Barbados Driving Advice and Car Hire Info
Driving In Barbados
Driving abroad in Barbados is on the left hand side of the road. You need a temporary drivers permit which is issued for $5 for up to 2 months or $50 for up to 12 months to drive in Barbados. These can be obtained from various licencing authority offices on the island, but most visitors ask their rental company to arrange for them before travelling.If you’re aged 70 years older, you will need to provide a medical certificate from a medical practitioner proving they are fit and healthy to drive. Again, seek advice from your rental company on what’s required before you travel,but bear in mind this may mean you can’t collect a vehicle opon arrival at the airport.(Which is not such a bad thing in my opinion, as gives you time to recover from your flight and have time to observe local driving styles and road conditions)
The main road on Barbados is the ABC Highway which is a dual carriageway road running between Grantley Adams International Airport in Christ Church, to the western end at the University of the West Indies, in Saint Michael. It roughly encircles the Parish of Saint Michael and wider metropolitan area of Bridgetown. Other main routes include the Princess Alice Highway, the Spring garden Highway and the Ermie Bourne Highway. There are also other main routes names highways 1 to 7.
Main Highways are in good condition .Other roads are paved but may have potholes. In rural areas roads are in variable conditions and are narrow, and often have obscured side roads and blind corners. Road surfaces lack grip and become very slippery when wet. Barbados has a high rate of accidents, some serious.Roads are generally unlit outside the cities so you should exercise caution at night when you may encounter pedestrians and poorly it vehicles in the road. Speed limits are low- 20mph in built up areas and 45mph in the countryside. Some areas of Bridgetown can be unsafe at night so you should avoid driving in the centre if you’re unsure of directions.
Drivers are usually laid back and courteous. If you’re used to driving in an urban area in USA or Europe you will have no problem with the driving style in Barbados.
Although I try and keep the information in the site updated as much as possible, in a rapidly moving world, situations can change daily. Therefore please use the site as an approximate guide, and in conjunction with other resources in order to form your view on driving conditions, roads, safety etc.
Barbados Car Rental–
Sixt ,Thrifty, and Dollar seem to all have outlets in Barbados and the Island usually features on the big broker sites.
We currently have no local car rental partners in Barbados. If you are a local car rental company who would like to feature on DriverAbroad.com please check details on our Partnering page or contact us on ADriverAbroad@Outlook.com.
Barbados Self Driving Rules-
To rent the car and drive abroad in Barbados you will generally have had to have a full driving licence for at least 2 years.
