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ETHIOPIA — Many cities and countries have a reputation for some brand of bonkers driving conditions.
In São Paulo, Brazil, it’s an unspoken rule that whatever is bigger has the right-of-way; the massive roundabouts in Paris and other European countries are enough to make your hair stand on end; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is known for some rough riding on its shoulderless and unmaintained roads.
Even our own beloved Utah arguably has a reputation for being home to ungenerous and bad drivers.
But you ain’t seen nothing yet until you’ve seen the traffic at Meskel Square in Kera, Ethiopia.
The intersection has several factors that contribute to the chaos seen in the video:
- The intersection is enormous
- There is no division between lanes within the intersection itself
- Nary a traffic light or sign can be seen
- Pedestrians bravely cross through the mayhem with no obvious rhyme or reason
But since we see the entire scene in time-lapse, it looks like a cartoon door chase (à la the "Simpsons" as seen here) but without the Benny Hill theme music.
