melmel

It is a shame the drunk driving is not enforced. Drunk driving is very dangerous, not only for the drunk driver, but also for everybody else on the road.

MRWOOHOO

The thing is this is Panama, it is not the USA. If you are willing to take the chance and move to a foreign country you go by there rules. I truly found it quite amusing and very dangerous at the same time about people stealing manhole covers in panama city and selling them for the weight of the steel. There are huge gaps in sidewalks that you can fall straight into the sewer system. That is about as bad as a way to die as any I can think as far as accidental. Give me a drunk driver any day.

seashore

People steal the manhole covers? Wow!

I think when moving to a new country there are new dangers to be aware of.

GordonS

That's interesting about the manhole covers going missing. This is happening everywhere now. See the following links for USA and European cities:
Police: Thieves stealing manhole covers, sewer gates for scrap metal - CourtTV.com - People (Indianapolis)

NPR : In Chicago, Manholes on the Move

__________________
Gordon and Randy,
Canada

GordonS

Here's some more:
Stolen Manhole Covers in the boot of a car, Sarajevo, Bosnia i Hercegovina on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (Bosnia)
Matchstick men, manhole cover: armed robbers steal Lowry works Independent, The (London) - Find Articles (London, England)
Man Arrested For Allegedly Stealing Manhole Covers, Storm Grates - Video - WFTV Orlando (Florida)

Here in Ontario, Canada, a bronze statue of a famous Ukranian poet was stolen last year and eventually the perpetrators were caught when trying to flog the last remaining parts - the head I believe. The rest of the statue presumably will be reincarnated into other statues??

__________________
Gordon and Randy,
Canada

MRWOOHOO

I guess this is not an uncommon thing outside of Panama. Generally, most people that have to resort to stealing manhole covers, etc, do not have the tools to melt it into something else(crack pipes are useless on steel). All you have to do is slap a hefty fine on any scrap yard that gets caught buying a manhole cover and then they would be useless to steal. You would not even have to really police it much. Tell the scrap yard you will give them a couple of dollars to turn somebody in that does sell or you will fine the $500K if they are caught with one. Problem solved.

PanamaPat

Interesting. A few years ago something like that almost happened to me in a different Latin American country (which shall remain unnamed - I believe they fixed the problem).

So, I guess I was lucky, but when it comes to statistics, I believe that drunk driving kills significantly more people than stolen manhole covers.

killian

That's true, we can see every day on the TV accidents caused by people who overdrink and end up killing themselves and other people with their cars...

Nosfer

well i'm for drunk driving but with some limits... i mean, in my country after you drink just 1 beer and get caught driving, you loose drivers' licence for 3 months and you get a really big fee. now that's outrageous i'd say

MRWOOHOO

As long as you aren't running people down dont worry about it here, if you do run somebody down make sure you consult with a good attorney. Obviously it is better not to do it (I am soooooo P.C. ;-)

titaniumhijau

Sp. i think. Never do that unless you really want to have problem next day. I will never do that especially if i have family or kids. Its really will give your trouble if you do that. Be careful about that today.

MRWOOHOO

Is "titaniumhijau" here in the forum to get people to click on links and get paid??

MRWOOHOO

I hate to be a kill joy but I dont want to look at cheap adds here. Thank You

ladonna

I couldn't compare Panama to the USA and Europe when it comes to the enforcement of drunk driving... (if you are caught driving drunk and the police are in a happy -money greedy- mood just kindly hand over $20, and you can go home and sleep in peace). At the same time they are not as lax as they were 10 years ago. On certain holidays like Easter (Semana Santa) you can't even buy alcohol in any supermarket, the whole alcohol section is locked and protected by police.

coolandhot

In the US, I think it is still worse. I've been stopped at DUI checkpoints a bunch of times in the USA. I wasn't drinking. They stop everyone!

lee

RE: Manhole covers missing/stolen.

There is a Chinese proverb that fits quite well with this theme, it goes:

"Only he that has traveled the road knows where the holes are deep".

I came across it quite accidentally, but when I read it I immediately thought about this thread. Many travel to Panama, and the holes in the road are so deep that some fall into them and only come out with difficulty and pain. The better you know the roads, the less likelihood of falling into a hole.

titaniumhijau

I like that proverb and i agree with that. I can see the more road you go and walk. The more knowledge and experience you will get. Its different and you will never know if you only sitting in front your PC right?

GordonS

Some years ago I lived in New York City. NYC potholes were huge! That was when NY,NY was nearly bankrupt before the state galloped to the rescue. Can't imagine that Panama would be much different than New York City in some areas. Probably have the same corruption and lack of funding as most places I've lived and travelled. A person just has to drive with their eyes open and try to avoid driving at night when it's even harder to see the potholes and missing manhole covers. In Mexico, I remember driving at night near Chihuahua and swerving all over the road to miss the burros sleeping on the warm pavement. Are there burros in Panama on the loose?

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Gordon and Randy,
Canada

barnacle

years ago denver thought it was a good idea to make manhole covers from aluminum!?!? they went missing real quick.
a cop friend of mine even had one he would bring on camping trips to use as a griddle!

tallman33

Why do they put the manholes in places where people drive and walk? If they know that people are going to steal the covers, maybe they should rethink where they put the holes.

Nosfer

by the way... ladonna said something good there... in Panama... can we bribe police officers? i know that's not legal, but it's easy and best solution for us drivers... if it's possible, anyone tried? and... how much have you paid?

tallman33

I think the drunk-driving checkpoints are bad. They are a sign of a police state. Innocent people shouldn't be bothered, seized, or searched by police--at least not without reasonable suspicion.