Beware of taxi drivers...not... and other Jordan Warning Or Danger Tips

Beware of taxi drivers...not only do they enjoy ripping off new arrivals (see story below), but also they like to drive dangerously fast. Once I took a shared taxi from Petra to Ma'an, and on the way the driver decided to show off by driving at unimaginable speeds. So what happened...we crashed! It wasn't serious, as he had slowed down by the time we crashed, but he wasn't paying attention to the car in front and ploughed straight into the back of it. Of course it was the traffic lights fault, because it did not change to green when he was ready to move off! The crash brought most of the locals from their houses to inspect the damage. Interest was increased when two foreigners emerged from the back seat (me, and an American tourist). The police had to come and investigate, even though the only damage caused was to the cars, and it was not heavy damage...but it was a traffic accident, so had to be reported. I don't think Ma'an is a particularly busy town for the police, so I suppose I understand why they made such a fuss. We were also carted off to the local hospital for check-ups, despite protests that we were fine and would rather get going. So, the moral of this tale is that if your driver looks as if he likes to drive fast, then he probably will drive fast, no matter what state his vehicle is in...be warned!

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