Breakdown / Accident / Fender Bender

There are somethings in my everyday life here that I can easily compare to things in the States. Other things, I am still perplexed every time I experience it because it is so different from the norm in the States. One of those things, despite the headaches they have created, is the events that follow after an automobile breaks down here or an accident occurs.

In the United States, typically after the initial reaction of disbelief, one tries to get their car off the road and onto the shoulder, in order to not inhibit the traffic flow...it sorta just makes sense. Well, that just does not happen here. It does not matter what road or the time of day, you are bound to see a broken down car in the middle of the road. If I got a cookie for everyone of these broken down cars I've seen in the past year, I would not be skinny.

Eventually, somebody might try and help push the car off the road, but typically, people try and fix the problem on the spot. The people who run the Allhums (big white buses) in Dakar often rival many of Nascars top pit crews, able to change a burst tire on a busy road in minutes.

Accidents are a different thing. I've never seen people care so much about a car that has been on its last leg for the past 15 years. Immediately following these accidents, both drivers get out of their cars, investigate the scratch, and then start methodologically yelling at each other. A crowd usually gathers. All of this would be occurring in the middle of the road. After several tense minutes, the guys typically shake hands and are the best of friends.

Just a bit different from the roadways in the US....