Driving in Panama is like driving nowhere else in the world. Between our famous “Diablo Rojos” (our buses), the patched up taxis (that still cost $1.25 in most places in the city), and the rush hour traffic, this place is ridiculous. Foreigners always ask me how I can drive in Panama, and I tell them that I learned to drive thinking I was in a video game, you know like “Grand Theft Auto” or something, and a friend once told me but you die on those games, and my response was have you seen that jungle out there!

We do have cops in Panama, but since they get paid minimum wage which is very low, that means we have corrupt cops. Getting back to the no-nos, cops here only seem to care about two things. #1 and most important do not under any circumstance talk on your cell phone while driving and # 2 your seatbelt. Things like passing red lights, speeding, or DUIs are minor in this country. Actually, sometimes when a politician wants to do some PR they do a version of DUI checkpoints. These points are done in Calle Uruguay (where everybody is drinking and driving) and they take the “guarometro” or in English “boozemeter” (yeah the cops call it that as well!) and stop random people and give them $150 fines – which happens maybe 3 nights out of the year.

Mandatory insurance policies for automobiles (which only cover damage to thirds) where placed as a law this year (yeah in 2007!). The limits for those are $5,000 for foreign property and $5,000 per person and $10,000 per accident for personal injury. When they passed this law I was seriously proud of this country. But already the other day my vet’s assistant told me when “I went to get my yearly revision and tag renewal they didn’t ask me for my insurance papers.” When I asked why? He said that when they were asking for the insurance policy nobody was paying to get their new tags so the government was losing money, because the policy was so expensive (it’s around $140-175 a year which would make that half of one month’s salary for the average Panamanian.) For taxis and buses it’s even worse the premium is $450-1,000 a year and no company wants to insure them because it’s too high of a risk.

Do not to take any chances with yourself or your car in Panama. Get full coverage insurance (collision, comprehensive, theft, and fire) with limits that are specific for your needs. Call +507 6676-5151 or write to forlacol@gmail.com to get a quote today!