Last Friday, I bought a car. After a lot of prayer, research, and conversations with Romanian and some supporters, I ended up getting a new car. To buy a used car here in Romania can be risky because of the poor road conditions and the damage poor roads can do to a car. This is what the US State Department says about the road in Romania:
Road conditions vary widely throughout Romania. While major streets in larger cities and major inter-city roads are in fair to good condition, most other roads are in poor repair, badly lit, narrow, and often do not have marked lanes. Many roads, particularly in rural areas, are also used by pedestrians, animals, people on bicycles, and horse drawn carts that are extremely difficult to see, especially at night. Road travel can be particularly dangerous when roads are wet or covered with snow or ice. This is especially the case concerning mountain roads.
So, because I’m a single female, it was thought that getting a new car would help keep me on the road and out of the shop. The car will hold a good amount of luggage, so I will be able to pick up folks from the airport. The car is also big enough to transport some kids and ministry supplies. By the way, it is a stick shift, too!!
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The yellow circle with the ! is a warning to others that I’m a “new” driver.
I have taken some driving lessons here. I not super comfortable driving in the city yet, but I’m working on it. I’ve driven out of the city and longer trips and have enjoyed driving on the inter-city roads (2 lanes). I’m to drive around the city each day, especially in traffic. Romanian drivers tend to be very aggressive. I’m also working on learning the traffic laws. Today, I bought a book with all the signs and rules. Reading this book will also be a language exercises, too! Some of the traffic patterns are very confusing, ohmy! Here again is what the US DOS says about Romanian driving:
Romanian traffic laws are very strict. Any form of driver’s license or permit can be confiscated by the Traffic Police for 1-3 months and payment of fines may be requested at the time of many infractions. Some examples are: failure to yield the right of way, failure to yield to pedestrians at crossroads, or not stopping at a red light or stop sign. Romanian traffic law provides for retention of licenses and possible imprisonment from 1 to 5 years for driving under the influence (alcohol level over 0.1% limit) or for causing an accident resulting in injury or death. In spite of these strict rules, however, many drivers in Romania often do not follow traffic laws or yield the right of way. Therefore it is strongly recommended that defensive driving be the rule of thumb while driving throughout Romania.
Please pray for safety as I drive here in Romania.
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Melissa in Romania 