Speeding is not only illegal, but it may cause accidents as well. Speed limits vary depending on whether you are driving in the city or on the highway. There are usually signs along the road indicating the maximum kilometres per hour (km/h) you may drive at. This generally varies between 60km/h (37 mph) in the city center to 100km/h (62 mph) on the highways. Generally speaking, speed limits are as follows:

Urban areas - 37 mph / 60 KpH
Rural areas - 50 mph / 80 KpH
Highways - 75 mph / 120 KpH

In more developed countries, we would normally budget to cover a distance of around 62 miles per hour of driving. You will need to budget around 30% more time to cover the same distance in Mozambique as the national highway is a two-lane road (i.e. one lane in each direction).

You may therefore need to slow down quite frequently for trucks or other slow vehicles in order to find an opportunity to overtake in the oncoming lane.

Besides trucks, you will also need to slow down frequently when approaching small towns or villages. Make sure to abide to the speed limits by slowing down, as these are the spots where traffic officers issue fines for speeding.

The added benefit of slowing down is that you get to see the fresh produce the locals are selling. Usually, they sell everything from a fresh variety of tropical fruits, nuts (roasted cashew nuts are very popular and tasty), fresh coconuts to gasoline and homemade chili oil.

Sometimes you may see cars in the oncoming lane flashing their lights as they drive past you. That’s usually a friendly driver’s way of indicating that there are speed traps ahead, so watch out for these signals when driving.

Muliply the kilometers by 6 and move the decimal point 1 place to the left:
8 kilometers = 4.8 miles
12 kilometers = 7.2 miles
Speed limit 70 = 42 miles per hour

First and foremost, be polite. Second, remain calm. And finally, it doesn’t hurt to learn a few Portuguese phrases such as ‘good day, how are you?’ which translates to ‘bom dia, tudo bem?’. If you apply these three tips and follow the checklist in this guide, you should be on your merry way after being stopped for a random inspection.

It is true that Mozambican traffic officers are notorious for soliciting bribes and making up violations so they can issue you with a fine. The government has been working hard to clamp down on corruption but they cannot do it alone.

If you are guilty, pay the fine (not a bribe for a lesser amount) and ask for a receipt. But if you feel that you have been unfairly issued a fine or the amount does not match the violation, ask for a receipt, note the officers details and dispute the fine at the nearest police station.