The country used to have Texaco, Shell and Esso service stations, with a total of around 50 stations in the country. Not any more. The gas stations were re-branded as Puma and Uno in 2012 after the government pushed out the old brands in favor of Puma-Trafigura oil interests and began to import fuel from Venezuela. That deal had many folks puzzled as fuel prices went up instead of down, but several local millionaires were made. Image Credit Above: Belize’s Hummingbird Highway Tom Hines.
Unleaded gas is widely available in Belize, at about U.S $5.06 a gallon (BZ$10.13 2017 price). Premium is at U.S. $5.96, and diesel at U.S. $4.81 Skilled mechanics are few and far between, although you can get a tire changed almost anywhere. At all gas stations, someone will come out and pump gas for you, and there’s no need to tip. All night gas stations require the driver to exit the vehicle, pay at a secure window, and pump gas themselves. Local gas stations accept BZ or U.S. dollars, and sometimes credit cards.
Miles or Kilometers?
Like the U.S., Belize has rejected the metric system. Distances are given in miles, and gas is sold by the U.S. gallon. However, some Japanese-made rental cars have speed and distance shown in kilometers only, a source of confusion on local mile-denominated roads. You occasionally see a speed limit sign, but there is little if any traffic law enforcement. Local drivers, to be charitable, are not always the best in the world. Sleeping Policemen is the local name for speed-breaker bumps deployed to slow traffic coming into residential areas. In many cases, you’ll get no advance warning about the bumps, but expect them as you enter any town or village.
Check Points
Unlike in some other countries in the region where shaking down gringos in rental cars is a small industry, in Belize you will usually not be pulled over for phony traffic offenses, and if you are stopped at a checkpoint, which often happens, it is rare but not unheard that you will be asked for a bribe. Shakedowns of tourists by cops however are a new phenomenon. Just answer the questions, if any, show your license or passport and visitor entry card, and you’ll be on your way, with a friendly smile and wave from the police. Of recent, the escalating crime in Belize means that rolling police checkpoints have increased. The police will invariably ask for your driver’s license and check your vehicle’s windshield license sticker. This is more of a pretext to strike up a conversation to see if if you get nervous or start to sweat (in the tropical heat with windows rolled down, everyone start to sweat) and try and determine if you are transporting drugs or doing something illicit.
Safety
Belize drivers are as well-trained as their cousins in the U.S., and driving after drinking is unfortunately common. Watch carefully when passing stopped buses — people may suddenly dart around the bus to cross the road. Outside of settled areas, you may drive for an hour or more and never see another car. Be prepared: Bring water, a flash-light and other basic supplies, and a cell phone, just in case. In an emerging economy such as Belize, anyone driving a car is, ipso facto, wealthy. Don’t leave valuables in your car, locked or unlocked. In Belize City, it’s best to park in a secured lot, or at least in a well-lit area. Do not pick up hitchhikers. Belize has draconian drug and guns laws. If your passenger has so much as stick of pot, EVERYONE including innocent passengers and the driver will spend the night in the piss house – that is the accepted Belize designation for the police holding cell.
Driving at Night
Driving at night in developing countries is seldom a good idea, but in Belize night driving is easier than elsewhere because there are so few people on the roads after dark. Jaguars and snakes, yes; people, no. Still, after dark it’s hard to see potholes, cyclists and topes – that is Spanish for sleeping policemen.
Unusual Driving Practices
Locals basically drive like Americans or Europeans. There are a few practices that may be unfamiliar to foreign drivers. One is the left turn. Some Belizeans usually (not always) signal right and pull to the right when turning left across traffic, waiting for vehicles behind them to pass. This can be funny to watch, but always be on the look out for demented drivers that will signal one way, and then take the opposite direction.
Best Vehicles To Drive
Do you really need four-wheel drive in Belize? On the main thoroughfares such as the Western (now renamed George Price) and Northern Highways (now renamed Philip Goldson), no. In the dry season, even back roads generally are passable without four-wheel drive if you have sufficient road clearance. But four-wheel drive is good insurance, just in case you hit a stretch of soft muck or sand.
On long trips here there are a couple of occasions when four-wheel power comes in handy. After a period of heavy rains, some back roads become quagmires. The vehicle of choice in Belize is a larger four-wheel drive, such as an Isuzu Trooper, Toyota 4runner, Jeep Cherokee or Ford Explorer. These offer a smoother ride on washboard roads, and the large petrol tank cuts down on the need to stop for gas so frequently. However, rental rates on these large vehicles are high — US$90 to $125. day or more in most cases — and they drink gas. The Suzuki Jimmy, Vitara or Sidekick are common rental vehicles, and they do a good day’s work at a decent price. But be aware – these cheap and tiny Japanese rentals often come without air bags and other safety features and are considered as road fodder by experienced Belizean drivers.
Tips on Rental Cars
Having a rental car is a real plus in Belize. You can go places not easily visited by bus, and while rental prices are not cheap, you may more than pay for the cost of the rental by avoiding high-priced tours. Here are questions to ask and things to check BEFORE driving off in your rental. Keep in mind that a break-down on a deserted road here is not like a break- down in Suburbia, USA.
• Check the mileage on the vehicle you’ve been assigned. Even “name brand” renters often have high-mileage cars in their fleet, and local companies almost invariably will give you a car with 100,000 to 150,000 miles on it (but usually in good mechanical condition.) If the mileage seems high, ask for another vehicle.
• Check the tires. Six-ply truck tires or high-quality radials are best for Belize roads. But since these tires are more expensive, many rentals run inexpensive passenger car tires, which may not stand up to heavy off-road use. At the very least, tires should have plenty of tread. Also, check the spare, and be sure you know how to locate and use the jack.
• Ask what will happen if you have a break-down somewhere in the boondocks. Major companies, such as Budget, will send a mechanic out to repair the problem. Others may not.
• Don’t be shy about asking for discounts off published rates. During busy times, discounts may not be available, but in the off-season or during slow periods you may be able to negotiate a little on rates.
• Determine in advance whether you need to accept Collision Damage Waiver coverage. CDW runs US$10 to $15 per day in here, and typically it does not cover the first $500 to $1,000 in damage — so you have to cough up for a windshield broken by a flying rock, for example. American Express and some other credit cards DO provide primary CDW coverage in Belize.
– Lan Sluder is editor and publisher of BELIZE FIRST. Sluder also helped update the Belize section of the Fodor’s Belize & Guatemala guidebook.
Belize Driver’s License
To obtain a Belize Driver’s License, a written test that must be studied…not the same as North American or European rules. Then, a driving test. All administered at the respective traffic department attached to a city of town council.
The written test has a lot of question such as which streets have yield, who has right of way at junctions, parts of your vehicle and their function and so on. Click Here To Download Belize Driver’s License Test Answers
You’re actually supposed to be on a Belize Driver’s license after living here for 3 months. Go to traffic department at Town Council for your guide and test.
If you have a valid US drivers license you can simply show it and get a Belizean one, you’ll get a paper and need a doctor to sign off on eye exam. Eye exam every year is mandatory for anyone 70 years and over. If your US license is expired you’ll get a permit for 30 days and take a written/driving test. Your license will say what type of vehicle you can drive, standard, automatic, etc.
Information to study for the written test may be gotten at the Traffic Dept. A person may take the written test within 1 week after having obtained this information to study for the written test. The practical test can be done the day after the results of this test are issued. The Traffic Inspector Officer conducts the practical test. Once the results are favorable, the license can be paid for, the pictures of the license owner taken and the ID handed over to him/her. Here are the License costs:
$90.00 BZ: for 1st issue, $60.00 BZ: for annual renewal, $25.00 BZ: for a misplaced or lost ID
What A Driver’s License ID Contains
A Belize driver’s license acts as an ID card. It grants a driver the permission to travel within Belize in a motor vehicle. The owner of such ID must carry it everywhere when driving, and when applying for a renewal.
Contents of a Driver’s License: Photo of the Owner, Name of Owner, Signature of Owner, Address of Owner, LICENSE Number, Date when license was Issued, Date when the license Expires, Birth date, Class of motor vehicle the Driver can operate with the driver’s license, Sex, Eyes, Height, Signature of Traffic Manager, Barcode.
As of 2021 it is mandatory for drivers to not only carry their Belize driver’s license with them, but also produce the vehicle registration on demand at any check point manned by a traffic or police officer. Prior to 2021 producing the registration was not enforced. Failure to produce registration earns a traffic ticket. Failure to display a valid insurance sticker IS AN ARRESTABLE OFFENCE.