The best way to avoid any accidents is to know what you’re getting into first. Peruvian driving is, well, crazy. While there are delineated lanes for driving, no one adheres to them. Instead, you’ll find four cars driving side by side on a two-lane highway. These are the situations that you must prepare for. Peruvian drivers are also very aggressive—let’s say a rule of thumb is that they err on the side of aggression. Knowing this is half the battle because you can know when to pick your battles and what they will do. If you don’t also drive at times aggressively you’ll never get to where you want to go, especially in cities.

Horns are a ubiquitous sound when driving on a Peruvian city street or highway—it wouldn’t be Peru without hearing someone just randomly honking his or her horn. To drive well in Peru you need to learn how to utilize the liberal use of the horn, but within context. The horn signals everything for a driver from, “I’m passing” to “you can go” or “get the hell out of my way.” It is especially important to honk when turning a blind corner on a mountain road because large trunks and motorcycles also share these narrow passes.