the same time.
• In some areas, the law says you must have a helmet, but I suspect it is vague as to where on your person you must wear it. We see a lot of people riding motorcycles or mopeds, carrying their helmet on one arm. Someone please call the folks who run the Darwin awards.