Driving Differences: Kenya vs. Panama Explained

When exploring road regulations in Kenya and Panama, drivers will discover significant contrasts that influence their travel experiences. From lane usage and speed limits to traffic signals and vehicle documentation, understanding these variations is essential for ensuring a secure journey. Prepare for your adventure by familiarizing yourself with the distinct driving practices of each nation.

kenyapanama

LEFT

Driving Side

The driving side in kenya is the Left Side of the road

Driving Safety Score

The driving Driving Safety Score in kenya is 17

1.357 $

Gas Price in USD

The driving Driving Safety Score for kenya is 1.357 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

Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...

	Kenya	Panama
Driving Side	Left	Right
Overtaking: On Left	No	Yes
Overtaking: On Right	Yes, allow passing on the right.	Allowed on multi-lane roads or when the vehicle ahead is turning left.
Lane Usage: Slow Vehicles	Use leftmost lane.	Use rightmost lane.
Bus Lanes: Presence	No	Yes
Bus Lanes: Usage	N/A	Reserved for buses and sometimes taxis.
Bus Lanes: Markings	N/A	Labeled 'BUS' or 'BUS ONLY'; often with road signs.
Cycle Lanes: Presence	Yes, in some areas	Yes, in some urban areas
Cycle Lanes: Markings	Bicycle symbols and colored pavement.	Bicycle symbols and often separated by barriers.
High- Occupancy Lanes: Requirements	N/A	N/A
Variable Speed Limits: Indications	N/A	N/A

Driving Side

kenya:

Left

panama:

Right

Overtaking: On Left

kenya:

panama:

Yes

Overtaking: On Right

kenya:

Yes, allow passing on the right.

panama:

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

Lane Usage: Slow Vehicles

kenya:

Use leftmost lane.

panama:

Use rightmost lane.

Bus Lanes: Presence

kenya:

panama:

Yes

Bus Lanes: Usage

kenya:

N/A

panama:

Reserved for buses and sometimes taxis.

Bus Lanes: Markings

kenya:

N/A

panama:

Labeled 'BUS' or 'BUS ONLY'; often with road signs.

Cycle Lanes: Presence

kenya:

Yes, in some areas

panama:

Yes, in some urban areas

Cycle Lanes: Markings

kenya:

Bicycle symbols and colored pavement.

panama:

Bicycle symbols and often separated by barriers.

High- Occupancy Lanes: Requirements

kenya:

N/A

panama:

N/A

Variable Speed Limits: Indications

kenya:

N/A

panama:

N/A

Speeds Limits

Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...

	Kenya	Panama
Urban Areas: Standard	50 km/h	40-60 km/h
Urban Areas: Residential Zones	50 km/h	25-30 km/h
Rural Areas: Cars And Motorcycles	80 km/h	80-100 km/h
Rural Areas: Buses And Vans	80 km/h	80-100 km/h
Rural Areas: Trucks And Trailers	80 km/h	70-80 km/h
Highways: Cars And Motorcycles	100 km/h	100-120 km/h
Highways: Trucks And Trailers	80 km/h	70-90 km/h
Variable Speed Limits: Indications	N/A	N/A
Enforcement: On-the- Spot Fines	Yes	Common

Urban Areas: Standard

kenya:

50 km/h

panama:

40-60 km/h

Urban Areas: Residential Zones

kenya:

50 km/h

panama:

25-30 km/h

Rural Areas: Cars And Motorcycles

kenya:

80 km/h

panama:

80-100 km/h

Rural Areas: Buses And Vans

kenya:

80 km/h

panama:

80-100 km/h

Rural Areas: Trucks And Trailers

kenya:

80 km/h

panama:

70-80 km/h

Highways: Cars And Motorcycles

kenya:

100 km/h

panama:

100-120 km/h

Highways: Trucks And Trailers

kenya:

80 km/h

panama:

70-90 km/h

Variable Speed Limits: Indications

kenya:

N/A

panama:

N/A

Enforcement: On-the- Spot Fines

kenya:

Yes

panama:

Common

Signals

Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...

	Kenya	Panama
Traffic Lights: Red And Amber Together	Not used in Kenya	Not used in Panama
Horn Usage: Prohibited Times	Unnecessary use discouraged; local ordinances may apply	Unnecessary use discouraged, especially in urban areas
Traffic Signs: Language	English and Kiswahili; symbols are standard	Spanish; symbols are standard

Traffic Lights: Red And Amber Together

kenya:

Not used in Kenya

panama:

Not used in Panama

Horn Usage: Prohibited Times

kenya:

Unnecessary use discouraged; local ordinances may apply

panama:

Unnecessary use discouraged, especially in urban areas

Traffic Signs: Language

kenya:

English and Kiswahili; symbols are standard

panama:

Spanish; symbols are standard

Turns

Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...

	Kenya		Panama
Right Turn On Red	Not allowed.		Generally not allowed
U- Turns Allowed	Allowed unless prohibited by signs		Varies by location; check for signs

Right Turn On Red

kenya:

Not allowed.

panama:

Generally not allowed

U- Turns Allowed

kenya:

Allowed unless prohibited by signs

panama:

Varies by location; check for signs

Documentation

Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...

	Kenya	Panama
Driver's License: Foreign: E U/ E E A	Accepted for short visits; International Driving Permit recommended	International Driving Permit recommended; national license accepted for short stays
Driver's License: Foreign: Non- E U	Accepted for short visits; International Driving Permit recommended	International Driving Permit recommended; national license accepted for short stays
Vehicle Inspection: Requirement	Annual inspection required	Mandatory every two years for new cars
Emergency Equipment: Reflective Vest	Not mandatory	Recommended

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

kenya:

Accepted for short visits; International Driving Permit recommended

panama:

International Driving Permit recommended; national license accepted for short stays

Driver's License: Foreign: Non- E U

kenya:

Accepted for short visits; International Driving Permit recommended

panama:

International Driving Permit recommended; national license accepted for short stays

Vehicle Inspection: Requirement

kenya:

Annual inspection required

panama:

Mandatory every two years for new cars

Emergency Equipment: Reflective Vest

kenya:

Not mandatory

panama:

Recommended

Road Etiquette

Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...

	Kenya		Panama
Use Of Horn: Cultural Norm	Less frequent use compared to some countries		Frequent use, especially in urban areas
Emergency Vehicles: Protocol	Pull over to the left and stop if necessary		Pull over to the right and stop if necessary

Use Of Horn: Cultural Norm

kenya:

Less frequent use compared to some countries

panama:

Frequent use, especially in urban areas

Emergency Vehicles: Protocol

kenya:

Pull over to the left and stop if necessary

panama:

Pull over to the right and stop if necessary

Alcohol

Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...

	Kenya	Panama
Limits: Professional Drivers	0.05%	0.04%
Limits: Underage Drivers	0.00%; zero tolerance	0.00% (zero tolerance)
Enforcement: Random Checks	Less common; checkpoints used in some areas	Common, especially during weekends

Limits: Professional Drivers

kenya:

0.05%

panama:

0.04%

Limits: Underage Drivers

kenya:

0.00%; zero tolerance

panama:

0.00% (zero tolerance)

Enforcement: Random Checks

kenya:

Less common; checkpoints used in some areas

panama:

Common, especially during weekends

Roundabouts

Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...

	Kenya		Panama
Signaling: Exiting	Signal left when preparing to exit		Signal right when preparing to exit
Lane Usage: Right	Use for first exit or adjacent exits		Use for first exit or straight

Signaling: Exiting

kenya:

Signal left when preparing to exit

panama:

Signal right when preparing to exit

Lane Usage: Right

kenya:

Use for first exit or adjacent exits

panama:

Use for first exit or straight

Emergency Services

Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...

	Kenya	Panama
Contact: General Emergency	999 or 112	911
Contact: Traffic Police	999 or 911	104
Contact: Roadside Assistance	Check with your insurance provider or AA Kenya	Contact insurance provider or services like Autorama
Emergency Equipment: Reflective Vest	Not mandatory, but recommended	Recommended

Contact: General Emergency

kenya:

999 or 112

panama:

911

Contact: Traffic Police

kenya:

999 or 911

panama:

104

Contact: Roadside Assistance

kenya:

Check with your insurance provider or AA Kenya

panama:

Contact insurance provider or services like Autorama

Emergency Equipment: Reflective Vest

kenya:

Not mandatory, but recommended

panama:

Recommended

Penalties And Fines

Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...Small text specific to the section aboe, explaining the main ...

	Kenya	Panama
Common Fines: Speeding	Varies; approximately KES 10,000 to KES 20,000	Varies; $50 to $150, points on license
Common Fines: Seat Belts	KES 500 to KES 2,000	$25 to $75
Common Fines: Phone Use	KES 2,000 to KES 10,000	Varies; fines and points on license
Common Fines: Traffic Light Violation	KES 10,000	$50 to $150, points on license
Payment: On The Spot	Possible; fines often paid via mobile money systems	Rare; fines usually paid at designated locations

Common Fines: Speeding

kenya:

Varies; approximately KES 10,000 to KES 20,000

panama:

Varies; $50 to $150, points on license

Common Fines: Seat Belts

kenya:

KES 500 to KES 2,000

panama:

$25 to $75

Common Fines: Phone Use

kenya:

KES 2,000 to KES 10,000

panama:

Varies; fines and points on license

Common Fines: Traffic Light Violation

kenya:

KES 10,000

panama:

$50 to $150, points on license

Payment: On The Spot

kenya:

Possible; fines often paid via mobile money systems

panama:

Rare; fines usually paid at designated locations