In Reply to: Bali drivers - the bad and the ugly posted by FoxForce on Thursday, 12. January 2012 at 19:50 Bali Time:
It's always a good idea to use a recommended driver. I had always gone to Bali with my husband & he drove. On a trip with a friend we had to use a driver - just got one from the hotel. He thought that he should position his vehicle across the white line & refused to move to the left lane, despite my repeated complaints.
Of course, he ran into someone on a motorcycle coming the other way. Luckily, the girl wasn't badly hurt but it cost him quite a bit. He tried to get $ from us but no way. Some damage to the car which didn't belong to him.
Friend felt sorry for him & agreed to let him drive us again - he was a tad more careful but still straddled the white line & moaned & bloody groaned the whole way. Since then when I have found a lovely drived based in Ubud & a great team of brothers based on the coast.
A bad driver turns what should be a pleasant trip into a white-knuckle nightmare. A good driver can turn a trip into a highlight of the holiday.
DO use a recommended driver.