In Chile driving is on the right with overtaking on the left. You give way to vehicles on the right, however all corners will have street signs telling you what to do. You must stop at red lights. Smoking whilst driving, using a mobile phone without a hands-free kit or listening to a personal music player with headphones is illegal. If you break any road rules under no circumstances ever give the police a bribe as this will land you in a lot of trouble.
Driving is also relatively sane for a South American country. Drivers do tend to go fast though and you should stay clear of the white and yellow Micro mini buses. Most of the roads in the major urban areas of Chile are in good shape. However some streets in the city are not so well there is so you must drive very carefully. Avoid rush-hour at all costs as traffic can be bad between 7AM and 9AM and between 5PM and 8 PM. If you are driving in remote areas always carry plenty of water and a spare tire. Also make sure that you refuel when you can as petrol stations can be few and far between. Remember that distances between destinations in Chile can be huge. The main highway in Chile is the Pan-American Highway.
The Automóvil Club de Chile in Santiago can supply comprehensive road maps of Chile and you can contact them by phone on (2) 431 1000 or via their website at www.automovilclub.cl. If you are using car hire Chile then you need to have a credit card as a guarantee. A 20% tax is added on all rental vehicles.
Visitors should be aware that Chile suffered from a massive earthquake in 2010 and so this may have affected many roads.
All drivers who get into an accident in Chile have to undergo a mandatory blood alcohol test.
Seat belts are mandatory for the driver and the passenger.
All motorway signs are in Spanish only and their shapes and colours are different from the US or European signs.
The cost of fuel in Chile is cheap compared to Europe but slightly more expensive than in America.
The drinking limit is 0.05%. There are heavy fines or possible imprisonment for exceeding this blood alcohol limit.
Usually a credit card, a valid driver's license and a passport are needed to rent a car. Keep these to hand when driving. It is necessary to have the vehicle registration in the car in case you get stopped by the police. Public liability insurance is compulsory.
You should really have an international driver's permits although in practice domestic licences are often honoured.
Carabineros de Chile – Chilean Policemen
Rutas Nacionales - National routes/ highways
Relaciones de Pasajeros - Passenger Relations document for cars brought into Chile
Peajes – Tollbooths
Avenida - Avenue
Quite a few of the roads in the capital Santiago have electronic free-flow tolls. Ask our car hire Chile representatives if your vehicle is equipped with an electronic radio-transponder or tag. If you do not have a tag, keep some Chilean change to hand.
The maximum legal speed limit, unless otherwise stated, is 120kph on two-lane highways and 60kph in urban areas.
The conversion from kilometres to miles per hour is one kilometre = 0.62 miles per hour. Therefore the speed on two lane highways in Chile is 75 mph.
Drivers of rental cars must be over 21 years old in Chile. To drive in Chile you must be over 18 years old.
The emergency services number is 133 for the police, 132 for an ambulance or medical services and 131 for the fire department.
The British Embassy in Chile is located at Avenida. El Bosque Norte 0125
Las Condes, Santiago. Their Telephone number is (56) (2) 370 4100 and their website is http://ukinchile.fco.gov.uk/en/
The American Embassy in Chile is located at Avenida. Andrés Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago. Their Telephone number is (56) 2330-3000 and their website is http://chile.usembassy.gov/
Not only are street lanes smaller, but parking spaces are narrower than you may expect so you may prefer to rent a modestly sized car. All the major airports have plenty of long and short term parking but with car hire Chile you do not need to worry about finding a parking space. Parking is generally easy in most of Chile. If you are staying in the busy capital Santiago then hopefully your accommodation will provide parking. Otherwise there are some reasonably parking lots. There is also metered parking on the roads.