When he presented the fine to two ticketless foreigners, he did them a favor and wrote up only one fine, rather than two. Then he offered to sell them fake monthly passes at a discounted rate. One American friend of mine finally admitted defeat after too many hour-long waits at the bus stop, missing appointments and relying on the unreliable. He has decided to buy a car. But the rules of the road in Belgrade are even more cutthroat than the rules of bus riding.
Traffic gets stopped up easily, people get impatient.
In this environment, the car has become an elevated status symbol, perhaps a symbol of one's vitality, or mortality. And let's not forget that cars have sex appeal. Forget who is driving the size of the engine and the bass levels on your car stereo can be the necessary ingredients for those seeking to score. For men, having a car means you have an easier time getting women to like you, or at least, rely on your sometimes for rides. If you are a woman with a car, you don't have to rely on those kind of guys anymore and risk offending them because you believe in the life-saving power of seat belts.