St. Kitts drives on the left. If you learned on the right, the first ten minutes feel strange and then it clicks. This is how to get through those ten minutes on a scooter.
The rule in one line
Keep to the left side of the road and overtake on the right. The Vehicles and Road Traffic Act says it plainly, and everything else follows from it.
Where it goes wrong
Almost nobody drifts to the wrong side on a straight road. The mistakes happen at moments when your head is busy with something else.
Pulling away
After a photo stop or lunch, on an empty road, habit takes you to the right. Say “left” out loud before you move off. It sounds silly and it works.
Turning right
A right turn crosses the oncoming lane, the way a left turn does at home. Wait for a proper gap. Left turns are the short, easy ones.
Roundabouts
You go round clockwise. Enter only when the way is clear.
Looking the wrong way
At a junction, the nearest traffic comes from your right. Look right first, then left, then right again.
Speed limits
Limits are in miles per hour. The law sets 20 mph in Basseterre and in every village, and 40 mph everywhere else. Villages run into each other along the main road, so you spend more time at 20 than you might expect.
Speeding costs EC$250, and more for every 10 mph over.
Other rules worth knowing
- No phone in your hand while you ride. Hands-free is allowed.
- The alcohol limit is 80 mg per 100 ml of blood. Fines for a first drink-driving offence go up to EC$10,000.
- Your passenger, if you carry one, sits astride behind you on the seat.
- For an accident, call 911 for police or ambulance, or 333 for fire. Then call us.
What the roads are like
One main road circles the island, and most of what you want to see sits on it or just off it. Outside Basseterre it is often narrow, with no pavement. People walk in the road. Many stretches have no street lights, so a ride back after dark needs more care than the same road at noon.
A first ride that builds confidence
Start with the Southeast Peninsula. It is one road with few junctions, and after twenty minutes of it keeping left is second nature. Then take on Basseterre.
The safety page covers road conditions in more detail, and the rider requirements list who can rent. When you are ready, check availability for your dates.