Think Los Angeles traffic is bad? It is. The average Los Angeles driver spent 104 hours stuck in traffic in 2016, longer than in any other city in the world, according to a massive study by Inrix.¹ It’s by no means the only city plagued by traffic nightmares; Moscow, New York, San Francisco and Bogotá are close behind. 

Inrix based its rankings off congestion data, but there’s one thing that’s hard to quantify: the chaos factor. In Los Angeles, the gridlock might be crazy but people are (for the most part) obeying traffic laws. In other cities, stoplights are merely a suggestion, motorbikes are speeding on the sidewalk, and cows clog the streets. Here are five cities that have crazy traffic and the world’s worst drivers.

1. Manila, The Philippines

Buzzing motorbikes. Lumbering buses. And jerry-rigged jeepneys, elongated and decorated Jeeps that carry thousands of Manilans across this huge city every day. “This is what rush hour in Manila looks like: a Mad Max-style ride down Fury Road aboard vehicles with names like ‘Cold Fusion’ and ‘Soldier of Fortune,’” Popular Mechanics says.

Why does Manila have some of the worst traffic in the world? One, the city has a geography problem: the bustling downtown area is hemmed in by a bay to the west and a lake to the east, creating a bottleneck. Two, there are few trains. And three, bus drivers are paid per fare, so they often linger at busy stops.² Plans are in the works to introduce Bus Rapid Transit and cut the number of jeepneys, but Manila will remain one of the worst cities for traffic for the foreseeable future.

2. Bogotá, Colombia

Bogotá drivers are famous for using their horns— not always to complain, but more to have a conversation. A very, very loud conversation that never ends. And lane markings mean nothing. “A road in Bogotá has as many lanes as it has cars,” writer Charles McNair explains.³ In an attempt to curb traffic, the city allows vehicles with license plates ending in odd numbers to drive only on even-numbered days of the week during rush hours, while even-numbered vehicles drive on odd days.⁴ This hasn’t really worked, however. Some people buy two cars — one for each day.⁵ The good news is that Bogotá has a zero-tolerance approach to drunk driving. First-time offenders must pay $880, equivalent to nearly three months’ salary, and multiple offenders may lose their license for 25 years.⁶

3. Nairobi, Kenya

Here’s our best tip for driving in Nairobi: Don’t. Nairobi is famed as one of the worst cities for traffic because of its legendary congestion, its wrong-way drivers and the erratic driving habits of two-wheeled motorcycle taxis called boda bodas. It’s doubly hard for American visitors, because Kenyans drive on the left-hand side of the road. Taking buses isn’t much better: U.S. citizens have been fatally injured in accidents involving Nairobi buses, called matatus.⁷

It’s not the traffic volume that’s the problem, but the cavalier attitude toward safety. “It is simply because Kenyans don’t respect the road and they don’t respect each other. Indeed, driving in Kenya, and in Nairobi specifically, is probably the world’s longest running game of Chicken,” writes Kenyan columnist H. Nanjala Nyabola.⁸

4. Moscow, Russia

Road rage is a way of life in Moscow. Drivers cut each other off, jockey for position at red lights, drive on the sidewalks and generally treat commuting as a competition. Others love to race on the crowded city streets — like a 22-year-old Moscow student who posted videos of himself weaving around traffic in a Porsche Cayenne without license plates. Virtually every Russian driver has a dashcam installed, to provide footage as evidence in case of an accident. This compilation of footage shows careening trucks, cars flipping over and Russian drivers punching each other.

5. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is the Western hemisphere’s most dangerous place to drive, according to the World Health Organization, and the biggest hazard is motorcycles.⁹ In Santo Domingo, one of the worst driving cities, motorbikes swarm like bees and rarely obey traffic signals. Experts say that driving at night is particularly dangerous, as roads aren’t clearly parked, streetlights are few and drunk driving is common. The State Department warns travelers against “frequent disconcerting and dangerous patterns that include: driving at night without lights; missing manhole covers and large potholes; uneven road surfaces; scooters and motorcycles splitting lanes; driving on sidewalks; driving against traffic….” It goes on.¹⁰

Why do so many major cities lay claim to having the worst traffic in the world? Sheer growth is overwhelming infrastructure. By 2050 there will be 9.7 billion people in the world, 70 percent of whom will live in cities, Inrix reports, and the use of private vehicles is expected to grow as countries develop.¹¹

Our best advice is to hire a private driver or use public transportation if you visit any of the worst driving cities. But if you do rent a car, be sure to protect yourself with the OneTrip Rental Car Protector from Allianz Global Assistance. For just $11 per calendar day, you get primary coverage for covered collision, loss and damage up to $50,000, along with 24-hour emergency assistance.

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