If you ever come visit us here in Dakar (and we hope you do!) one of the first things you are sure to notice is that the rules of the road are a little different here. With an overabundance of cars, motos and people on the roads combined with driving rules which are often treated as optional, driving here takes some extra attention. I like to say that you need a cautious aggressiveness to drive here. While there is a lot that could be said about that, I wanted to share a recent experience to give a glimpse into one aspect of driving here.
Last week as I was returning home from work, I came up to a divided road that has a large median and bus route dissecting it down the middle. I needed to go left but in order to do that I first needed to turn right and then make a U-turn at the next intersection (a Michigan Left right here in Dakar 😀 ). I made the needed right turn, but as I was approaching the next intersection, I saw there was a “No Left Turn” sign. This, however, was the left turn I wanted to make and also what Google Maps was telling me to do at this intersection. Google Maps is not always a trustworthy source of direction here in Dakar, but neither are street signs.
For example, on the autoroute on the way to the airport they have signs warning you to watch your speed because there are radar cameras. These cameras don’t actually exist and I don’t think they ever enforce speed limits. But even in the city there are also many street signs and even traffic lights that no one follows. So my rule of thumb when in a situation like this is to always do as those around me are doing. I figure my best way to not draw attention to myself is to do as others are doing. Usually this works well for me, but unfortunately not in this instance.
Many cars were doing the same thing I wanted to do, including the car directly in front of me. So I made my left, crossed the median and then made another left to get back on the same road but in the direction I needed. However, as soon as I did this a cop on the side of the road signaled me to pull over. He came over to me and after exchanging some greetings he asked me why I turned left when it is not allowed. I said that I was following all of the other cars that did the same thing. He again asked me if I had seen the sign that said no left turn. After telling him that often signs are not followed here in Dakar, which he agreed with, he said that I needed to follow this sign because if I had caused an accident I would be at fault. He took my documents and walked away from my car. While he did this I sat there and watched some 10-15 other cars make the same turn I had just made. When he returned, I mentioned this to him but he just repeated that I needed to follow the street sign. So, as is the process here, he took my driver’s license and gave me a little yellow slip of paper so that I could go downtown the next day, pay a fee and get my license back. The police officer was firm, but not unkind, nor did he ask for any payment to get out of the ticket which is quite common here.
The tickets are not expensive (about $5), but you do have to go downtown and wait at the police office to be seen. The other stressor is just hoping they don’t lose my U.S. driver’s license. Needless to say, I was somewhat frustrated with all of this.
So the next day, I went downtown to the police station but I brought my secret weapon: two kids! So the three of us walked into this outdoor courtyard which had probably 20-30 guys sitting around in it, all with the same little yellow slip of paper that I had. I was the only white person in the room and the only one with kids. As I walked in I started asking around for who was currently last in line. I learned from the last time I got a ticket that this is the official system for determining order :D. So, after finding who was last in line, the kids and I went and sat down on the ground. After waiting for just a couple of minutes an officer walked by and, seeing the kids, asked why I was there. I gave him my ticket and he told me that because this happened just the day before we’d need to go upstairs (the previous time I had gone in an office on the 1st floor).
So we went upstairs and asked another officer what office I would need. He pointed to some chairs and told the kids to sit down and that he would find out for us. He came back about a minute later and escorted us into the office of the person who would have my license. We had been there for maybe five minutes at this point. This officer greeted the kids and made sure they had a spot to sit down in the office which was packed with probably another ten people. He then looked through a list on his desk but couldn’t find my name on it. So he called the officer who had given me the ticket and found out that he hadn’t brought my license to the station yet. He told me the officer was going to the Mosque to pray soon (it was almost 2pm on a Friday which is the biggest prayer time of the week) but that after he would bring it over.
So the kids and I went back downstairs to wait. We were sitting on the ground in the shade and another officer came out of her office and brought a chair for the kids to sit on. A few minutes later yet another officer came by to see if we had been helped yet. After about 30 minutes someone came down and escorted us back to the 2nd floor office. When we got there, sure enough the officer who gave me the ticket the day before was there with my license. However, on this day he greeted me very warmly and with a big smile as if we were old friends. He then gave me my license back and told me that my infraction had been forgiven because of my kids and that I didn’t need to pay! So after being at the station for just a little over a half hour, we were on our way home again with my license and for only the cost of parking.
It was a bit of a rollercoaster of an experience. Because of the system here, or perhaps more so the lack of a consistent system, it is hard to know how things are going to play out. Sometimes this is to your benefit and sometimes it isn’t. But I’ve learned that when in doubt, bring your kids with you!
-Adam
