Driving in Panama

Posted By: PanaGal on 09.04.2007
Views: 1764, Published in sections: Life in Panama ::

I’ve been in Panama City, Panama for a year now. When I first moved to Panama we did as many do and used taxis. I was in shock and dismay at the road games practice here in the capitol. I laughed from fear and adrenalin rushes or at other times just prayed silently. Three months of riding in taxis drivers that only gain an increase in income by how many fares they can deliver in one day; there are no meters in the cabs here, it’s flat rate by area. Having ridden in cabs that you can feel the back seat strike the top of the rear axle with every pothole in the road, in cabs with the suspensions so shot that you thought the curve they were barreling through was going to make the taxi roll over, in taxis that had breaks that squealed and ground metal to metal as the cab driver’s foot stomped the floor board working the peddle overtime in an attempt slow the speeding mass of scrap metal, it was time for change. Change came into my life in the form of a new car. Now instead of being a spectator in the game it was my responsibility to learn the rules of the game and engage in the sport myself.

Something to consider about the cars in Panama is the rougher the appearance of your car the tougher you appear to your opponent. Yes, I said opponent. In Panama it’s not how well you know the rules and regulations of driving, as much as how well you can read your opponent’s face. If you are driving a new Porsche Cayenne or any new make of car chances are good you are not going to be sticking the nose of your vehicle out in the intersection trying to bluff someone to let you into the flow of heavy traffic. BUT if you drive a 2000 Nissan with a bumper that’s mashed and a trunk that’s wired shut and your side view mirror is hanging by its once upon a time electrical adjustment for optimal viewing wire your opponent will be looking at you with a different set of eyes than he will be using to look at the new Cayenne. This rule generally follows through to the taxis, but not to busses. Older beat up taxis are on the whole the worst to act as though they own the road. Diablo’s on the other hand know they are the biggest thing on the road and use their size to intimidate. What’s not to believe and with the dual chrome stacks bellowing black smoke from either side of the emergency exit door and the air horn blasting a warning as they come barreling off a decline into an intersection right through the red light that’s telling them to yield.

There are only two teams in Panama’s game of driving. Team one is the taxi team and team two is the Diablo Rojo team, every other car falls under the category of lone ranger. Taxis yield to other taxi, Busses yield to other busses. Taxis and Diablo don’t yield to each other or vehicles belonging to another category. In the lone ranger category it is mostly dog eat dog. There are a few exceptions, but not often.

Like other civilized countries in the world Panama City has paved roads with clearly marked lanes. In the US I’ve often heard people joke about the dotted line that divides the lanes being the driving lane for motorcycles; in Panama this is fact not fiction. The motorcycle lane isn’t always available for use by the biker, at times undefined it become acceptable for two lane roads to be used as three lanes and three lanes to be used as four. And in extreme situations you may use the lane of on coming traffic for additional lanes of passage. Single lane ramps almost always are used as double lanes.


Stop signs really mean ‘slow down and look, stop if you have to’. The same rule applies to Diablo Rojos at intersections with stoplights and stop signs. The green light flashes before turning yellow to give you a chance to speed up and get through the intersection before the traffic coming at you has a chance to take off.

On paydays in Panama all drivers own wild cards they use liberally to defeat their opponents in the daily game of chance. So, rampant is the use of the wild card the much ignored stop light intersections have their light disconnected and fearless traffic cops take up position in them. Without the traffic cop the wild card is use to clog the intersection to the point no one may pass and the motion of game comes to a stand still. But the game is not stale mate yet, now is the time to really employ the use of the horns.

Automobile horns are one the method of communication in the game of driving. There is the quick polite tap on the horn that says ‘I know your are not going to look over your left shoulder before you pull out into my lane, so I want to let you know I’m here and I’m coming past you’. There is the long blast that says ‘You jerk, you cut me off, if I wasn’t so busy playing the game I’d like to give you a piece of my mind’. Oh how about the incessant blast that says ‘Okay, who’s miss using the wild card and has the intersection jammed up, I’ve got a $1.50 fare sitting in my back sit how do you expect me to make any money like this?’

Generally the driving game is played in a ‘me verses them’ mode, but from time to time two opponents may choose to go head to head. During these individual skirmishes the vocabulary of hand singles is incorporated so opponents can communicate without exiting their vehicle. There’s one for ‘I’m angry with you’, there’s one for ‘you’re a queer’, 'your not watching' and of course the traditional signs like the ‘finger’, as well as other not listed here.

There are many more rules that apply to our national’s favorite recreational sport that are kept secret until the moment they are needed to win in the game of driving. It is safe to say if you have nerves of steel, a good poker face, and quick reflects you will be a worthy and welcome opponent in our game.