What is the first rule of the road in Jamaica? - 2023 (2023)

FAQs

What is the first rule of the road? ›

Do not exceed the speed limit. Drive on the left of the road, unless you are about to overtake or turn right. At nights drive well within the limit of your headlights. Do not travel too closely to the vehicle in front of you (allow at least one car length and two car lengths on wet roads).

You can drive with your license from home for up to one year before needing to apply for a Jamaican drivers' license. The minimum age to drive in Jamaica is 18 years old, but the minimum age to rent a car is 21. You will need to have had your license for at least 2 years before being able to rent a car.

All drivers are required to carry a valid license. Jamaica recognizes valid International Driver's Licenses. North Americans may use their country's license for up to three months per visit.

Drive on the left side of the road: In Jamaica, you are required to drive on the left side of the road, so timid drivers, or those unused to such procedure, should be warned in advance before renting a vehicle. Also, drivers should allow for at least one to two car lengths in front of you, in case of wet roads.

Exercise Lane Discipline

Motorists should drive in the left lane unless they are overtaking another vehicle. Once a driver finishes overtaking, they should return to the left lane. Vehicles driving below the speed limit should always travel in the left lane.

THE legal age for a person to begin driving in Jamaica is 18, however, there is no age limit to indicate when a person should stop driving. As driving skills invariably deteriorate with ageing, the decision to discontinue driving is often made by the senior citizen, a medical doctor, or a loved one.

Renting a car is by far the best way of getting around and seeing the island. Though some of the roads beggar belief, Jamaica is a relatively easy country to drive in. Distances are small, and while some locals have a kamikaze approach to driving, most are extremely courteous.

THERE is no legislation that determines what footwear you are to drive in. However, wearing the right shoes could mean a safer, smoother, more-controlled driving experience.

It emphasises that drivers, motorcyclists, horse drawn vehicles, horse riders and cyclists “should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning. “You MUST give way to pedestrians on a zebra crossing, and to pedestrians and cyclists on a parallel crossing.”

What is the new road law 2022? ›

The 2022 Highway Code says that if pedestrians have started crossing the road and drivers want to turn into the road, pedestrians crossing have priority, and the traffic should give way to them.

The new rules state that drivers should give way to pedestrians who are waiting to cross a road at a junction. This means motorists may have to wait to turn onto a side road, for example, if there is a pedestrian waiting to cross it.

Used in moderation, alcohol is safe, but it`s just the opposite when it comes to binge drinking, alcoholism, drunk driving, or drinking spikes. The legal drinking age in Jamaica is 18. Providing alcohol to a person under the age of 18 is a criminal offence. And that`s just the physical effects.

Jamaica: The law states that the legal alcohol limit is 35 μg/100 mL alcohol in breath or a blood alcohol level of 80 mg/100 mL alcohol in blood.

Is the water safe to drink in Jamaica? Mostly, tap water in Jamaica is safe to drink, but in more remote areas you may want to avoid drinking water straight out of the tap, unless it has been boiled, filtered or otherwise treated.

Some common tickets that are in the app but not in law include (i) failure to wear a seat belt, for which motorists are usually fined $500; (ii) motorcyclist failing to wear a protective helmet, a $500 fine; and (iii) failure to produce a certificate of fitness, for which motorists have been receiving a $3,000 fine.

The Road Code Test is a multiple choice test, comprising of 15 questions, designed to evaluate a person's knowledge of the general rules of the road, including road signs, road markings and road safety knowledge.

Seatbelts and child seats are mandatory. Speed limits in Jamaica are: Town and city: 50 km/h (30 mph) Open Roads: 80 km/h (50 mph)

Jamaica Gleaner - Day 2: The amber-coloured traffic light is a signal for a motorist to slow down.

Driving a full circle around the island of Jamaica takes a minimum of two days, but that is pushing it with not much time for pit stops. The distance is only about 398 miles using the major roads but takes 14 to 16 hours to complete.

What is an escape lane Jamaica? ›

Escape Lanes along the Highway enable vehicles having braking problems to stop safely.

Upon passing the Road Code Test, applicants will proceed to the Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) to pay a fee of $1,800 and will be issued with the provisional driver's licence.

Heavy penalties have been included in the bill for a range of activities like driving without a licence or permit, which attracts a fine of $40,000. There is a fine of $20,000 for driving without required motor vehicle insurance coverage.

The country of Jamaica only allows vehicle imports for BRAND NEW vehicles and vehicles that are NOT MORE than SIX YEARS OLD.

No. Jamaica does not have a single standard address system that can uniformly work in all of Jamaica.

Taking a cab or minibus will be the safest and most hassle-free way to get around Jamaica. But you should only take the official taxis that are operated by the Jamaica Union of Travelers Association (JUTA) or Jamaica Co-operative Automobile & Limousine Tours (JCAL), as indicated by the acronym on their vehicles.

Road safety

Coastal roads are in fair condition but driving in inland can be dangerous due to: narrow, winding roads.

Indecent and obscene prints, paintings, photographs, cinematograph films, lithographs, engravings, books, cards or written communications or any indecent or obscene articles whether similar to the above or not and any parcels, packages or packets having thereon, or on the cover thereof, any words, marks or designs ...

A domestic driver's license valid for at least a year or two and an International Driver's Permit. 18 is the minimum age for driving, but renting a car] would require you to be 21 years old.

Are there new rules for The Highway Code? ›

From 29 January 2022, the new Highway Code with 8 new rules and 49 updates, will become operational. The changes are aimed at providing better protection to users of roads who may be more vulnerable in the event of accidents, such as pedestrians and cyclists.

The Highway code was changed on the 29th of January 2022, with eight new rules being introduced as well as 49 updates to existing rules.

Speed limiters are now mandatory in all new cars. The new software known as intelligent speed assistance system (ISA) was rolled out in new cars in 2022 as a result of research from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC).

The series debuted on July 19, 1995, and ended on May 9, 2007. This allowed Road Rules a total of 14 seasons and 12 years on the air.

The Road Traffic Act 1988 is a piece of health and safety legislation in the UK applicable to all vehicles and drivers on public roads. Knowledge and training of this legislation is essential for employers and employees driving at work.

There is no upper age limit for driving a car. All drivers have to renew their driving licence when you reach the age of 70 and every 3 years after. The renewal form will be sent to you automatically by the Driver Vehicle Licence Agency (DVLA) 90 days before your 70th birthday.

Any person who participates in sexual activities with someone under age 16 may be prosecuted for statutory rape. To learn more about the Age of Consent and the law, see the Sexual Offences Act (2011) on the MOJ's Website (external link).

The sale of tobacco products is prohibited to persons under the age of 18.

What language is spoken in Jamaica? ›

Although English is the official language of Jamaica, the majority of the population speak Jamaican Patois. This is a creole language (See the lesson on creole on this web site) made up of an English superstrate and African substrate.

An adult 18 years or older is allowed the following duty-free items: No more than 50 cigars or 200 cigarettes, or 1/2 pound of tobacco. One quart or one litre or spirits, cordials, and wine.

Parts of the Caribbean are a notable exception to the one-liter rule (although the Caymen Islands, Anguilla and Turks and Caicos are among the islands that aren't). The CBP says you can bring back two liters of alcohol duty free from islands that compose the Caribbean Basin Initiative, which include St.

The Jamaican dollar. The Jamaican dollar is the monetary unit of Jamaica, where it is issued, since 1969. The symbol is $, J$ or JA$ to distinguish it from the American dollar and other dollars.

-Mosquitoes:

In the evening mosquitos can be a problem. Jamaicans say the bites come from mosquitoes, ants and possibly sand fleas. So, before going to Jamaica, make sure to prepare yourself in advance and pack some long sleeves and pants.

Update 2021-02-10: According to British authorities, the night-time curfew in Jamaica is now in effect countrywide between 08:00 p.m. and 05:00 a.m. (local time).

Caribbean reef sharks, tiger sharks, hammerheads, and bull sharks have been reported. This makes sense since those types of sharks are known to like warmer waters, such as what you would find in Jamaica. You wouldn't expect to find Great White sharks in Jamaica as they prefer colder waters.

Always yield to pedestrians

Traffic laws state that pedestrians always have the right of way, therefore drivers must yield.

2) Rules of the Road. General Rules Keep Left on a two-way road to allow traffic from the opposite direction to pass on your right and on a one-way road to allow vehicles behind you to overtake from your right. When Turning Left keep to the left side of the road you are leaving as well as the one you are entering.

Always drive on the left-hand side of any road and overtake on the right (golden rule!) If the rules of the road are not adhered to, it is a criminal offence, and prosecution of drivers may result.

What is Rule 10 of rules of the road? ›

Rule 10 states that ships crossing traffic lanes are required to do so "as nearly as practicable at right angles to the general direction of traffic flow." This reduces confusion to other ships as to the crossing vessel's intentions and course and at the same time enables that vessel to cross the lane as quickly as ...

Move over!

Leave the right lane for those who are merging. It is obvious to most that merging can and will stop the flow of traffic. It is another unwritten rule of the road that you let one car go in between your automobile and the car ahead of you. This should make the flow easier and faster.

To use the rule, drivers should allow the vehicle in front to pass a fixed object such as a lamp post or road sign then count to two seconds. If they reach two seconds before reaching the reference marker they need to drop back. The picture below shows how intimidating it can be when someone is driving too close.

There is one rule that the Department of Motor Vehicles recommends all motorists do to avoid collisions with such objects. It advises that drivers should scan the road at least 12 seconds ahead to avoid potential trouble spots and to identify possible road hazards.

These are stated in what is rightly termed “The Four Golden Rules”. They are: What cannot be MEASURED cannot be STABILISED. What cannot be STABILISED cannot be STANDARDISED.

You can learn them by reading the Rules book and hitting yourself hard with practice questions. Do groups of questions based on a rule or set of rules, until you have a good handle of each category of rules. Then do random multiple choice over and over again until you're consistently getting above 90%.

Simple actions on road will keep you safe:

Look towards oncoming traffic. Never assume driver has seen you when you are about to cross the road, its your responsibility to save yourself. Avoid crossing road where drivers may not be able to see you. Wait for suitable gap in the traffic flow before crossing the road.

What is a 10 and 2 when driving? ›

Common driving advice is that you should keep your hands at the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions on the steering wheel. This technique is supposed to give you maximum control of the steering wheel so you're able to make hand-over-hand turning maneuvers.

Rule 64. You MUST NOT cycle on a pavement.

The 'rule' itself is quite straightforward: if the speed limit is (for example) 30mph, the rule states that you won't get a speeding ticket unless you are going 10% plus 2 mph faster than the limit.