Wale’s love affair with driving started before he was even old enough to do it legally. Between practising with a classic Daewoo, watching Top Gear episodes and daydreaming about the driving escapades he would get into as an adult, Wale has always been a real car aficionado. But what happens when the lawlessness of Lagos drivers and endless traffic come between you and your love? Well, for Wale, a Lagos-based business development manager, the only saving grace was driving in saner climes like Dallas, Texas. There, he is free to feel the adrenaline rush and control that comes from being behind the wheel.
Describe your first driving experience.
I remember that I first started driving with a manual Daewoo Cielo when I was about 13 years old. I started a little earlier than usual. My first experience with an automatic car came a few years after I learnt how to drive with the manual and it just seemed a lot easier.
Outside of Nigeria, what cities have you driven in?
I’ve driven in Dallas, Texas and Philadelphia. I mean, I’ve driven in a lot of cities in America. I have driven up until as far north as Toronto. And yeah, that’s where my driving experience ends. Nigeria, US and Canada.
Do you use an international driving licence to drive outside of Nigeria?
So yes, I have driven with an international driver’s licence. Yes, I have gotten my licence over there as well. And yes, I’m also driven with just my Nigerian driver’s licence, which is not necessarily right. But you know, as someone that has driven in America before, I kind of understand the systems right. If you have a valid ID and you can prove that you’re a qualified driver, most times depending on state laws, you can get away with driving with the foreign licence, but you’re just not meant to keep driving. You’re meant to go get a local driver’s licence. Even with an international licence, you can’t drive for too long out there.
What’s the process of getting a US licence like?
You have to take a driving exam. You go to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), you study the rules and the laws and so on. And when you’re confident enough, you take your test. It takes a few hours, I guess. But the thing is, I failed the written exam once. So I think I had to wait a week or two or so to retake it. But I retook it and I passed. And the driving part was the easier part because I already know how to drive. But remembering the laws of a new country, new environment, you know, sometimes it’s easy to forget certain details, but then once you figure it out, it’s easy. I got my licence in the state of New Jersey.
What are some of the common ways to get around in Dallas?
By personal transport mostly. Yes, they do have buses and trains and whatnot, but I realise that most people still rely on personal transportation. Because Dallas is a very big city—it’s the third largest in Texas. It’s like your typical American southern city, right? Yes, it’s an urban area, but it’s very large. So you can technically be in a city, but you can travel well over an hour from one end of the city to another by car, and not necessarily with traffic. I would say it’s essential to drive in Dallas, and generally in Texas, because the public transport network isn’t fluid enough to rely on.
Did you rent a car to drive in Dallas?
So, it wasn’t a rented car. I was staying with my family, so I was just driving whoever’s car was available. It was between a Toyota Rav4 and a Toyota Tacoma truck.
So would you say the Texans and trucks cliché is true?
So in America, not just Texas per se, but in America, they generally think, the bigger, the better. So, the bigger the vehicle, generally the more people tend to lean towards it. So people like bigger trucks, bigger engines and all those things.
If you were to move to the States, do you think you would also get into the big car thing?
No, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t get a big car ’cause when I was living in America, I had a small car. So I’ve always liked smaller cars, more efficient, sportier types of vehicles. I had a Volkswagen Golf GTI when I was in college. So for me, those are the kind of cars I like. If possible, I would’ve gotten a Mini but yeah that was a lot too small.
Aside from size, what do you look out for in a car?
Fuel economy, reliability and aesthetics. You know, the car has to look good.
What’s the best part of driving in Dallas?
I would say generally cities like Dallas have less traffic, they have bigger roads, they’re more comfortable for you and your vehicle. It’s just generally a nicer driving experience as opposed to driving in urban mega cities like Lagos where you know the traffic congestion is just too much and you don’t really get to enjoy driving. So for me now, I am a driving enthusiast, but because of the conditions of driving in Nigeria, I’ve had to lose interest in something I’m very passionate about. But anytime I get to travel and I’m in a saner, calmer environment, I always like to explore options out there. Maybe rent a vehicle, go to a race track and just try and explore something different.
So what’s your favourite thing about driving in general?
If you’re driving a car that has the perfect blend of comfort, luxury, power and everything, it’s just the ability to not just be in control of speed, but to get a rush every now and then. You know, let’s not lie to ourselves. There are sometimes when you’re driving when you feel an adrenaline rush.
There’s also just some enthusiasm that comes with driving a car, going through the gears, seeing how the engine and the gears work together to create the perfect driving experience. It’s just something I’ve always been into since I was a kid and I used to watch a lot of car shows like Top Gear. So for me, it was just like, oh, when I’m bigger and older, I want to try this, I want to do this, I want to see this. And now that I’m here and I’m getting to do it. I’m like, okay, this is actually fun. I mean, I can even do it for a living.
If you had an unlimited budget to rent a car for a day in any city, which car would you pick and what city?
I’ll probably go for a sports car in a low density population city. So maybe like a Porsche 9/11, one of those cars that have always intrigued me, in a city with good roads. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the US, It could be in the Middle East. Just anywhere that has really good expansive roads and preferably no speed limits.
What’s a traffic rule or custom in Dallas that took you a while to get used to?
You can pretty much turn on the red by any intersection as long as you are looking out for traffic. In other cities, you can get ticketed for turning on red depending on when or how you make that turn, but in Dallas, for the most part here you can get a turn a little bit.
What’s the traffic situation like during rush hour in Dallas?
Rush hour is typically between 3:00 to 6:00 PM, I’ll say. So during that period, you generally tend to anticipate a lot more traffic on the roads, a lot more cars and movements on the road because if it’s not kids coming out of school, it’s people getting off work, just a combination of those things.
Have you ever experienced road rage in Dallas?
No, I’ve never and I hope not to because you know, the state of Texas, almost everybody’s armed. So, you don’t want to get involved in such situations in cities like that.
What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you while driving in Dallas?
Okay, this wasn’t in Dallas, but I have gotten pulled over for excessive speeding once. I was coming back from DC to New Jersey. I was following a cop car for the longest part in the state of Maryland just tailing him, keeping enough distance but averaging the same speed he was averaging. And I got off an exit into New Jersey just cruising and maintaining the pace I was coming with. And as soon as I entered New Jersey, I got pulled over by a cop who was angry and ended up getting my licence suspended.
What’s the biggest challenge of parking in Dallas and how do you deal with it?
Parking is not that much of a challenge in a city like Dallas. Like I said, it’s a big city, big roads and everything. But in cities like Philadelphia and New York, parking is obviously a challenge, you know, and you just pay to get good spots.
What’s the best city and worst city that you’ve driven in?
The best city I’ve driven in, I’ll give it to Dallas for now. The worst, I’ll give it to Lagos. I’ll always give it to Lagos.
What tips would you give to someone who just started driving in Dallas?
Just take it easy, be careful. The roads can seem very, very tempting, very, very free and empty. But eventually you can hurt yourself if you don’t know what you are doing, or if you are not yet solid enough.
