Driving on Guam

Guam is a unique place to drive. It is the USA, but has a different feel. There are also several important differences between here and the States.

The speed limit on Guam is 35 MPH. This is a default speed limit. There is only one area where the limit is posted at 45 MPH (on Andersen AFB), but 35 is considered the maximum.

Please obey this limit. It is in place for a reason. Every stretch of road on Guam is someone else's village, where they like to walk in the evening, where they go to church, where they have birthday parties. Please have respect for our island community.

There is no fast lane on Guam. The speed limit is 35 MPH. Unless you think 35 MPH is fast, how could there be a fast lane? I am telling you not asking you: The left lane is NOT reserved for drivers who are exceeding the speed limit. Ask a policeman if you don't believe me!

Many drivers on Guam come from different countries and the result is we have a unique mixture of driving styles on our roads. You will notice many drivers ignore the rules of the road and traffic laws.

But... if you are a new driver, you need to think about safety, not what kind of law-breaking you can get away with. If the idea of driving is to break as many laws as you can get away with, well....you read about them in the newspaper as the police say they are investigating whether speed might have been a factor with the car wrapped around a cement pole....

If you are an experienced driver new to Guam and you see what the local drivers are doing and think that means there are no rules and you can just do whatever, consider this: If you go into someone's house and the floor is a bit of a mess, it is still considered rude to spit on the floor. Please do not use other drivers' bad behavior as an excuse to make the situation worse! You have an opportunity to make Guam a safer place.

School buses: On Guam, traffic must stop in BOTH directions when a school bus has lights flashing. this applies even if it is a divided highway.

Guam roads are slippery when wet. Sometimes very slippery. And it floods. Sometimes the rain falls so hard it cannot drain off the roads fast enough and the water is a foot deep or more.

Please turn on your headlights in the rain and slow down. Even if you have big tires, it is not polite to shoot a rooster tail of filth into someone's family car. I have seen this happen.

Please share the road courteously with all other drivers and be patient with our quirks. The island is 30 miles from end to end. You will get to where you are going.

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