Driving – Tunisian Experience

There aren’t many things that can make you feel more alive and free than having a car, a full tank of gas, and some time to kill in Tunisia. Tunisia is the same size as the UK, or roughly the size of Illinois and Indiana stacked on top of each other. You can drive anywhere within the country in less than a day. And, there is a LOT to see out there! We have lived in Tunisia for years and have driven to almost every corner of the country. Below we’ve compiled a list of our best tips that we have learned from experience and trial and error. Enjoy! (Before we get started, we should note that the US State Department has some information about driving in Tunisia that you can check out. The info is listed under the "Travel and Transportation" heading.) 1. Go with the Flow There is a unique “flow” to the traffic in Tunisia. One of the best things you can do to adjust is to learn what’s “normal” and then abide by those unwritten rules. If you drive for more than a few minutes in a Tunisian city, you will have people pull out in front of you dozens of times. Pedestrians will cross the street as if you and your car weren't even there. Mopeds will weave through traffic and brush up against your mirrors. It can all seem overwhelming at first. When Abi helps expats learn to drive here for the first time, she takes them to a big supermarket and makes them push a shopping cart through the aisles. This helps them get a sense for the mentality on the roads, how much personal space is allowed, and how Tunisians communicate non-verbally. With practice, you will eventually get used to the traffic situation, and it will get easier! Just prepare yourself for a learning curve and know there is a hidden logic to the traffic that will reveal itself in time. 2. Have a Translator If no one in your car speaks Arabic or French, you should have someone (or a few people) that you can call if you run into trouble. Think about it: if you get into an accident, or if a policeman at a check point begins questioning you aggressively, you will feel awfully helpless if you can’t communicate! Plan for these situations ahead of time by having a few emergency contacts in your phone—preferably some Tunisian friends. Tunisians are very helpful and hospitable, so even if you just made an acquaintance at your hotel, they will most likely be glad to help when you need it. 3. Keep Your Passport with You There are a number of different forms of identification that are technically acceptable if you get stopped by the police. You can show your Driver’s License from your home state or country, and you can also use an International Driver’s License. While these other forms of ID are fine, Tunisian authorities prefer to see your passport. The few times that I have been stopped by the police, they always expect to see my passport. To them, it is the most relevant, important form of ID for a foreigner. If you don’t want to carry your passport around with you all the time, at least have a picture of it on your phone. Even better: have a photocopy in your wallet. 4. Pedestrians Are Everywhere Crosswalks and sidewalks are not really a thing in Tunisia. Every square inch of the country is a pedestrian zone. Drive accordingly! Non-verbal communication is important when dealing with pedestrians. If someone is trying to cross the street, they will watch you to determine whether you see them. If you make eye contact with them, or if they see you slow down, they may take that as a sign that it’s safe to cross. Because most of the sidewalks in Tunisia are not in good condition and they usually have cars parked on them, people walk on the street. If someone is walking in the lane where you’re driving, it is normal to pull up a few feet behind them and follow them until they have a chance to get out of the way. It is not normal to honk at pedestrians, even when they are in your way or they make a mistake that causes you to swerve or make a hard stop. 5. Have the Right Papers Whether you’re using your own car, renting, or borrowing from a friend, be sure that you have the right papers. In addition to your Driver’s License or passport, you will need the car’s ownership card and proof of insurance with you any time you drive. The car’s ownership card is called a carte grise (grey card). It's a plastic card the size of a Driver’s License that shows the owner’s name, address, ID number, and vehicle information. As you would expect, every vehicle needs to be insured in order to legally drive on the road. This form is called a votre attestation d’assurance. Make sure your policy is valid and up to date. You will want to have easy access to both of these documents if you get in an accident or get stopped by the police. 6. Keep an Accident-Report Form in Your Glovebox No matter whose car you’re driving, you should be sure to have with you an accident report form. If you get into an accident, either you or the other driver will need to fill one out. Only one form is required for 2 drivers involved in an accident. Two forms are required if there are 3 drivers. If the other driver fills out the form, make sure you get the carbon copy. If you have a form with you, make sure you also have a good pen with blue ink. Since you must sign the form after it’s filled out, I highly recommend calling someone who speaks French and/or Arabic to come and help you. They should check to make sure that the other driver has recorded the information correctly and truthfully. 7. If Your Car Gets Booted or Towed... It is a sickening feeling to come back to your parking spot and see a big, yellow boot on your wheel, or to find that your car has been towed. If this happens, you will need to find the nearest tow yard. You may need to ask a local to get directions to the tow yard because they are not listed on Google Maps. Tunisians use the French word “remorquage” for towing. Here are some other words and phrases that you can use: Cour de remorquage = Tow yard Voiture = Car (French) Ka-ha-da-ba = Car (Tunisian Arabic) Semah-nee = Excuse me. Ween = Where? Ween cour de remorquage? = Where is the tow yard? Ka-ha-da-ba m-ta-yee moosh mo-jood. = My car is not here. Once you make it to the tow yard, you’ll have to pay a fine in the ballpark of 35 Tunisian Dinars, which is about $12 or 10 GBP. 8. Mopeds Rule the Road Tunisian roads have a lot of 50cc mopeds that have a top speed of around 65 kmh (40 mph). Moped drivers do not follow the same traffic rules as cars do, so keep an eye out for them. One thing I learned when purchasing our motorcycle is that any “motor” under the size of 125cc does not require an owner’s card (carte grise). It seems that when you’re below this threshold, police treat you more like a bicycle and less like a motorcycle. More than once I’ve seen a moped drive straight through a red light at a busy intersection with a traffic policeman present, and the policeman didn't bat an eye. Mopeds and motorcycles weave through traffic, drive on sidewalks, go the wrong way on one-way streets, and come into very close contact with other vehicles on the road. The best way to keep things safe is to keep your distance when possible and be predictable in your movements. Avoid sudden stops and fast lane changes. 9. Some Horn Honking Is Friendly There is a fair amount of road rage and angry honking on the roads in Tunisia. However, there are also occasions where people honk as a friendly “heads up”. In these cases, there’s no need to take offense. You will likely hear honking at a red light when the light turns yellow or green. The reason for this is that the stoplights are often placed too far back from the edge of the intersection. If you're the first car in line, you probably won’t be able to see the light. Don’t worry: the people behind you will let you know when it’s time to go! Tunisians also honk sometimes just to let you know they are there in your blind spot. I see this as a courtesy. 10. Go on Yellow (Cautiously) On traffic lights in America, only one color lights up at a time. In Tunisia, yellow comes on at the same time as other colors. As you’re waiting at a red light, before the light turns green, the red and yellow lights will shine at the same time for about 3 seconds. This lets you know it’s time to get ready to go. While it is legal to start driving through the intersection in the few seconds that those yellow and red lights are shining, you should proceed with caution. It is common for drivers in Tunisia to continue through the intersection after the light is red. 11. Ignore the Brazen Traffic Violators The police in Tunisia do enforce traffic laws. However, there are still many drivers who violate the laws in a way that slows down traffic and inconveniences everyone else on the road. My personal advice is to just accept that it’s going to happen and not let it get to you. When a line forms at an intersection or highway exit, there are some drivers that cannot resist the urge to cut the line, even if that means blocking an oncoming lane. This “me first” mentality is contagious. You are bound to see a traffic jam unfold before your eyes that is completely preventable and is only caused by drivers who are determined to get ahead, even if it means that everyone else has to wait. 12. Traffic Rules Are Enforced (Sort of) If your home country has strict traffic enforcement and orderly roads, your first impression of Tunisia may be that there are no discernible traffic laws. This is not the case! While there are many drivers on the roads in Tunisia that drive way too fast and don’t stay in their lanes, this does not mean that you can do the same and not suffer consequences. There are traffic police in Tunisia and they do enforce the speed limit and other rules with fines. 13. Police Checkpoints are Normal You may come upon a checkpoint where heavily armed police officers or national guardsmen are stopping cars at random and asking for their papers. Don’t be alarmed. It’s normal. In your home country, if you see armored vehicles and soldiers with rifles stopping cars, it may be a sign that something serious has gone wrong. In Tunisia, this is routine. The checkpoints are meant to show a strong police presence, which deters terrorism and crime. If you get stopped at a checkpoint, be prepared to show your ID (preferably your passport), your car’s carte grise, and proof of insurance. If you don’t speak Arabic or French, have someone you can call to translate for you if necessary. 14. Staying in Your Lane is Optional Drivers on the highways in Tunisia often ignore the concept of lanes. There are painted lines that demarcate traffic lanes on the highways, but these are very often so faint that you can barely see them. On some of the highways in Tunis, construction work has left outdated lines that crisscross over the newer lines. It’s confusing! Even when the lines are clearly marked, some drivers drift in and out of lanes with no warning. It is also common to see drivers cruising for several kilometers with 60% of their car in one lane and 40% in the other. 15. Flashing High Beams When someone flashes their “brights” or “high beams” in Tunisia, it may have a different meaning than where you’re from. In America, when someone wants to pull out in front of you, you can flash your brights to tell them “go ahead.” In Tunisia, it often means the opposite: “Don’t go ahead. I’m not stopping.” 16. Turn Signals Don’t Always Signal Turns Tunisians do use turn signals to indicate that they are about to turn. However, there’s also another reason they use them. If you are driving in the left lane on the highway and someone comes up behind you, you may see them put their left blinker on. This means that they want you to veer over into another lane. When someone is really in a hurry on the highway, they may cruise very fast in the left lane and just leave their left turn signal on the whole time so that all drivers in front of them know to get out of the way. 17. Master the Traffic Circles Traffic circles—also called round points or roundabouts—are very common in Tunisia. They were not common where I learned to drive in America, so I had to learn the rules by trial and error. If you are brand new to traffic circles, the rule of thumb is to yield to the drivers who are already in the circle. Tunisians hold to this rule pretty firmly. If you enter a roundabout and cause someone who’s already in it to brake, prepare to be honked at. Most traffic circles have only one lane, but not all of them. From my observations, Tunisians usually stay in one lane while in a multi-lane traffic circle. 18. Right Side of the Road If you’re coming from the UK, the first question you may have is, “What side of the road do they drive on in Tunisia?” Tunisians drive on the right side of the road. 19. Talk with Your Hands Last but not least, there are some common hand gestures in Tunisia that you should be aware of. It’s good for any visitor to know what these mean. But if you're feeling adventurous, you can also try using them yourself! “Thanks for letting me go.” When you’re in dense traffic and you’re about to cut in in front of someone, stick your arm out of the driver side window and give the thumbs up. The funny thing about the thumbs up is that it’s given before the other car says “OK.” So really it means, “Thanks in advance for letting me go.” “Be patient!” Put your thumb and four fingers together into a bunch, and point them up towards the sky. Shake your hand back and forth for extra emphasis. “What’s wrong with you?!” Make your thumb and first two fingers like an animal claw or talon, or like you’re gripping a baseball. While holding your fingers in this position, quickly twist your wrist so that your palm is facing up. Use lots of emotion and do it multiple times for full effect. Conclusion These 19 tips will hopefully give you a head start as you hit the open road in Tunisia. There is so much to see and do in Tunisia and it is hard to beat exploring the country with the freedom of your own car. We wish you the best as you go. Have fun!