A 12-Step Guide To Driving in Lebanon

Driving in Lebanon can be, well, challenging for folk who are used to driving in places with road rules. The Lebanese drive with a verve, panache and flexibility that is often just plain terrifying, especially when driving in Beirut.

On the plus side, car hire is cheap (Advanced Car Rental offers new, fully insured little cars for $30 a day) and if you’re interested in seeing out-of-the-way places or have limited time, it actually makes excellent sense.

Herewith 12 very basic principles of driving in Lebanon.

1: If It’s In Front of You, It’s Your Problem

When driving in Lebanon, it’s wise to be aware of the Middle Eastern right of way: if it’s in front of you, no matter how it got there, it’s your problem.

Changing course and braking to avoid other road users is a normal part of driving, particularly in gridlocked Beirut, where folk will pull out into traffic the second there’s enough space to fit in a wing and pedestrians cross blind.

Just like in Grand Theft Auto, focus on what’s in front of you and what’s coming in from the sides — and don’t expect that people’s brake lights work.

2: The Horn Is Your Friend

The Lebanese do like to hoot, and, while it may not feel like it when you have someone tooting hell out of you for not jumping a red light, the horn is actually your friend. Always use it when overtaking to alert the person you are passing and in any of the many situations where someone’s driving suggests they can’t see you.

3: The Whole World Is Your Parking Lot

The Lebanese park anywhere. Literally, anywhere. I’ve seen vehicles parked on roundabouts, at traffic lights, at a 45 degree angle across the road, on motorway sliproads and on all sorts of corners, including busy intersections and blind bends.

Egregiously horrible parking, such as at traffic lights or across a road, will often, but not always, be signalled as temporary by use of hazard lights or leaving a door or two open. Double parking is normal, but triple parking generally indicates either a valet parking spot outside a nightclub or an informal workplace carpark solution.

4: Those Flashing Lights? An Utter Mystery

The Lebanese driving test is similar to the Indonesian driving test, so not many Lebanese either use or understand indicators – a series of hand gestures, “You come through!” “I’m coming through!” “Thank you for letting me out!” are much more common.

It IS worth using your indicators when driving in Lebanon, but you shouldn’t assume that other road users will register them. If moving over to allow someone to overtake, triple-check he’s not gone for the undertake before you move.

5: Blind Bends Are Dangerous

The only thing that gets between a Lebanese driver and speed is the capacity of the vehicle, which means they will overtake absolutely anywhere, including on and before blind bends.

Approach every blind bend wide and slowly, in the expectation that someone is overtaking on it, and you should avoid a head-on collision — I counted five near-misses on one half-hour crawl through the Chouf. Slow at once whenever someone begins to overtake you on or before a blind bend, because they may need the space to tuck back in.

6: Intersections Are Crazy

There is no right of way on most intersections, which are not generally signed. This means you fundamentally have to nudge and barge your way through, grabbing whatever gap you see.

Expect vehicles to be coming from every conceivable direction, including, but not limited to, down the wrong side of the road, in reverse, and turning left around you from the right lane.

7: Roundabouts Are Absolutely Terrifying

In Lebanon, roundabouts are rarely signed and rules about lanes and positioning do not really exist. So, as at intersections, find a place that has space for your car, nip into it, and then defend it against all comers.

If you’re in danger of missing your exit, hand signals come in very handy, as does braking. Parking on roundabouts, driving the wrong way round a roundabout for an exit or two, and reversing onto roundabouts are not unknown.

8: A Red Light Means “Pause”, Not “Stop”

Traffic lights in Lebanon are more of an indication of what to do than an actual instruction — if a man in uniform beckons you through one (or, for that matter, the wrong way across one), do as you are told.

Most Lebanese drivers will jump red lights if the intersection is clear and plenty even if it’s not. When turning, expect the flow of traffic to continue long after the light has turned red. Drivers can get quite cross if you fail to jump a red light when the intersection’s clear.

9: The Lebanese Love To Help

It’s worth investing in a GPS, which you can hire with your car for a few extra dollars, just to avoid the many helpful folk who will give you directions.

The Lebanese are lovely. They genuinely want to help and hate to say no. Which means that, even if they don’t know where you’re going, they’ll try and direct you there, or even lead you there in their car. If you don’t have a GPS, ask at petrol stations or army checkpoints.

10: There Are Lanes, Spock, But Not As You Know Them

Some Lebanese roads have lane markings, but these are generally disregarded, meaning that when traffic is heavy, you can expect to have one or two more “lanes” in operation than the road can actually fit. Expect to move over a foot or two to make space for other road users while the “lanes” are transitioning.

11: If They Act Drunk, They’re Drunk Or On The Phone

There ARE drink-driving laws in Lebanon, but I would dearly love to see what kind of driving counts as erratic enough to attract official attention.

During the summer party season the rooftop bars and mega-clubs of Beirut, Jounieh and Byblos stay open till dawn and beyond, so expect a lot of road users to be drunk, sleepless and/or high both late at night and in the early morning. And quite possibly on the phone as well.

12: Might is Right

In a not uncommon adaptation of conventional rights of way, small vehicles give way to big vehicles. Why? Because if you collide, they’ll win.

But, you know what?

With the notable exception of getting lost on the way back from the airport, where Z was adding to his extensive unaccompanied minor credentials, once I’d got used to it, I found driving in Lebanon (with the exception of parking) actually kinda fun. Does this make me warped?