Driving Differences: Guatemala vs. Samoa Safety Tips

When exploring the roads of Guatemala and Samoa, understanding the nuances of their traffic regulations is crucial for a safe journey. Key distinctions include driving on the right in Guatemala versus the left in Samoa, and varied speed limits that cater to different vehicle types. Prepare yourself for a driving experience that significantly differs between these two captivating countries.

guatemalasamoa

RIGHT

Driving Side

The driving side in guatemala is the Right Side of the road

Driving Safety Score

The driving Driving Safety Score in guatemala is 63

1.087 $

Gas Price in USD

The driving Driving Safety Score for guatemala is 1.087 US Dollars

While the driving side of a country remains the same, the driving safety score is updated annually based on each countries car accident fatality rate. Lastly, the gas price is only an estimate. Due to frequent fluctuations, it serves as a general reference rather than an exact figure for each country.

Lanes

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	Guatemala	Samoa
Driving Side	Right	Left
Markings: Solid Yellow Line	Marks the left edge on divided roads.	Marks the centerline on two-way roads.
Overtaking: On Left	Yes	No
Overtaking: On Right	Allowed on multi-lane roads or when the vehicle ahead is turning left.	Yes
Lane Usage: Slow Vehicles	Use rightmost lane.	Use leftmost lane.
Bus Lanes: Usage	N/A	N/A
Bus Lanes: Markings	N/A	N/A
Cycle Lanes: Presence	Limited	No
Cycle Lanes: Usage	Shared with vehicles in some areas.	N/A
Cycle Lanes: Markings	Varies by location.	N/A
High- Occupancy Lanes: Requirements	N/A	N/A
Variable Speed Limits: Indications	N/A	N/A

Driving Side

guatemala:

Right

samoa:

Left

Markings: Solid Yellow Line

guatemala:

Marks the left edge on divided roads.

samoa:

Marks the centerline on two-way roads.

Overtaking: On Left

guatemala:

Yes

samoa:

Overtaking: On Right

guatemala:

Allowed on multi-lane roads or when the vehicle ahead is turning left.

samoa:

Yes

Lane Usage: Slow Vehicles

guatemala:

Use rightmost lane.

samoa:

Use leftmost lane.

Bus Lanes: Usage

guatemala:

N/A

samoa:

N/A

Bus Lanes: Markings

guatemala:

N/A

samoa:

N/A

Cycle Lanes: Presence

guatemala:

Limited

samoa:

Cycle Lanes: Usage

guatemala:

Shared with vehicles in some areas.

samoa:

N/A

Cycle Lanes: Markings

guatemala:

Varies by location.

samoa:

N/A

High- Occupancy Lanes: Requirements

guatemala:

N/A

samoa:

N/A

Variable Speed Limits: Indications

guatemala:

N/A

samoa:

N/A

Speeds Limits

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	Guatemala	Samoa
Urban Areas: Standard	40-60 km/h	25-40 km/h
Urban Areas: Residential Zones	30 km/h	20 km/h
Rural Areas: Cars And Motorcycles	80 km/h	55-80 km/h
Rural Areas: Buses And Vans	70 km/h	55-80 km/h
Rural Areas: Trucks And Trailers	70 km/h	55-80 km/h
Highways: Cars And Motorcycles	100 km/h	Not applicable
Highways: Buses And Vans	90 km/h	Not applicable
Highways: Trucks And Trailers	80 km/h	Not applicable
Variable Speed Limits: Indications	N/A	N/A
Enforcement: Speed Cameras	Limited use	Yes
Enforcement: On-the- Spot Fines	Yes, common practice	Yes

Urban Areas: Standard

guatemala:

40-60 km/h

samoa:

25-40 km/h

Urban Areas: Residential Zones

guatemala:

30 km/h

samoa:

20 km/h

Rural Areas: Cars And Motorcycles

guatemala:

80 km/h

samoa:

55-80 km/h

Rural Areas: Buses And Vans

guatemala:

70 km/h

samoa:

55-80 km/h

Rural Areas: Trucks And Trailers

guatemala:

70 km/h

samoa:

55-80 km/h

Highways: Cars And Motorcycles

guatemala:

100 km/h

samoa:

Not applicable

Highways: Buses And Vans

guatemala:

90 km/h

samoa:

Not applicable

Highways: Trucks And Trailers

guatemala:

80 km/h

samoa:

Not applicable

Variable Speed Limits: Indications

guatemala:

N/A

samoa:

N/A

Enforcement: Speed Cameras

guatemala:

Limited use

samoa:

Yes

Enforcement: On-the- Spot Fines

guatemala:

Yes, common practice

samoa:

Yes

Signals

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	Guatemala	Samoa
Traffic Lights: Red And Amber Together	Not used in Guatemala	Not used in Samoa
Traffic Signs: Language	Spanish; symbols are standard	English and Samoan; symbols are standard
Traffic Signs: Warning	Triangle-shaped with red border	Diamond-shaped with yellow background

Traffic Lights: Red And Amber Together

guatemala:

Not used in Guatemala

samoa:

Not used in Samoa

Traffic Signs: Language

guatemala:

Spanish; symbols are standard

samoa:

English and Samoan; symbols are standard

Traffic Signs: Warning

guatemala:

Triangle-shaped with red border

samoa:

Diamond-shaped with yellow background

Turns

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	Guatemala		Samoa
Right Turn On Red	Varies, check local signs for permission		Not allowed
U- Turns Allowed	Varies by location; check for signs		Allowed unless prohibited by a sign

Right Turn On Red

guatemala:

Varies, check local signs for permission

samoa:

Not allowed

U- Turns Allowed

guatemala:

Varies by location; check for signs

samoa:

Allowed unless prohibited by a sign

Documentation

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	Guatemala	Samoa
Driver's License: Foreign: E U/ E E A	International Driving Permit recommended	Accepted for short visits; International Driving Permit recommended
Driver's License: Foreign: Non- E U	International Driving Permit recommended	Accepted for short visits; International Driving Permit recommended
Vehicle Inspection: Requirement	Mandatory; proof may be required	Annual inspection required
Vehicle Inspection: Sticker	Displayed on the vehicle	Displayed on windshield
Emergency Equipment: Warning Triangles	Mandatory	Not mandatory
Emergency Equipment: Reflective Vest	Mandatory	Not mandatory

Driver's License: Foreign: E U/ E E A

guatemala:

International Driving Permit recommended

samoa:

Accepted for short visits; International Driving Permit recommended

Driver's License: Foreign: Non- E U

guatemala:

International Driving Permit recommended

samoa:

Accepted for short visits; International Driving Permit recommended

Vehicle Inspection: Requirement

guatemala:

Mandatory; proof may be required

samoa:

Annual inspection required

Vehicle Inspection: Sticker

guatemala:

Displayed on the vehicle

samoa:

Displayed on windshield

Emergency Equipment: Warning Triangles

guatemala:

Mandatory

samoa:

Not mandatory

Emergency Equipment: Reflective Vest

guatemala:

Mandatory

samoa:

Not mandatory

Road Etiquette

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	Guatemala		Samoa
Use Of Horn: Cultural Norm	More frequent use compared to some countries		Less frequent use compared to some countries
Emergency Vehicles: Protocol	Pull over to the right and stop if necessary		Pull over to the left and stop if necessary

Use Of Horn: Cultural Norm

guatemala:

More frequent use compared to some countries

samoa:

Less frequent use compared to some countries

Emergency Vehicles: Protocol

guatemala:

Pull over to the right and stop if necessary

samoa:

Pull over to the left and stop if necessary

Alcohol

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	Guatemala	Samoa
Limits: General Drivers	0.05%	0.08%
Limits: Professional Drivers	0.00%	0.02%
Limits: Underage Drivers	0.00%	0.00% to 0.02%; zero tolerance
Enforcement: Random Checks	Common, especially at night	Common
Enforcement: Fines	Varies by locality; can be substantial	Varies; can be substantial

Limits: General Drivers

guatemala:

0.05%

samoa:

0.08%

Limits: Professional Drivers

guatemala:

0.00%

samoa:

0.02%

Limits: Underage Drivers

guatemala:

0.00%

samoa:

0.00% to 0.02%; zero tolerance

Enforcement: Random Checks

guatemala:

Common, especially at night

samoa:

Common

Enforcement: Fines

guatemala:

Varies by locality; can be substantial

samoa:

Varies; can be substantial

Roundabouts

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	Guatemala		Samoa
Signaling: Exiting	Signal right when preparing to exit		Signal left when preparing to exit

Signaling: Exiting

guatemala:

Signal right when preparing to exit

samoa:

Signal left when preparing to exit

Emergency Services

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	Guatemala	Samoa
Contact: General Emergency	122	911
Contact: Traffic Police	110	685-22-222
Emergency Equipment: Warning Triangles	Mandatory	Not mandatory, but recommended
Emergency Equipment: Reflective Vest	Mandatory	Not mandatory, but recommended

Contact: General Emergency

guatemala:

122

samoa:

911

Contact: Traffic Police

guatemala:

110

samoa:

685-22-222

Emergency Equipment: Warning Triangles

guatemala:

Mandatory

samoa:

Not mandatory, but recommended

Emergency Equipment: Reflective Vest

guatemala:

Mandatory

samoa:

Not mandatory, but recommended

Penalties And Fines

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	Guatemala	Samoa
Common Fines: Speeding	Varies; substantial fines	Varies; ST$50 to ST$500, points on license
Common Fines: Seat Belts	Fines imposed	ST$100 to ST$200
Common Fines: Phone Use	Fines imposed	ST$50 to ST$300
Common Fines: Traffic Light Violation	Substantial fines	ST$100 to ST$500, points on license
Payment: On The Spot	Yes, often required	Yes; fines usually paid online or by mail afterwards
Payment: Deadline	Varies; check with local authorities	Varies; typically 30 days to pay

Common Fines: Speeding

guatemala:

Varies; substantial fines

samoa:

Varies; ST$50 to ST$500, points on license

Common Fines: Seat Belts

guatemala:

Fines imposed

samoa:

ST$100 to ST$200

Common Fines: Phone Use

guatemala:

Fines imposed

samoa:

ST$50 to ST$300

Common Fines: Traffic Light Violation

guatemala:

Substantial fines

samoa:

ST$100 to ST$500, points on license

Payment: On The Spot

guatemala:

Yes, often required

samoa:

Yes; fines usually paid online or by mail afterwards

Payment: Deadline

guatemala:

Varies; check with local authorities

samoa:

Varies; typically 30 days to pay