The Bahamas is founded on Christian beliefs and actions and so are the commandments as set down in this driver’s manual. The first and most important commandment is “Have faith.”

Have faith that you will be OK. Have faith other drivers will look out for you. Have faith!

The second commandment has to do with traffic lights. Green means GO. Amber means GO FASTER. Red means go if you have faith that you can still get through the intersection.

If you are already stopped at a red light, but there is no one coming either way that also means GO. Have faith!

The third commandment has to do with the STOP sign. A REAL stop sign has eight sides, is RED and has large WHITE letters that spell STOP.

The Bahamas stop sign is round, with a red triangle that represents YIELD and the word STOP. This is clearly not a serious stop sign, but offers an option. If there really is traffic, you should probably STOP.

If you have faith and you think you can get into the intersection, in spite of traffic, then you should treat the sign as YIELD sign and you should GO. If you happen to find yourself stuck in a line of cars where someone has actually stopped at a Stop/Yield sign, when someone lets the first car in, form a continuous string of cars and drive as hard and fast as you can to get as many cars as possible through the Stop/Yield sign...

The forth commandment has to do with painted lane markers on the pavement. DO NOT believe the painted marks on the pavement. They were probably put there by a political appointee and you should not take them seriously.

If you are at the stop light where the right lane says RIGHT TURN ONLY, you may ignore that if you are stuck in a line of traffic in the left lane. Just go into the turning lane and when the light changes drive straight through and have faith those drivers on the left will let you in. This is an especially good commandment in heavy, rush traffic when your time is more important than that of anyone else in the line. Have faith!

The fifth commandment has to do with RIGHT TURNS onto another street. Always cut the corner when you are making a RIGHT TURN. This saves time and distance. If you do this often enough you can save many miles on your odometer. Another advantage of doing this is that you have a chance to really scare the person on your right who is waiting at the STOP/YIELD sign on the street you are turning into.

If you are behind a person who is mistakenly making a curved right turn, you should immediately take a advantage of the situation and cut inside that car. Have faith that they will see you and not try to complete their turn until you have gone. Have faith!
The sixth commandment has to do with getting onto a main road from a side corner. Have faith and gently “push” your way into oncoming traffic.

The more faith you have, the faster you can “push.” The faster you drive, the more you are showing the drivers on the main road that you have great faith and as Christian drivers, they should be impressed and “Part the traffic” to let you in. Have faith!

The seventh commandment has to do with turning a corner to enter a two-lane, one way street. Before you turn the corner, you should know exactly where you are going. This is important since it shows planning and attention to your driving.

Do not let traffic in either lane hinder you. Simply have faith and proceed to drive into the lane you want. Again, your faith will be seen by other drivers and they will create a space for you. Have faith!

The eighth commandment has to do with changing lanes; turning a corner or turning into a parking spot anywhere across the street. This is really about who has the right of way. Always assume that YOU have the right of way and TAKE it right away. This is your chance to test other drivers to see if they are awake and paying attention.

DO NOT do anything to let people behind you or coming at you in the other lane know what you are going to do and do not wait to do it. Everyone likes surprises and this is your chance to make someone happy. Just go about your driving as if no one else was on the street. Do what you want, when you want, and the way you want regardless of oncoming traffic. Consider it your contribution to keeping everyone on their toes and have faith that everyone will be ready for anything you can do to surprise them. Have faith!

The ninth commandment has to do with posted limits. Assume that the real speed limit is as fast as you can go. This is true especially when you cannot see a speed limit sign. If you happen upon other drivers who are not as skilled as you and who do not have cars as good or fast as your, just go around them.

Do not worry about oncoming traffic. Have faith that those drivers will see you on the wrong side of the road and will slow down, turn to the curb to give you room or stop to allow you to get safely back on your side of the road. You are in a hurry and others should be considerate and give you space to go. Have faith!

The tenth commandment has to do with parking. In Nassau it’s OK to park wherever you want to. You just have to have faith that you can make anything into a parking space for your car. You can park in the NO PARKING ZONE spots. You can park in HANDICAPPED zones. You can park in loading zones. You can park behind other parked cards whether there is a space or not. You can park on the wrong side of the street if you happen to see a friend driving the other way and want to stop to chat with them.

In this case the commandment also applies to your friend, so do not worry about blocking oncoming traffic. You have the PARKING RIGHT OF WAY. Have faith!

The final and greatest commandment is to do unto others as you would have others do unto you. If another driver cuts you off, that is an obvious sign that they are inviting you to do the same to them so do it.

If another driver does not signal to take your lane and cuts you off, then that is a clear signal that you should do that too. Since all other drivers are following this last, great commandment, watch what they do and do it right back to them or to others. Remember, have faith!

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