My daughter is learning all about road safety in class. The Costa Rica government does mandatory testing of children every other year. So Coco will be tested this year in the main subjects the government deems important. She then will not be tested the following year. This section is on rules of the road. She’s got it all down: Cross at the corners; look both ways; reading road signs and semáforos - red, yellow, and green. Except for spelling regalememtos correctly, I think she’ll do fine.

Then there’s the real thing.

The roadways in Costa Rica are held together by a fine thread of hope: Hope we will not crash. Hope we will not hit a pedestrian. Hope the other driver stops because I’m not about to. Hope I can pass this slow truck full of cows even though the double yellow lines I learned about in school tell me I could die because I actually can’t see the other car coming towards me around the bend. Let’s just cross our fingers and hope we make it to our destination.

I do not think I am exaggerating when I say that every time I drive somewhere, some one runs a stop sign. Usually it’s the case of the second driver sneaking through behind the lead driver when he was supposed to wait another turn. Or it’s the “slow-down-to-second-gear-and-go-through-the-stop-sign-even-though-it’s-technically-not-my-turn” kind of thing. It’s hard to explain to Coco why all the rules are broken.

Well, it’s hard to walk on sidewalks when there aren’t any I told her. I have a tougher time explaining away the “cheaters” as I call them. All those that decide stop signs or speed limits weren’t really made for them. Or the drivers that make two lanes when the lines (refer back to that lesson in school!!) indicate there is only ONE. ONE. NOT TWO! Even if you can sneak by this long line of cars with your tire riding the gutter! Why on earth do all these driver’s think they get to go first? What happens to the kind, empathetic, understanding Costa Ricans I so dearly love? Where do they go when they shut that door and turn the key?

With the rain we had yesterday afternoon, I could see the road near my house actually washing away. Rocks and asphalt crumbled under the force of the torrent. Much of the time, potholes get filled with what ever is available (even coconuts!). Crazed, inflated egos behind the wheel are the last thing we need. Driving in Minnesota this summer made me sad because it was so pleasant. People not only stopped at four-way intersections, they patiently waited for each driver to take his/her correct turn. I felt like I could drive all day.

So as my daughter learns, so do I. By being patient, stopping at intersections, and not loosing my cool, I’m trying to show my kids how to save a few lives and keep our livers in tact. Maybe a few of those parents are learning along with their kids the rules of roads. All I can do is hope.