The first step when you enter a new country you should avoid money changers, anyone will be looking at you as a foreigner when you cross the border and they will be flagged by one of the many money changers everyone offering different rates during their services. But the best advice could be for you to avoid them and use the bank of any forex in the country you are in. Like traveling to Kenya they allow you to withdraw a maximum 400,000Ksh .and you need to always have cash with you
Insurance
Before crossing to another country, you should make sure the car you’re going to drive is fully insured by a third party, since the time the car you crossing with has no insurance for the new country you visiting, self-drive Kenya always charge the clients $50usd to buy the third party insurance as COMESA, in the country under EAC we use COMESA as the third party to every country you travel to under COMESA
The principle of driving in East Africa is not so much different from that of the standard driving tips throughout the world. some drive on the left-hand side and others use the right-hand side. Before thing about going for self-drive in Any African country, you should first read the requirement and tips for driving in the specific country
Please always put on your seat belt when you are in a car and if possible, you can avoid driving in the city center if your use the map in your head to avoid accidents. and if you want to enjoy your holiday on a self-drive please follow some of the tips mentioned in my Article
Overtaking
This is where most drivers of self-drive find problems when their passing other vehicles. You need to know the road signs in Africa they use to overtake another car and what doesn’t allow you to overtake, and you need to know the side you use when overtaking another vehicle in East Africa
Some countries where you find a single solid line in the middle of the road don’t allow you to overtake or pass any car in front of you on either side and other countries have a double sold line in the middle that doesn’t allow you not to overtake. The single dotted line in the middle allows you to overtake when you see the front is clear. so, you should be sure of the line marking in the country you plan to have a self-drive
It’s illegal to drive in the firster lane when you are going slow in some countries because you may cause an accident to others and you are not allowed to overtake in the slow lane in east Africa. Every country has its guideline on road users.
Speed limit
Once you cross over the border and your into Kenya, the speed limit changes and sometimes you drive the distance without seeing any signpost from 80km/hr to 50km/hr. in town and of town, the traffic officers you may not see them on the road but their hiding and in the next village will hail you to stop the car for the alleged infraction. But the developed countries just use cameras to read the speed you’re driving on
In many countries all drivers are asked to follow the speed limits on the road, different African countries use different speed limits on highways and urban centers. In Kenya, the speed limit on highways is 80km/hr. and in urban centers 50km/hrs., in-game parks it’s 30km/hr. In Uganda, the highway speed limit is 80km/hr. and the town speed is 50km/hr. in the game parks, it’s 30km/hr.in Rwanda, the speed limit is 60km/hr. and in town or urban centers iit’s40km/hr. Most of the countries installed cameras that are used to capture the speed and send the information to the system and later in developed countries send you the email and the amount of money to pay for the Overspeed. The fee charged for overspending depends on the speed. Over speeding is one of the most causes of accidents on the road because the driver finds it difficult to control the car in case of any slight incident.
Driving while drunk
In the whole world, there is nowhere you allowed to drive while drunk. When caught you may be imprisoned or you will pay a fine. It’s always advisable not to drive under the influence of Alcohol. When you are drunk you can call any person who is not drunk and take you home or you park the car and use it as means of transport. some countries have installed breathing machines to test the level of alcohol in the driver’s blood.
Roundabout turning
Everywhere in the country, you can not fail to get a roundabout the traffic flows on the roundabout in the clockwise direction or anticlockwise direction depending on the country you driving in the side they use. like in Rwanda they drive on the right-hand side and in Kenya, they drive on the left-hand side.in the roundabout, there is a lot of pressure when making a circular turn so you need to make the right decision when you are in the roundabout because everyone has a right of way, especially the person in the roundabout who has a high right than the one entering and if your not sure of the exit to the roundabout, keeping driving making 360degree as your making a conclusion with your navigator after confidently accepting the exit wing signal and move out of the roundabout. Don’t mind when moving around because nobody will identify that you lost because everybody is exiting the roundabout. Before reaching the roundabout the is always a post showing you the possible exits to the roundabout so it’s advisable to read them before entering the roundabout
Buy a local sim card
Selfdrive Kenya always advises the clients to buy the local sim card on arrival. every country can allow a foreigner to buy a local sim card using a passport. But some of the companies offer the clients the local Sim card and they return it at the end of the trip. This sim card will help you to communicate with the operator in case of any breakdown. Its also easier to buy the local data to access other places like hotels, tourist sites that are hard to each when you are new in the country and you’re on self-drive
No right on red
Driving with children.
Driving with children is also not easy, the African roads are not as nice that those of European countries. Kenya’s government advises all drivers not to carry children of three years and below in the front seat unless the child has a car child seater. Children under 12years are not allowed to drive in Africa. Everyone should put on a seatbelt whenever the car is moving and the driver is always in the seat belt and all passengers within the car. A child to put on a seat belt should make sure the back is against the seat and the knees are bent naturally on the seat edge and the foot should be flat on the floor
All drivers are advised not to make children rear-facing restraining in the front seater because in case of an accident the airbags are activated and the force inflating the fore airbags may damage the children
Planning for safety
Many car rental agencies like Selfdrivekenya allow drivers and other clients on self-drive to cross the border to neighboring other countries in east Africa like Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda with a rental car, But some countries are off-limits like South Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia. These border areas are also considered to be very unsafe and should be avoided when driving a car on self-drive. It is important to contact the rental agency in advance when considering a cross-border trip, as extra insurance will have to be arranged. Additional fees of around (300 to 460 USD) are usually charged for this service.
Tolls and expressways
Attitude adjustment
Urban areas
