Having a car in the Dominican Republic is very convenient however driving in the Dominican Republic can be a challenge.

First get used to the horn; drivers in the DR have one hand permanently on the horn. Don’t get irritated when they use it. The horn is considered a notification devise, not just a sign that the person irritated at you. They will use it when they pass you, at intersections, when passing people or just when they feel they haven’t heard the horn enough that day.

People drive extremely close here regardless of the speed you are going. Cars drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid pot holes and for almost any other reason you can imagine. It’s common to see 3-4 cars side by side on a 2 lane road, when preparing to cross intersections etc. They pretty much consider the lines in the road to be optional, and which side of the road you are expected to drive on to only be a suggestion not a law. Motorcycles use either side of the road about the same, with only a slight preference of being on the right side of the road.

The only way to merge into heavy traffic is to force your way in, if you wait for someone to give you a break it is very unlikely to happen. When you are forcing your way in, or when they are forcing their way in, they will get within inches of your car.
Most of the roads here are pretty bad, so you need to constantly be on the watch for potholes. There are very few street signs to help you navigate.

With all that said, once you get out of the largest cities like Santo Domingo and Santiago, and if you are not trying to drive during the most congested times of the day or at night, then driving here really isn’t that bad. It just takes some getting used to.

Something to be aware of: I have a lot of foreign friends here in the DR. A few have gotten in small accidents. When you are a foreigner, you are considered rich. Therefore, if you get in an accident it is pretty much always considered your fault and it is very difficult to prove otherwise. Court proceedings can take years. When you drive here you drive at your own risk.

Here are some of the major car rental companies in the Dominican Republic. In addition to these there are a lot of smaller local ones. If you are just visiting, likely using one of the large companies would be easier.

Avis Santo Domingo 809-535-7191 Santiago 809-582-7007 La Romana 809-550-0600 reservaciones@avis.com.do www.avis.com	Budget Santo Domingo 809-566-6666 La Romana 809-813-9111 Bavaro – Punta Cana 809-985-2830 reservaciones@budget.com.do www.budget.com
Dollar Rent a Car 809-200-7368 809-221-7368 reservaciones@dollar.com.do www.dollar.com.do	Europcar Santo Domingo * Santiago * Bavaro-Punta Cana * La Romana * Puerto Plata 809-688-2121 europcar.sdq@codetel.net.do www.europcar.com.do
Honda Rent a Car Santo Domingo 809-541-8487 Aeropuerto Las Americas JFPG 809-549-0362 La Romana 809-556-3835 Casa De Campo 809-523-3333 Santiago 809-575-7900 Aeropuerto La Union 809-586-0233 Aeropuerto Internacional Cibao 809-233-8179 hondarentcar@codetel.net.do www.hondarentcar.com	National – Alamo 809-562-1444 nationalcar.dr@grupoambar.com www.nationalcar.com
Nelly 809-687-7997 reservaciones@nellyrac.com