Code de la Route

Now that I consider myself an expert Dakar driver (i.e. it doesn't require almost 100% of my concentration just to operate our car), I have had some time to appreciate the nuances of driving in our bustling metropolis. Every city has its driving culture and Dakar is no different. The following is my initial attempt at codifying Dakar's unwritten driving rules.

Hand gestures: There are two main hand gestures that one needs to master in Dakar traffic. The first is the thumb's up sign. The thumb's up sign is a slight variation of the thank you wave that Americans give to fellow drivers after being let into a traffic lane or after being allowed to turn in front of opposing traffic. The slight variation here is that the thumb's up sign can be used whether your fellow driver has let you into traffic (which sometimes happens), or if you have simply forced yourself into a lane by refusing to yield to the driver who technically has the right of way (a much more common occurrence). In the latter case, the thumb's up gesture actually means, "Yes I know I just cut you off but I will diffuse your anger by showing you the thumb's up sign as a combination thank you/apology for driving right in front of you."

The other important hand gesture is often the responsibility of the front seat passenger. When trying to turn or to merge into an impossibly dense mass of vehicles (i.e. most rotaries and intersections during rush hour), you often have to rely on the kindness of other drivers. The way to ask for a favor is to roll down your window, stick most of your arm out, and wave your hand up and down in a gesture that means "yes there are a million cars that are trying to merge here but have pity on me and let me in." Although drivers are quite aggressive here, most will yield if you employ this version of "pretty pretty please."

Turn signals: Not everyone uses turn signals reliably when they are approaching an intersection and actually planning to turn. Nonetheless, there are a few instances when most drivers will employ turn signals to alert other drivers to current road conditions. In the first instance, the driver uses the left turn signal to tell other drivers that there is an obstacle ahead that requires drifting into the left lane (most often a taxi or other public transport vehicle that has stopped to drop off a passenger). My favorite use of turn signals is when drivers use them not because they are actually turning, but because the road itself is bending to the right or the left. This use of turn signals means, "don't think that you can just keep driving in a straight line because the road is about to bank to the right, so let me use my right turn signal so that you will notice that the road is turning and you should turn with it."

Horns: This dimension of traffic communication remains a bit fuzzy. There are many things that can be said with a honk of the horn, including:
"I see you."
"Do you see me because you are coming right at me?!"
"Yes I see you but I don't like what you are doing!"
"This is not a good place for you to stop in the middle of the road to let off your passenger!"
"If you don't accelerate I am going to ram your rear end!"
I still need to figure out if there are honks of different durations to indicate which message is being conveyed, or if the context itself conveys the meaning of the honk.

Perhaps the most important honk is the one that drivers use for pedestrians who are walking in the middle or on the edge of the road. This honk is to remind pedestrians that they are actually walking in the road and that if they should be nudged by a passing car, it is not the driver's fault, because they are the ones who are choosing to walk in the road. I was hesitant to blare my horn at pedestrians initially. Then my research assistant explained that if I were ever to brush a pedestrian, I would receive the hostile query, "Well why didn't you honk at me if you were about to hit me!" Fair enough.

Gender: One road rule that I might resist in the United States, but which is actually quite advantageous, is a kind of road chivalry based on the assumption that women don't know how to drive. While this edict is indeed patronizing, it does have some advantages. Since women don't know how to drive, male drivers give us a wide berth, they don't get too upset when we cut them off, and in general they try to stay out of our way lest we suddenly lose control of our cars and go careening into them. And if it means I'll get where I'm going that much faster, let's hear it for a little vehicular sexism!