h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Driving in Jakarta is easy - simply get somebody else to do it. Otherwise walk or take a SilverBird executive taxi. All other means of road transport are simply too risky.

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From Distant Shores

The same advice applies to driving in Bali!
Unless you are already a master of the following move;
On a road just wide enough for 2 vehicles to pass safely
Wait for a sharp blind bend
On the entrance to the bend, overtake the mini-van in front whilst waving to the driver and waving to the driver of the van coming towards you.
Don't forget to leave enough room for the small motorcycles which will be undertaking and overtaking you at the same time!

Once mastered, you can progress to the one where the oncoming van is also being overtaken by another van!!

(In reply to http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F18377?thread=86769) If you took the wise decision not to partake actively in the thing called "traffic" in Jakarta, you should remeber some basic hints about taxis in Jakarta. 1.) Unless you are a native Indonesian, taxi drivers will treat you like an automatic teller machine and try to earn as much as they can from you. 2.) "Silver Birds" are very expensive (not only for Indonesian standards) ways of getting stuck in the same traffic jam as the cheaper taxi companies. 3.) When taking a taxi cab in Jakarta, make sure the driver uses the "tarif lama" (old tariff) since that's cheaper, and actually _does_ switch on the taximeter - unless you want to indulge in an argument about very subjective charges by the end of your travel. 4.) Make sure you lock all doors as soon as you entered the taxi. Beggars and merchants will otherwise just join you at the next red traffic light and hitch a ride sitting next to you, trying to get some of your earthly possessings. 5.) If available, have a local friend write down the destination and the _direct_ way to there. Taxi drivers tend to make lengthy "sightseeing tours" or take "not-so-short shortcuts" in order to charge you a higher fare. 6.) Be prepared to explain the driver which way to go, since he's unlikely to know any street names unless you want to the main tourist spots. 7.) If you want excact change, pay in small banknotes. Paying a fare of, say, 12000 Rupiah with a 50000 note will most probably result in you paying 20000 or waiting (taximeter still runnning) until the driver found someone with change. 8.) UNdER NO CIRCUMSTANCE take the taxis waiting for silly tourists in the vicinity of the most frequently visited points (train station, MoNas, Airport arrival hall main exit). The drivers lurking there will fleece you thoroughly (up to three times the usual charge!). Just walk around one corner and enjoy cheap traveling. Leave the vultures to more ignorant tourists! 9.) For short distances, use a "Bajaj" (motorcycle riksha) or an "Ojek" (informal motorcycle taxi). These are cheaper since you can bargain for the fare in advance. 10.) GOOD LUCK and DON'T PANIC !!