122 CultureShock! Bolivia
only if you live in the south zone of La Paz or in the spread
out city of Santa Cruz.
Pedestrians should not expect an oncoming automobile
to turn or not turn based on its turning signals. Too many
drivers simply do not use their signals. At corners in hilly
cities, the driver moving uphill has the right of way.
For travel beyond the city, Bolivia has a relatively effi cient
network of bus companies, called fl otas. Two major 1990s
fl ota accidents, one on the La Paz– Yungas road and the other
on the La Paz– Oruro Highway, both resulting in more than 30
deaths, may be cause for future concerns. However, given the
high volume of fl ota usage, the safety record is respectable,
especially when one considers the narrowness straight away
of some sleep provoking stretches or the blood boiling hairpin
turns on others.
From my own driving experience in various Latin
American countries, I fi nd the greatest danger coming from
stray animals, especially donkeys, sometimes cows and pigs,
that dart across the road from unfenced farming areas.
Let’s be honest, Bolivia’s road safety record, although
improving, does not measure up statistically to many other
countries. In my family, we have decided that the rewards