Driving in Bali

Tezza71

Active Member
Oct 31, 2018
147
54
28
Well guys I've been driving in Bali now for the last 6 months and here are couple of observations.
Traffic lights: If the light is red this only
means stop if you want to otherwise continue on. The biggest culprits are motorbike riders.
Lane markings: These are only for decoration. Moving between lanes can be undertaken at any time and with no requirement for indication.
Parking: Stop wherever it suits even if you block traffic.
Motorbikes are an absolute menace. The number of times
I have almost wiped one out I have lost count of. Joining traffic on a motorbike seems to be a sport. See if they can get across the line of traffic without any indication and causing as much potential grief as possible.
Bali is no different from a number of other countries in the SE Asian sphere.
It terrifies me that one day i will wipe out a motorbike and it may be carrying a whole family. I bloody hope not!!!!!
 
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Markit

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2007
9,317
1,110
113
Karangasem, Bali
Stop being a pussy and get involved in your new home of choice!

I've been driving here (cycle and car) for over 13 years and used to enjoy it immensely. I loved the free-for-all that made me pay attention to what was going on around me and the simple pleasure of doing my own thing (running red lights) when I thought it was fine to do so with almost no regard to the powers of the law (who are mostly walking or otherwise busy).

Have been in several small accidents in car and on bike and most were caused by Bintang who I hold personally responsible. No injuries to anyone else and mine, I think, were richly deserved and also minor.

Should you ever be involved in the type of serious accident you describe my advice would be to just keep right on going until you can get your passport and leave Indonesia post haste. Had a friend who killed a motorcyclist (opened her door at the wrong time) but the police involvement was never ending along with the costs to pay of anyone involved or that was even in the neighborhood of the accident (sarcasm alarm).

Just go with the flow and presume that everyone else on the road is a complete idiot without a ghost of a drivers license or any clue how to drive and all will be well.
 

Chris A

New Member
Jun 16, 2021
18
14
3
Any recommendations for a good driver in south bali?
I'm in the North and don't know of any in the South. I can ask around as that the driver network is pretty tight and most of these guys have been out of work like so many here.
 
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JackStraw

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2017
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I'm in the North and don't know of any in the South. I can ask around as that the driver network is pretty tight and most of these guys have been out of work like so many here.

I'd appreciate that mate! Thank you
 

John M

Member
Sep 29, 2020
70
51
18
Sanur, Bali
Stop being a pussy and get involved in your new home of choice!

I've been driving here (cycle and car) for over 13 years and used to enjoy it immensely. I loved the free-for-all that made me pay attention to what was going on around me and the simple pleasure of doing my own thing (running red lights) when I thought it was fine to do so with almost no regard to the powers of the law (who are mostly walking or otherwise busy).

Have been in several small accidents in car and on bike and most were caused by Bintang who I hold personally responsible. No injuries to anyone else and mine, I think, were richly deserved and also minor.

Should you ever be involved in the type of serious accident you describe my advice would be to just keep right on going until you can get your passport and leave Indonesia post haste. Had a friend who killed a motorcyclist (opened her door at the wrong time) but the police involvement was never ending along with the costs to pay of anyone involved or that was even in the neighborhood of the accident (sarcasm alarm).

Just go with the flow and presume that everyone else on the road is a complete idiot without a ghost of a drivers license or any clue how to drive and all will be well.
Or as the late, great George Carlin said: Think of how stupid the average person is and then realize that half of them are stupider than that.
 

darlogeoff

New Member
Oct 12, 2019
23
5
3
Nusa Dua
Well guys I've been driving in Bali now for the last 6 months and here are couple of observations.
Traffic lights: If the light is red this only
means stop if you want to otherwise continue on. The biggest culprits are motorbike riders.
Lane markings: These are only for decoration. Moving between lanes can be undertaken at any time and with no requirement for indication.
Parking: Stop wherever it suits even if you block traffic.
Motorbikes are an absolute menace. The number of times
I have almost wiped one out I have lost count of. Joining traffic on a motorbike seems to be a sport. See if they can get across the line of traffic without any indication and causing as much potential grief as possible.
Bali is no different from a number of other countries in the SE Asian sphere.
It terrifies me that one day i will wipe out a motorbike and it may be carrying a whole family. I bloody hope not!!!!!

We were taught The Right Of Way here it's In The Way!
 
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SamD

Active Member
Sep 7, 2006
612
187
43
Seminyak
Well guys I've been driving in Bali now for the last 6 months and here are couple of observations.
Traffic lights: If the light is red this only
means stop if you want to otherwise continue on. The biggest culprits are motorbike riders.
Lane markings: These are only for decoration. Moving between lanes can be undertaken at any time and with no requirement for indication.
Parking: Stop wherever it suits even if you block traffic.
Motorbikes are an absolute menace. The number of times
I have almost wiped one out I have lost count of. Joining traffic on a motorbike seems to be a sport. See if they can get across the line of traffic without any indication and causing as much potential grief as possible.
Bali is no different from a number of other countries in the SE Asian sphere.
It terrifies me that one day i will wipe out a motorbike and it may be carrying a whole family. I bloody hope not!!!!!
I have been driving in Bali for 15+ years. I have had ONE really close call that was entirely my fault. If you are worried that you are likely to "wipe out" a motorbike then I suggest you park your car and take taxis. Motorbike riders are a menace? Are you serious? You are the menace and you will find this out very quickly if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident. It is ALWAYS your fault because if you hadn't come to Bali then the accident wouldn't have happened. That is the logic and you better believe that you will not be able to argue your way out of it unless you have local support. Motorbike riders here have fantastic bike handling skills but maybe their road sense is not quite up to scratch. Especially when they are seven years old. Hati Hati. Cheers.
 

JackStraw

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2017
431
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63
I have been driving in Bali for 15+ years. I have had ONE really close call that was entirely my fault. If you are worried that you are likely to "wipe out" a motorbike then I suggest you park your car and take taxis. Motorbike riders are a menace? Are you serious? You are the menace and you will find this out very quickly if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident. It is ALWAYS your fault because if you hadn't come to Bali then the accident wouldn't have happened. That is the logic and you better believe that you will not be able to argue your way out of it unless you have local support. Motorbike riders here have fantastic bike handling skills but maybe their road sense is not quite up to scratch. Especially when they are seven years old. Hati Hati. Cheers.

What I love most about driving in Bali is it's always so easy to determine who is at fault for an accident. Unlike in my old country where debates sometimes went to the courts, in Bali, it's very cut and dry. Do you have white skin? (or some variation of it)? Then the accident is your fault -- regardless of what actually happened.

That's all you need to remember while traveling in Indo. Happy travels!
 
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SamD

Active Member
Sep 7, 2006
612
187
43
Seminyak
What I love most about driving in Bali is it's always so easy to determine who is at fault for an accident. Unlike in my old country where debates sometimes went to the courts, in Bali, it's very cut and dry. Do you have white skin? (or some variation of it)? Then the accident is your fault -- regardless of what actually happened.

That's all you need to remember while traveling in Indo. Happy travels!
I experienced this myself a few years ago. I was stopped at a red light and a girl who was checking her mobile phone crashed into the back of my car. I heard the scream and the tires screeching and when the bang happened I turned to my Balinese wife and said "over to you darling". The cops were called and wanted to charge me but my local connecions nipped that in the bud. I took the poor girl to hospital and paid her bill and luckily she wasn't too badly hurt.
 
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JackStraw

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2017
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I experienced this myself a few years ago. I was stopped at a red light and a girl who was checking her mobile phone crashed into the back of my car. I heard the scream and the tires screeching and when the bang happened I turned to my Balinese wife and said "over to you darling". The cops were called and wanted to charge me but my local connecions nipped that in the bud. I took the poor girl to hospital and paid her bill and luckily she wasn't too badly hurt.

Same exact thing happened to my buddy once. The only reason his arse was saved is because his wife is a local lawyer and the legalese she was dumping all over that poor, confused guy was enough for him to say "fuck it. not worth it" and dropped all "accusations" immediately.
 

sakumabali

Well-Known Member
Apr 2, 2010
1,056
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I experienced this myself a few years ago. I was stopped at a red light and a girl who was checking her mobile phone crashed into the back of my car. I heard the scream and the tires screeching and when the bang happened I turned to my Balinese wife and said "over to you darling". The cops were called and wanted to charge me but my local connecions nipped that in the bud. I took the poor girl to hospital and paid her bill and luckily she wasn't too badly hurt.

wow that's even for Bali a weird story. Some motorbike hit your trunk while you stopped at a red light and then you had to pay for it?

Perhaps 15 years ago I had to stop suddenly my car in Tabanan because a car in front of me braked sharply (later saw that it was also because of a female motorbike driver who suddenly stopped for reasons I don't know); the motorbike behind me hit me, then tried to agitate a group of local tukangs nearby to help him as he is Indonesian and I'm not!
They don't care and when they guy asked me for money I just told him that he can be happy if he doesn't have to pay for my damages.

Ok not a big crowd there...

I witnessed once a big accident in Negara. We stopped. A balinese approached us at asked us to leave. We asked why?He said that he knows we didn't do anything wrong but when the police come they'll make me the culprit immediately for reasons everyone here knows....money & laziness
 
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gtrken

Active Member
Nov 4, 2007
384
160
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66
Perth W Australia
I like driving in Bali because as markit said, the free for all makes you pay attention. The lack of speed cameras, breathtests and general laziness of the local plod is also a bonus.
Have driven Bali - Jakarta twice and it was like a 1000km road race which i found very stimulating.
If you don't love driving you wont like it but luckily for me I do.
* Waits for flaming*

Cheers
Ken
 
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Markit

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2007
9,317
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113
Karangasem, Bali
Germans are famous for a couple of things (and infamous for a couple too) their love of roads-autobahns and their love of regulations.

Once upon a time they did a study there to see what difference good road regulations had on road safety and found to everyone's surprise that the fewer regulations there were on road usage the safer it all was!

The reason they came up with was that when people drove thinking they were in the right, regulation wise, they paid considerably less attention to what was actually going on on the road and conversely the fewer rules there were about who was in the right and who wasn't focused everyone's attention marvelously and everyone took responsibility for his or her own actions = safer roads. Go figure.

I see Bali a little like that. But if you do end up hitting someone just don't get out of your car and start arguing that you were right and had the right of way. You're liable to get your bell rung by a crowd of pissed off locals.
 

sakumabali

Well-Known Member
Apr 2, 2010
1,056
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In Germany you can drive high speed on the Autobahn (and I'm talking about 250-280 kmph) on a good day...but a red light is a red light and everybody will stop then. Just because you have to and penalties are severe. In Bali it's more like everybody knows there are no consequences. If in Germany it'd be similar everyone would keep going....they need stricter rules on Bali! You don't give a peep about a 100.000 Rupiah ticket but if it's 1.000.000 most people will act differently
 

gtrken

Active Member
Nov 4, 2007
384
160
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66
Perth W Australia
I see Bali a little like that. But if you do end up hitting someone just don't get out of your car and start arguing that you were right and had the right of way. You're liable to get your bell rung by a crowd of pissed off locals.

Yep, but that's when the fun size ( I don't dare call her short) , brown , feisty woman I call my wife gets out of the back and abuses seven bells of hell out of said bewildered local..
She sits in the back because the only one who can stomach my driving style is the teenage son..

Cheers
Secret Stirling Moss ( well I think so )
Ken
 

RossM

Member
Jan 19, 2022
79
48
18
Well guys I've been driving in Bali now for the last 6 months and here are couple of observations.
Traffic lights: If the light is red this only
means stop if you want to otherwise continue on. The biggest culprits are motorbike riders.
Lane markings: These are only for decoration. Moving between lanes can be undertaken at any time and with no requirement for indication.
Parking: Stop wherever it suits even if you block traffic.
Motorbikes are an absolute menace. The number of times
I have almost wiped one out I have lost count of. Joining traffic on a motorbike seems to be a sport. See if they can get across the line of traffic without any indication and causing as much potential grief as possible.
Bali is no different from a number of other countries in the SE Asian sphere.
It terrifies me that one day i will wipe out a motorbike and it may be carrying a whole family. I bloody hope not!!!!!

It's actually much simpler than driving at home, wherever home is. There is only ONE rule. And that is.....there are NO rules.
 
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