Like any place, know the law of the land

No matter where you are, it is always important to be aware of the laws and regulations that govern your social environment.  Knowing the law serves you in two ways: as a primary defense to avoid breaking the law in the first place, and as a secondary defense to dispute any allegations that have been made against you.  In Lima, the police often accept bribes from drivers who seek to avoid receiving a traffic ticket, and a series of problems is created by pervasive dishonesty among the governing body.
First, little of the potential revenue ever reaches the state.  With a struggling national economy, cutbacks to domestic revenue are not something that can be supplemented easily.  The infrastructure of much of Lima is unstable, and needs all the help it can get.  An expansive track of a raised cross-city freeway still remains unfinished after years of inactivity, a representation of progressive ambition suffocated by corruption and economic hardship. When the little bit of government funds comes out of people's pockets and is eaten up by unfinished or inutile projects, nobody benefits.  The citizens lose money fed into empty taxes, and in the end, there is neither production nor progress. Immediate problems are also evident from the lack of responsibility on the roads.
Few people heed the traffic laws because they are rarely enforced, and when people are unlucky enough to be stopped, many individuals get away with offering bribes to the police. By accepting the money, the officials of Lima are halting this source of income for a city of eight million people, most of whom rely on automobile transportation.  It is a constant fight in a struggling country, between taking responsibility for the greater good and looking out for one's own well-being.  The cutthroat attitude of many people can be seen in the chaotic and dangerous driving in Lima; the streets are packed with cars, buses and trucks, and everybody is trying to be ahead of everybody else.  Part of the problem is also not just that the laws are ignored, creating dangerous conditions, but many of the people who drive do not even know the rules or recent legislations.
Like anywhere in the world, including the United States, it is important to know the laws and your rights. Especially Peru, in a country where dishonesty is popular, the police are able to take advantage of unaware citizens.  One intelligent taxi driver explained why he had a copy of the most updated laws of the road, including legislations that will take effect in the near future. He said that if he is stopped he needs to be able to recognize if a cop is trying to swindle money out of him by holding him against a law that either does not exist or is not yet in effect.  Many drivers, however, are not in the mindset to keep themselves educated. They gamble with the low probability that they will be the ones to get charged.  Shadowed by greater problems and corruption, this is but a small glimpse of the everyday, street-level problems that infect this beautiful country, fighting to hold its ground in a rapidly progressing world.