Sept. 23, 2007, 10:27PM
Foreign drivers shift gears to learn rules of the road

By DANE SCHILLER
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

There is a joke about cities thick with immigrants: People drive under the law — the law where they were born.

That's the punch line in Houston, known for wide roads, snarled traffic and being home to people from just about everywhere.

As immigrants come, they often bring with them the traditions of their homelands, and that includes how they drive.

It is impossible to know how many different ways of driving are out there, and the Texas Department of Public Safety doesn't keep special statistics to track the driving records of foreigners.

The potential for variations is huge.

Instructors say among the biggest challenges is getting foreign students to understand that driving laws are not just suggestions as is the case in many countries where laws are often ignored.

The welcome to Texas bible is the 184-page Texas Drivers Handbook, which covers everything from hayrides to road rage.

"Check the mirror, give the signal," instructor Deena Patel said to a student as she switched from Hindi to English while recently guiding a sedan through the intersection of White Oak Drive and Heights Boulevard.

Immigrants paying $40 or more for hands-on driving instruction in the heart of Houston would seem to offer a contrast to the thousands of people sneaking illegally across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Patel, who was born in India, said she speaks with students in English as well as three other languages from her homeland.

"Most other countries, aside from Europe, don't have the rules and regulations, whereas we have plenty of rules and regulations," she said.

Nothing seems to signal an immigrant has arrived in Houston like having a Texas driver's license, but taking to the roads can be daunting.

"For some of them, the biggest headache is just staying in the lines," said Sunday Iyamu, a driving instructor from Nigeria. "They get here and try to drive like they did back home," he said of the many international students he has had.

Asian drivers might be accustomed to rarely going over 30 mph as they have lived where bicycles are everywhere and have the right of way.

Someone from Latin America might treat red lights more like stop signs, as they're used to not stopping too long, especially at night, to avoid carjackings.

For a woman from Saudi Arabia, getting behind the wheel would be an entirely new experience, as they are banned from driving in the Middle Eastern kingdom.

"In Vietnam, there are no rules, it is a free-for-all," said Tommy Tran, an insurance agent who was born in Vietnam. "Over there, it is just survival."

Tran said it usually takes awhile for people to realize they've got to drive differently in the United States.

Although officials know there is a demand for driver-education courses being taught in languages other than English and Spanish, those are currently the only languages that are approved for instruction, said Debbie Ratcliffe, a spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency, which oversees the schools.

"I think there is a growing need we're becoming so much more diverse," she said. "In public schools, for instance, our students speak 126 languages other than English."

TEA officials recently met with the Texas Department of Public Safety about the issue, she said.

Iyamu, the instructor from Nigeria, said driving is tantamount to being American, especially in Houston, where driving is a necessity.

"They want to be accepted," Iyamu said. "They see it as an entrance into society," he continued. "I have a car. I can drive. I am one of them."

dane.schiller@chron.com

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