Anyone rent a car?

[hemeyouisthree]

So has anyone rented a car while in Jamaica? My husband and I do like to do off resort stuff too, and I was thinking that perhaps renting a car would be nice...but I am a little nervous.
Just kinda worried about what the roads are like, and if anyone has had any problems being stopped as a Canadian or anything like that, I can't imagine there being a problem, but would like to hear any experiences you's have had...

We were stopped in Mexico in a cab the first time down, the cabbie had to pay grease him, so it made me kinda nervous to rent a car there...

I really really want to tour the Bob Marley museum, and it is in Kingston...thought that this would be a nice day out (and maybe we could take some friends if we meet anyone! )

[Xceptional]

The resorts like to scare you into only booking bus excursions. There ARE car rental outfits, and some organized self-drive tourist programs where you drive yourself to different small rental properties across the island.

Jamaica, Kingston particularly, has some scary slum areas and a hign crime rate. I was reading the local paper about how murder and rape are both up, as is gun violence among youth.

The roads aren't as much in chaos as other places I've seen like, say Bangkok, but there aren't American-style Interstate Highways either. You'll be driving on a lot of 2-lane paved roads and people pass beyond the marked passing zones all the time. There is apparently a very high road fatality rate.

My unverified impression is that highway banditos and corrupt cops are LESS of a problem in Jamaica than in Mexico. I have not heard about there being an organized system in Jamaica (as there existed in Mexico) for corrupt taxi drivers to drive a tourist couple down a dark alley where two men jump into the car from either side, rob them and rape the woman, knowing that this pretty nearly ensures that the couple will head home immediately with no risk of investigation or arrest....

Oh yeah, and they drive on the left in Jamaica, Brit style...

[MarineMatt]

Omg you're crazy... seriously

Jamaica is different compared to Mexico in terms of law enforcement, however the main concern you need is the fact there is a whole different mind set of driving there, I would be way more worried about accidents and the fact I'm pretty sure your ins isn't going to cover you there.

I have drove there and I have business in Jamaica and friends, and I would never recommend it unless you have been there long enough to understand and own your own car there and afford to replace whatever you going to hit on the spot

[Talon]

Theres things off resort? Always think about em but, once we are there last thing we want to do is leave. May miss something, like Delroy, Scumba, or whoever else is tending the bar! LOL

[SouthernFried]

Our first trip, saw Jamaican police making what appeared to be a traffic stop - 4 officers got out sporting big automatic weapons. Does Jamaica even have traffic laws...LOL..they pass on hills and curves and hills that are in curves--don't ride in the front of the shuttle bus !! Felt like I was on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride ! Oh, their horns must have magic powers because blowing them constantly seems to keep them out of harms way!

~Kiki

[Wyoswift]

My unverified impression is that highway banditos and corrupt cops are LESS of a problem in Jamaica than in Mexico. I have not heard about there being an organized system in Jamaica (as there existed in Mexico) for corrupt taxi drivers to drive a tourist couple down a dark alley where two men jump into the car from either side, rob them and rape the woman, knowing that this pretty nearly ensures that the couple will head home immediately with no risk of investigation or arrest....

Oh yeah, and they drive on the left in Jamaica, Brit style...[/QUOTE]

WTF!!! Have you ever drove at night in the states??? Jamaica is so much safer!!!