Cheap car rental Jordan - Traffic Safety and Road Conditions

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Traffic Safety and Road Conditions

TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning Jordan is provided for general reference only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance:

Safety of Public Transportation: Fair
Urban Road Conditions/Maintenance: Good
Rural Road Conditions/Maintenance: Fair
Availability of Roadside Assistance: Poor

Roads are particularly treacherous during the periods of rain, from December to March. Drivers and passengers are required to wear seatbelts and all cars must have a fire extinguisher and warning triangle in the vehicle. Child car seats are not required and generally are not available in Jordan. The police exercise strict enforcement of speed limits. Violators of speed limits may face fines up to $140.00. Police routinely pull over reckless drivers as well as those driving under the influence. Licensed drivers must carry local third party insurance with sufficient coverage for accidents resulting in injury or death. Jordanian Public Safety officials estimate that two people are killed and fifty more are injured in 145 road accidents daily throughout the Kingdom.

Extra caution must be exercised at all times, especially when driving at night, because of poor lighting and road conditions. Land mines are often located within two miles of military installations and borders, including the popular Dead Sea area. Mine fields are usually fenced off and marked with signs carrying a skull and crossbones, but the fences and signs may be in poor repair or hard to see. Avoiding these areas reduces the risk of accidentally setting off a mine. Highways are more crowded around the Muslim holidays, when many Jordanians return from their work in the Gulf States. Also, city driving in Amman is more hazardous in the summer months, when many Gulf residents visit Amman. Jordan does not have restrictions on women driving and it is not unusual for women to drive alone.

The desert highway outside Aqaba, a popular tourist destination, is particularly dangerous because it is narrow, winding, steep and crowded with trucks. This area should be avoided at night, if possible. Also, when driving in rural areas, motorists should be cautious when there are herds of camels along the roads as there are often collisions between camels and cars.

Jordan has bus and taxi services. Yellow taxis are generally safe for travel in the cities and use meters to determine fares. One may also rent a service car (or livery car) for longer trips, such as to Damascus, Jerusalem, Aqaba, or Petra. The service cars have a good reputation for road safety.

Emergencies should be referred to Civil Defense Department at telephone number 199 (Jordan's equivalent to 911).

For additional general information about road safety, including links to foreign government sites, see the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs home page at http://travel.state.gov/road-safety.html. For specific information concerning Jordanian driving permits, vehicle inspection, road tax and mandatory insurance, contact the Jordan National Tourist Organization offices in New York via the Internet at http://www.seejordan.org.