The risks of driving in Cuba. Your thoughts?

[El Presidente]

I had an e-mail yesterday from a member who is heading to Cuba for the first time and would like to hire a car and drive around the island at his own pace over four weeks.

I could think of nothing better.....except for the driving yourself part

Maybe I am just a little bit over cautious and hence I ask the advice of others who have driven extensively in Cuba.

There are some countries where I will happily hop behind the wheel. There are others where I would not even entertain the thought. Cuba falls into the latter.

Havana is easy enough as long as you have an idea of the lay of the land. The highway to Pinar is safe enough during the day but at night I wouldn't consider it. I remember a recent trip where our driver who is a local (and will remain nameless), pulled over on the road back from Vinales to take a shot of rum from his hip flask in order to clear his mind and gather his nerves. You don't see that every day on the "driver reviver adds" in Australia

Going to Zapata, again during the day, safe enough. Most other places, I would take a driver or bus.

But what concerns me more than anything else is if you have an accident you are liable for a world of hurt. You may be lucky that you have escaped serious injury, but if you hurt someone else then you will not be permitted to leave Cuba anytime soon. It may not have been your fault but it will not matter, you can expect to be in Cuba for three months to over a year while the police investigation is completed and (God forbid) court proceedings go through their snail pace motions. You won't have a passport during this time.

I am not sure if experienced Cuba travellers who have driven would give the same advice. maybe I

am being too conservative. If so, let us know.

http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=118606

[SCgarman]

I certainly would not drive there if and when I ever get there. Hop into the back of a cab and enjoy the ride. I would definitely not want to deal with the liability of a car accident in a place like Cuba.

[oliverdst]

Dont drive in poor countries unless you know how things work there.

I think you can rent an old car in Havana and this could be fun as an "adventure". I wouldnt go further than that.

[PuffDaddie]

Get a local cabbie to do the driving.

[treberty]

Personally I would never entertain the possibilty of driving in Cuba. Not even a scooter around a Varadero resort...

For mostly the same reasons prevously cited.

[helix]

Heed the warnings, not worth it should an accident happen.

[LLC]

Heed the warnings, not worth it should an accident happen.

Totally agree.

[Benzopyrene]

I hired a car there with a buddy about 5 years ago...wasn't difficult to get around....there was this thing with people walking on the highways which was annoying, and they didn't really like to move. At the time I had not considered the repercussions, as my buddy had traveled there pretty frequently. One evening a few days later on the same trip we were having a discussion with someone who told us about a guy he knew that had been in a small fender bender but had spent the better part of the last 6 months in Cuban jail......basically for nothing.....made me think a little about that. I've since decided..... why tempt fate? Wont be renting a car ever again, unless it comes with a driver.

[LGC]

I would never drive out of my home country... if it's not the type of area that has rental cars waiting at the airport. I don't like looking for trouble. Never **** around in areas where you stick out like a sore thumb.

[Guest]

remember a recent trip where our driver who is a local (and will remain nameless), pulled over on the road back from Vinales to take a shot of rum from his hip flask in order to clear his mind and gather his nerves.

Lol, that brings back some memories that I had repressed!

Oh, and it wasn't a hip flask... It was a bottle of Havana Club Anejo Especial if my memory serves me correctly.

Glad to still be here to tell the tale.

[Nino]

Agree 100% with Rob's view as apparently do all others with some experience ...

Besides all the correct points that he makes there is another consideration : You save nerves and money....

The only time I had a rental car in Cuba I hated it for many reasons,

1) Even though it was a Pegueot 206 midget and hired from Germany I paid 85 € a day.

2) The paperwork, deposit etc is time consuming

3) In 4 weeks I ended up driving 5 different midgets, from Peugeot to Geely due to them midgets being more kaputt than ready to drive from all the abuse and the Cuban road "quality" - and lost at least 3 days to the car being either "repaired" or "replaced" ...

Read about my Cuban rental car BS experience :

http://flyingcigar.de/startseite/the-perfect-cuban-bs-experience-part-1/

A good and reliable driver can be had for 40 to 50 CUC a day in HAV and drivers are readily available in every corner of the island.

That one and only rental car experience cured me forever from repeating it ...

[CanuckSARTech]

Mopeds, yes, for fun sometimes. But generally no.

Agreed with most other points. Daytime driving could / would be relatively fine, if lay-of-land is good in and around Havana, to Pinar, and/or to Varadero. Nighttime, it's not worth it, save in Havana - so just getting a taxi / local-driver is a much better idea.

That said, driving in Dakar, Senegal is infinitely more insane than Cuba, and I was told that Dakar was only a smidgen away from worse than in India. Less crazy people than me have tried them all too, and had no issues either. So, a grain of salt there with that.

All that said, Rob's last point is the biggest one to decide - if you can't afford to be in Cuba for a year or longer (and not in a fun way), there's no way in hell you should risk driving and have an accident. It's just not simply worth that. And, our "westernized" driving styles leave us way more susceptible to being pulled over, getting a ticket, etc., when down in Cuba. The extortion costs from those ordeals of just one simple occurrence can definitely take away from any potential financial savings of driving yourself around versus hiring a driver / taxi.

[Troels]

Your probably right re accidents, however - had a small rental picked up next to hotel nacional for a week back in 2011 - and loved it! Love the freedom in stopping when you please, the adventure of finding your way where theres no signs...

My wife didnt want to repeat when back there in january, so we found cars with a driver for each stretch, worked fine as well, but would personally have prefered it by us selves.

We didnt have any problem with the rental car back then or any accidents - might have been pure luck

[dvickery]

Went to Orlando in 2011 ... Asked a friend if he would pick me up or should I take a cab as I won't drive in a foreign country ... His answer this isn't a foreign country it's the USA ... Pffft .

I would never drive in a foreign country .

Some countries don't even drive on the proper side of the road . In Edinburgh I almost got schmucked looking to my left as I stepped out to cross a street ( you only ever do that once ) .

Derrek

[David88]

I love driving and have driven around Europe without an issue but the risks you have pointed out are just too great. I can imagine driving cross-country in Cuba would be fantastic, but the risk of something going wrong just make it not worthwhile sadly. I don't drive where I live now as the traffic is ridiculous and it's just too much of a risk should something ever go wrong.

[Jeremy Festa]

What about skateboarding? Can I skateboard around Havana when I go?

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[heminway186]

Something else to consider while travelling is the risk of bandits. We were told by our driver that people will pose at the side of the road pretending to be broken down and then steal your car when you arrive to help.

[Ryan]

Part of me would love to say "go for it!". I really like driving in other countries and I can see the attraction of the freedom it offers.

Cuba though. I don't even know how car insurance works there. I know there is a version of it, it has been explained to me a couple of times. I still don't really get it.

I've been driven out to Pinar del Rio numerous times by experienced Cuban drivers. None of them would do it after dark. Not because of bandits, to be honest I've never heard of that in Cuba, but giant potholes and stuff on the road. Stuff likes cows, horse drawn wagons, even people walking on the motorway. I know people walk on the motorway in Cuba, I've seen them during the day.

As Nino and others have said, car rental is expensive in Cuba, at least $90 per day for a small car. Then there's the bureaucracy, the hours it takes to do the paperwork, unless you're lucky. I'm not sure about car theft in Cuba but I know car break-ins are an issue. I know I sleep better in Cuba without having a car outside on the street. If a rental car is broken into in Cuba I could guess who would end up being liable.

A good Cuban driver will have a fairly reliable car, will cost less than $90 per day and will know where he's going. They can be found.

I've heard horror stories about what can happen if you get in an accident. I don't know anyone that it has happened to personally, I don't know many foreigners who drive in Cuba.

Recently I've been pulled over in cars with more frequency in Cuba. Three times in the last trip. Once, the driver was speeding, really speeding, I was actually glad were pulled over. Another time checking IDs, of course the other foreigner in the car with me didn't have any. The third time was interesting. A friend, Sarah Saunders, was driving, there were three more of us in the car, all guys. The cop pulled us over and asked the usual questions, it was about 2 am. It turns out the cop was concerned for the well-being of a female driver in a car with three male passengers at 2 am. Good policework. My point is, in none of those occasions was a bribe sought for. At least we didn't pay anything. Maybe I was just lucky.

For me though, the peace of mind knowing I can't be held legally responsible for anything that might happen while driving in Cuba, plus the price and the time it saves, outweighs any benefits.

[Smokin_Safari]

Don't do it.

I used to as many know but I would not again. An ex-colleague remains in "hotel detention" now even after 2 years. No family visitation rights from Canada, resulting divorce, loss of income + assets + kids as he could attend any defence. No set time period is ever given by the police investigator / court.

Rent a car and a driver and enjoy it.

[helix]

Not safe to rent a car in your name and hire a driver as you may still be liable . Best to hire out an official taxi.

Avoid the self driven Jeep safari also , my Son and I did it a few yrs. back , I cringe now thinking of the kids running along side the Jeep begging as we passed by. The link below saddest thing of all .

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/toronto-woman-stuck-in-cuba-fears-she-ll-miss-3-year-old-son-s-funeral-1.1671332

[LGC]

Not safe to rent a car in your name and hire a driver as you may still be liable . Best to hire out an official taxi.

Avoid the self driven Jeep safari also , my Son and I did it a few yrs. back , I cringe now thinking of the kids running along side the Jeep begging as we passed by. The link below saddest thing of all .

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/toronto-woman-stuck-in-cuba-fears-she-ll-miss-3-year-old-son-s-funeral-1.1671332

Wow! Talk about your worst nightmare coming true!! I can't even imagine losing my son over a scooter ride. I know we all think nothing will happen if we act responsibly, but the risk for me is simply not worth it.

[RijkdeGooier]

I can only share my experiences.

Rented about 5 times. Drove around the entire Isla. Santiago to Pinar.

But I don't drink? and speak one or two words of Spanish.

Sometimes an overzealous cop would try for a ticket but they had very limited succes.

I had fun doing it and had good luck with the cars.

[ayepatz]

I never saw any accidents while I was there, but judging from the state of most cars there are plenty of them!

The signage seemed very random and not terribly clear to me.

Coupled with the insurance and liability issues?

Wouldn't fancy it.

[IcedCanuck]

I wouldn't do it. Hire a local driver and save yourself the stress. I would drive in Europe and North America. Other than that I would take a cab (not sure what driving is like in Oz).

[eswary]

I live in North Cuba aka Miami. Cubans in general can't drive to save their lives. Don't follow driving laws, use turn signals, and or understand driving courtesies. I drive amongst 4 million people daily and have to "white knuckle" it down the freeway...scary. Can't imagine Cuba..

My advice, leave it to the locals, sit back and hold on.

***this is a joke, but kinda not really***

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