Jordan Guide
Getting around
Driving
Compared with Egypt or Syria, driving in Jordan is a breeze; compared with the West, it's a challenge. Apart from driving on the right and always obeying a policeman, rules of the road tend to have individual interpretations. Most roads aren't marked out in lanes, so overtaking on both sides is normal – always accompanied by a blast or two on the horn – as is pulling out into fast-moving traffic without looking. There is no universally accepted pattern of right of way. It's wise to follow the locals and sound your horn before many types of manoeuvre; out in the sticks, look out for kids playing on the hard shoulder and give a warning honk from a long way back. Traffic lights are always respected – cameras record red-light runners – as are most one-ways. Right of way on roundabouts goes to whoever's moving fastest.
Road surfaces are generally good, although there are lots of unmarked speed bumps and rumble strips in unexpected places (including main highways), as well as killer potholes. Look out for drifting sand in the desert: if you're going too fast when you hit a patch of sand, you can be spun off the road before you know it. Speed limits – posted regularly – are generally 100kph on highways and 90kph on main roads, dropping to 60kph or 40kph in built-up areas. Mobile police radar traps catch speeders, with spot fines around JD25.
On major roads, directional signs are plentiful and informative; most have English as well as Arabic. Large brown signs around the country direct tourists to major sites, superseding older blue signs. On unsigned back roads, the only fail-safe method of finding the right direction is to keep asking the locals.
Night driving is considerably more scary. Lighting is often poor, so speed bumps, uneven road surfaces, children or animals (or objects) in the road and potholes all become invisible. Slow-moving trucks and farm vehicles often chug along in the dark without lights or reflectors. It's common – if inexplicable – practice on dark country roads to flip to main beam when you see somebody coming, dazzling them blind. Many people flash their headlights to say "get out of the way", but some do it to say "OK go ahead", others merely to say hello: you must make up your own mind at the time which it is.
Although a normal driving licence from home is sufficient, an International Driving Permit can be useful, since it has an Arabic translation; these are available very inexpensively from motoring organizations in your home country.