Rent a car?

[negrilmon]

I've rented a car the last few times down but I'm thinking about going back to cabs or hiring a driver.

The car I rented last month was rear ended on Norman Manley Boulevard. Fortunately all of my family are just fine!

Unfortunately the guy who hit me just drove off. A kind witness got the license number so I end up at the Negril police station reporting the event and got a small taste of the "system".

Bluntly I felt I was treated differently because I'm white...Not waited on until everyone else, more than once hearing "white mon" mentioned, etc.

I would hate to think of the process if I would have hit someone!

I'm probably going to hire a driver next time and let them take the risk.

Any thoughts on this?

[freebirdny]

We hire a driver and use cabs. We also go too many places when we're there, maybe one or two day trips. We hire a driver to pick us up at the airport and drive us to Negril and then make arrangements with him at that time for the day trips. His name is Leo and we have had tremendous service from him. He's very friendly, professional and great customer service. There are also plenty of drivers you can hire in Negril and you'll find many of their names on this forum. Cabs are not expensive so we use them when we need to get some place too far to walk. If you want Leo's contact number private message me.

[Hussyband]

I don't trust myself to drive there. Since Jamaicans drive on the opposite side of the road, I have enough issues trying to remember which side I am supposed to walk down...

Also, I kind of take the whole I am on vacation attitude... I don't want to even have to think about driving. Glad you are ok though... An accident when at home is hard enough, it must be pretty daunting while out of country.

[captaind]

I drove in Jamaica for 15 years. I knew every pot hole and danger spot......That was then

Now Linston drives me

Cap

[Rambo]

I drive at home, there I sit...then I can see the area we are driving in...........and avoid such a hassle 'bout any accident,
and ANY driver we can hire can find places we have never heard of...see enough strange things from the passengers side of the ride.........

[Ly Shell]

Hi Negrilmon I think my wife and I saw your accident. It was on Wednesday April 03 arround 2pm and you were driving a wine red 4 door sadan heading towards the roundabout. If this was you I am glad to see no one got hurt. I was very surprized of the reaction of some of the locals who also witnessed the scene. Once they realized it was a tourist they told the other driver to hurry up and leave before you even had a chance to get out of your car. It was a classic hit and run in broad daylight with lots of witnesses.

[Rob]

...so I end up at the Negril police station reporting the event and got a small taste of the "system".

Bluntly I felt I was treated differently because I'm white...Not waited on until everyone else, more than once hearing "white mon" mentioned, etc...

Ah, the joys of driving in Jamaica! (grin)

After living here for 20 years and dealing with "the system" for longer than that, it is very safe to say that you were treated equally if not better than everyone else. A fender bender is not a very serious incident in the scheme of things so it is a low priority to begin with, and others may have waiting much longer without your knowledge. It is not unusual for people to arrive at any government agency and have someone save "their spot" for them and to come back when it is closer to their turn.

That is part of "the runnings" that you learn...

As for the "white mon" comments, assuming you are "white", it is also safe to assume it was purely being used as a descriptive phrase - if there had been 2 "white men" there, they would have added a "white mon with the car" or some such additional description.

It is still not politically incorrect in Jamaica to describe someone by their physical characteristics, sometimes the easiest descriptions work the best....

[negrilmon]

Hi Negrilmon I think my wife and I saw your accident. It was on Wednesday April 03 arround 2pm and you were driving a wine red 4 door sadan heading towards the roundabout. If this was you I am glad to see no one got hurt. I was very surprized of the reaction of some of the locals who also witnessed the scene. Once they realized it was a tourist they told the other driver to hurry up and leave before you even had a chance to get out of your car. It was a classic hit and run in broad daylight with lots of witnesses.

Hi Ly Shell, that must have been me that you saw...same color car, date, time and direction...If you recall, one witness ran over to me and gave me the license number, she told me the guy who hit me said he was running off because I was white/tourist.

I also never got any paperwork as was promised by the Negril police...I reported the accident on Wednesday right after it happened. Sargent Hall said come back Friday to pick up the legal documents for the rental car agency. Sargent Hall said Jamaican law gives the guy 24 hours to report the accident before they could do anything and once that period of time went by he would start the process.

Once I heard this I figured I was screwed but I went back Friday anyway just in case a miracle happened.

I arrived at the police station at 3:00 as requested by Sargent Hall but he wasn't there. They called him on his radio and he was out in the bush but they said he was on his way. Once he got there 30 minutes later he quickly said he had no paperwork available and I was now going to need the rental agency to contact him next week since I was leaving the following day.

At this point I didn't see many options so I accepted that I was out on this one and went out and had a great afternoon driving out to Orange Hill and some of the back country of Negril enjoying my last day in Jamaica for this trip.

I met some great people and had a great time!...Also saw a 7 foot Jamaican Boa (Yellow Snake)...My first snake in 38 years of Jamaican travel... It scared the heck out of my Jamaican friend!

Since I had no proof for the rental agency I was out the $500 deposit and learned that it is better to hire a driver in the future. No huge deal...no one was injured!

Think hard before renting a car...Probably better just to kick back and enjoy the ride.
You can also help a local by hiring them for the week and spreading a little of the wealth.
I believe minimum wage in Jamaica is about $40 a week!...Think about trying to live on $40 a week...

[negrilmon]

Hi Rob, I would like to think you are correct here but I think I was delaing with some less than equal treatment. This eyewitness account below nails it.

I'm guessing they realized it was a tourist by the color of my skin.

"Hi Negrilmon I think my wife and I saw your accident. It was on Wednesday April 03 arround 2pm and you were driving a wine red 4 door sadan heading towards the roundabout. If this was you I am glad to see no one got hurt. I was very surprized of the reaction of some of the locals who also witnessed the scene. Once they realized it was a tourist they told the other driver to hurry up and leave before you even had a chance to get out of your car. It was a classic hit and run in broad daylight with lots of witnesses."

Those at the police station are locals also so I'm guessing some at the police station had this same attitude.

I don't think I'm going out on a limb to say there is some corruption in Jamaica...

[Rob]

...Sargent Hall said Jamaican law gives the guy 24 hours to report the accident before they could do anything and once that period of time went by he would start the process.

Once I heard this I figured I was screwed but I went back Friday anyway just in case a miracle happened.

I arrived at the police station at 3:00 as requested by Sargent Hall but he wasn't there. They called him on his radio and he was out in the bush but they said he was on his way. Once he got there 30 minutes later he quickly said he had no paperwork available and I was now going to need the rental agency to contact him next week since I was leaving the following day.

Negrilmon,

Yes, I am sure that corruption exists in Jamaica as it does everywhere. Heck, even my old high school in Columbus Ohio was raided this past week for grade and attendance tampering - all the records were confiscated.

Anyhow, it sounds like what Sargent Hall told you is exactly correct. The law does provide the other party 24 hours to report the incident so no other paperwork can be started until that point. It does not mean that it would be completed in that 24 time period - just that nothing can proceed until the 24 hour time period is over. As mentioned, a fender bender is not a major priority and the fact you were leaving the next day put you in a time crunch situation. Last time I was involved in an accident here - the paperwork took about a week to be completed.

I would follow up with the rental agency - a reputable agency will receive the information from the Negril Police Station and will process it with their insurance company. From experience, this process can take a while, but once the agency processes the claim, you should be reimbursed on your credit card. This is normal operating procedure.

And yes, hiring a legally licensed and insured red plated driver does have its advantages...