The Streets of Morocco

     One of the first things we noticed about Spain is the politeness of drivers.  If you step off the curb into a crosswalk in Spain, drivers will always stop.  If you step into the roadway in Spain, drivers will generally stop or at least slow down to avoid a collision.  In Morocco, drivers will not stop if you are in a crosswalk.  They will honk their horns and try to drive around without stopping or shake their fists, jam on the brakes and / or yell expletives.  Stepping into a roadway in Morocco is a risky proposition.  If there are enough people crossing the street with you, cars and trucks will be forced to stop.  We’ve had many near misses by cars and trucks when crossing streets.  The busy street in front of our dar chabab has been the scene of many accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians.  One night while teaching, an accident occurred outside.  We later learned from one of our students that a man struck by a car had “his head broken”.

     Traffic accidents in Morocco and their resolution are an interesting phenomenon.  We watched the scene of a traffic accident on our street corner unfold a couple of days ago.  We did not witness the actual accident but we heard a great commotion and people yelling one afternoon from our apartment.  When we looked outside, there was a car and a three wheel motorcycle/truck combo common in Morocco, stopped in the middle of the intersection below.  There were at least 100 people on the street and people were hanging out of their windows and doorways watching the spectacle.  There were a few small groups of people actively involved in the event.  Some people were yelling, some fighting, some trying to restrain the fighters, some agitating for more violence, and some trying to calm people down.  All of this was happening simultaneously.  Not a policeman in sight, nor was there ever one present.

     The way the two vehicles were positioned, it was not obvious what had happened.  The three wheel moto truck was parked perpendicular at the rear of the small car.  There were no other cars in the intersection and no one appeared to be injured.  No damage was apparent to either vehicle.  The people that were fighting were eventually restrained by bystanders.  A taxi and another vehicle had stopped in front of the “Hamadi Boys” café on the corner.  (Hamadi Boys is a local football club). There were some small boys that were running around banging on other parked cars that were agitating people, causing more tensions and yelling.  One visibly upset man went into the café, grabbed a metal chair, came back out to the street and started swinging and banging it on the ground.  Some women were doing their best to try to calm the entire situation down.  When it seemed like tempers had cooled and the scene about to break up, someone would start yelling again and the scene would re-ignite.  This went on for over an hour. 

     Eventually, the driver of the car got into his car and tried to drive away.  His path was blocked by some men at first and then by a woman that stood in front of the car.  Finally, they gave way and allowed the car to depart.  Then the driver of the moto truck with help from bystanders, pushed his vehicle to the side of the road.  Perhaps his vehicle had been damaged?  None apparent. A person that looked to be maybe his son continued to run around yelling for awhile.  When he finally calmed down, the two of them got into their vehicle, started the engine and drove away. 

     So what happened?  No one was injured.  No damage to either vehicle.  Neither vehicle was carrying any materials or produce that was damaged.  We have witnessed altercations many times on the streets of Morocco.  Some traffic infraction, real or perceived, maybe occurred, perhaps angry words or jesters were exchanged.  Tempers flare and the fun begins.  Surprisingly, these situations seem to resolve themselves without the aid of law enforcement.