So I decided to rent a car in Lebanon. People told me that driving here is unique, but I had no idea how different it would be from what I'm used to on the road.

There are basically no traffic lights. There are poles with lights, but some just don't work, and drivers often ignore the ones that are on anyway—they just drive if they don't see any obstacles.

Road markings are often either missing or faded. And even when they're there, a lot of people drive however they want.

Need to stop and chat with someone or park in the second lane? No problem at all. People around you aren't too upset and just wait or try to get around—tomorrow they might find themselves in the same situation.

If cars are coming at you from both the right and left at the same time, that's totally normal. Sometimes two roads merge and one lane needs to switch into oncoming traffic. Or sometimes people just feel like cutting across the opposing lane. And they'll flash their lights to get you to yield.

Trucks and semi-trailers constantly drive in the far right left lane.

Roundabouts work on the principle of whoever's more aggressive gets through. People sometimes drive the wrong way around them too.

Almost all signs are duplicated in Latin letters. But sometimes they're only written in Arabic script. There was a red sign with a guy and a gun that I translated before driving under it. Turns out it just means hunting is forbidden, not "don't enter—sniper."

On intercity roads there are sometimes checkpoints with military. I always slowed down, but they never stopped me or asked anything. At one checkpoint up in the mountains there were actually spikes, but a guy in uniform came out and removed them.

You can tell what kind of car it is just by the license plate: rental cars have green plates, red ones go to taxi drivers and minibus operators. And if you've got money, you can legally buy a fancy or short number plate. They say a three-digit plate goes for $5000 and up (and you can resell it later).

That said, I only saw one accident. Hard to miss though—locals have to get out and take photos, so traffic backs up immediately.

The roads are tolerable. In sparsely populated areas there are tons of potholes and speed bumps without any markings. But overall, if you're confident in your abilities and ready for a bit more stress than usual, you can drive here.