Driving in Cuba is a pleasant experience as Cuba has one of the best road conditions in Latin America and there are not problems with traffic. It is impassible to import a car to Cuba for a holiday, so the only way to do some driving in Cuba is to rent a car. To drive in Cuba, a foreign visitor must be at least 21 years of age and hold a valid national driver license and an International driving permit.

The road traffic laws:

• Traffic flaws on the right side of the road and overtaking on the left side.
• The minimum age for driving is 18 years.
• Motorcyclists are required to wear helmets.
• Seat belts are required for drivers and front seats passengers.
• Children under 2 years of age may only be transported in a car if they are sitting in an appropriate child restraint. Children under  12 years may not travel in the front seats.
  
• The speed limit on freeways is 100 km/h, on highways – 90 km/h, on rural roads – 60 km/h, in urban areas – 50 km/h and in children’s zones – 40 km/h.
• Parking at pedestrian crossing, laws, and sidewalk is not permitted.
• People who are in alcoholic intoxication may not be close to driver whist driving.
• It is not permitted to drink and drive; the legal blood alcohol level is 0.0%.
• It is not permitted to overtake on the right.
• It is required to stop at all railway crossings before crossing.
• Headlights by day are illegal, except for emergency vehicles.
• The right turn on a red light is forbidden unless indicated by a traffic signal or white arrow.
• It is not permitted to enter an intersection unless a vehicle can exit.

Additional advices:

• In Cuba, there are a lot of cyclists who sometimes ride in the middle of the road, so drivers should be very careful.
• A large amount of people walking on the roads (at night too) so drivers should be careful and do not exceed speed limit.
• Cuba doesn’t have criminal activity like other western countries.
• Traffic police patrol the highways. If oncoming cars flash their headlights, thus they indicate the presence of police ahead.
• Major highways have police control points.

 Driving Overseas - Short Information