Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
should never move the vehicle from the road until the police have come to make their re-
port. As a foreigner, you'll probably be held responsible.
Road Rules
Lanes? What are they? Driving across Iran is not a task to be taken lightly. In theory,
everyone drives on the right but this can't be depended upon; faced with a one-way street
going the wrong way, the average Iranian driver sees nothing wrong with reversing down
it. Take 10 Iranian drivers and an otherwise deserted road and they will form a convoy so
tightly packed that each can read the speedometer of the car in front. 'Optimum braking
distance' is not widely understood.
Take comfort, however, in the knowledge most foreign drivers make it across Iran
without too much trouble.
Hitching
Hitching is never entirely safe in any country, and we don't recommend it. Travellers who
decide to hitch should understand that they are taking a small but potentially serious risk
and in Iran, women should not even consider it.
For men, however, it's doable. Hitching, as understood in the West, is a novel concept
in Iran. Although you will often see people standing by the roadside, they are actually
waiting for space in a bus, minibus or shared taxi, for which they expect to pay. Occasion-
ally drivers will offer foreigners a free ride in return for practising their English or out of
simple hospitality. Like anywhere, you're most likely to find rides in more remote areas.
And as we found hitching through the Dasht-e Lut, host drivers will be typically generous;
ours bought us food, shared their smoke, even tracked down some rocket fuel in a tiny
desert town because they thought we wanted it, and refused all attempts to pay them. You
should be prepared to pay something, however, and make the offer, although it will usu-
ally be turned down. In such a case it's nice to have something small to thank them with.
When flagging down a ride, rather than using the thumb out sign (which could be con-
strued as offensive), wave your hand down with palm down, as if patting the air down.
