Driving is Amman can be quite tricky for someone coming from the US or Europe. Things happen a bit differently here so you will need to get a few driving philosophies sorted out before you pick up your ride from the car rental in Amman.
Do Not Stop Anywhere Except at Traffic Lights
The idea is to keep chugging forward unless you see a red light. Out here in Amman, if you stop to let somebody through, you are more likely to be hit by the car behind you as compared to the general idea of collisions due to speeding vehicles.
On intersections or roundabouts, do not give way. Hold your lane at all costs or you will be pushed to the corner.
Honk First Look Later
While this particular action may seem to be quite rude back in the West, it is an utter necessity if you are driving around Amman. The rear view mirrors in most cars are either broken or removed for sake of fashion. This makes them somewhat blind!
Therefore, if you are in the back, and you see the car in front of you doing anything out of the ordinary, then honk immediately and continuously to intimate the driver of the vehicle.
Stay Away From The Busy Circles
Stay out of the busier streets like Garden’s street, Dakhleyeh Circle, University Street in the morning time and instead look for alternate routes. These are potential bottlenecks and tend to get extremely jam-packed for hours.
Similarly, Wadi Square, Rainbow Street, Sweifeyeh generally are clogged between 5PM – 8PM slot. Therefore, you might want to avoid these areas in the evening time.
Discourage Bumper-To-Bumper Driving
Many a car rental in Amman, do not too kindly towards scratches and bumps to the car. However, with most people used to driving close to each other in the city, scratches of this nature are going to be only natural.
In order to avoid such bumper-to-bumper nuisance, give a few sudden breaks to ward off the driver from sticking close to you.