Iran is where you can stumble upon a ancient Zoroastrian lookout by accident – and find out it’s not even on the map, let alone protected. Do it in a tank-like 4WD, perfect vehicle for Iran’s dangerous roads.
Tag: CRAZY unsafe traffic in Iran
I crack up when I hear people express concern about travel to Iran. The danger is not political. It’s the damn roads – because the traffic laws are not enforced. The right of the way on Iranian roads belongs to whomever that is more reckless, is in the possession of space further up the road, or has the bigger vehicle. I got one of the three nailed down (the big vehicle) and I’m working on the first one.
Trying to get an Iranian driver’s license provides insight into why the country is a world leader in traffic fatalities. No one in Iran takes driver’s education seriously, not even the driving schools. This is a story about my time at a driving school in Mashhad, Iran’s second largest city.
The biggest risk of travel in Iran is not going to jail (or from getting shot or ripped off, as is the case in the streets of Europe and America). Here the risk is getting your gourd smashed in a traffic accident! Or at least think you’re out of your mind after witnessing what Iranian drivers are capable of. I’m in an incredibly beautiful land with people who are insane drivers but nonetheless have stolen my heart with endless kindness and generosity.
The biggest risk of travel in Iran is not going to jail (or from getting shot or ripped off, as is the case in the streets of Europe and America). Here the risk is getting your gourd smashed in a traffic accident! Or at least think you’re out of your mind after witnessing what Iranian drivers are capable of. I’m in an incredibly beautiful land with people who are insane drivers but nonetheless have stolen my heart with endless kindness and generosity.
I shot out of bed this morning but it wasn’t until later that I realized why. At breakfast, I felt the butterflies in my stomach. Then the image of the mountains I will face today flashed in my head and, viola, it finally dawned on me why I’m so zapped: I’m escaping Tehran once again. I’m..