Cheap car rental in Mali - 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 Mali is provided for general reference only, and it may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance.

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

Mali has a few paved roads that are in fair condition. U.S. citizens traveling by road should exercise extreme caution. Poorly maintained, overloaded transport and cargo vehicles frequently break down and cause accidents. Undisciplined drivers render traffic movements unpredictable. Construction work is often poorly indicated. Speed bumps - commonly used on paved roads in and near villages - are seldom indicated. Nighttime driving is particularly hazardous because vehicles frequently lack headlights and/or taillights. Mali's unpaved roads vary in quality. Deep sand and/or ditches are common. During the rainy season from mid-June to mid-September, dirt roads often become impassable. Four-wheel drive vehicles with full spare tires and emergency equipment are recommended.

In Mali, one drives on the right hand side of the road. In cities, speed limits can range from 40-60 kilometers an hour (25-40 miles per hour), although road conditions often call for lower speeds. On the roads between cities, the speed limit is 100 km/hr (around 65 mph), but this is often ignored.

Inter-city travel, if not organized through a tour company, can be accomplished by public bus, taxi, and, to the western Kayes region of the country only, by train. There are paved roads to Segou, Mopti and Sikasso. However, motorized vehicles must share the road with bicycles, animal driven carts, and herds of animals. Driving at night between cities is not recommended, not only because many other vehicles lack head or taillights, but also because nighttime robbery can be a problem. Overland travel after dark should be avoided.

Driving conditions in the capital of Bamako can be particularly difficult and dangerous. Few traffic signals function regularly, and drivers often do not follow the rules of the road. In particular, the small, green, van-like buses called "bashays" pay no heed to oncoming traffic, and bashay drivers are known to change lanes unexpectedly without looking. Please exercise extreme caution when driving in Bamako.

There are local drunk driving laws on the books, but they are seldom enforced. The same goes for laws regarding seat belts and child car seats. In case of an accident involving bodily injury, the person at fault is generally expected to pay all the medical bills to the injured. If an accident results in death, even if unavoidable or beyond the driver's control (e.g., if a child runs out in front of one's car), the police will often keep the driver in jail for several days to protect the driver against physical harm or other retribution from the victim's family. Most cases like this are eventually settled out of court.

There is no Malian equivalent of the 911 emergency number, and the job of transporting accident victims to the hospital is left to passers-by or the gendarmes/police if they are available. There is no service that provides roadside assistance in Mali.

The Malian authority for road safety is the Compagnie Nationale de Circulation Routiere: (223) 22-38-83. 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.