I've been thinking about the cautions against trying to drive in BsAs and how supposedly non-Argentinians wouldn't have the stomach for driving amid the locals.

Actually I was surprised at how much milder it seemed than I had expected. One thing I did notice is that when our driver wanted to change lanes he would start to straddle the next lane (in a way giving notice to the others that he wanted to move into that lane) but at the same time, he wouldn't actually move in, unless the drivers in the new lane let him. If they continued to go straight, even if they were behind, our driver would continue driving straddled.

The upshot is that a 6 lane road could have 8 lanes of traffic in it... sort of.

I also noticed that when someone moved, say, to a lane to the right of his current lane, then he would move up confidently beside big motor vehicles like busses and trucks. That would be where you might need the confidence of your actions. It was only rare that there would be a "thread the needle" feel to the lane change.

Finally, it seems as though once committed, you cannot falter. No change of heart permitted.

As far as the highways go, I didn't feel it was any different from the Massachusetts drivers I deal with daily.

Oh, by the way, I mostly sat in the front with the driver, since my companions (husband, sister & her boyfriend) didn't speak Spanish. By sitting up front I could chat with the driver and hone my Spanish a teeny bit. So since I was up front I got a real feel for how the driving went.

Rita