Job Discussion Forums

[redeyes]

There seems to be almost constant mention of accidents in UAE in blogs, and in newspapers -- is it really that bad, and does it really concern you on a daily basis?

Put it this way, I have lived in countries where the driving is pretty bad, and you worry about it from time to time , but no big deal -- and I have lived in countries where you certainly take your life in your hands daily, and get a nervous adrenaline rush each day as you dodge and swerve your way through real danger,each and every day on that journey to work.

And where does UAE stand in that simple scale of -- ( A ) Pretty bad driving, but no sweat, and ( B ) Wow, getting to work sure is an adrenaline rush. These drivers are homicidal maniacs.

Thanks.

RE.


PS Just found a study on the topic --

http://www.salimandsalimah.org/documents/RTAsinUAEcompared.pdf

[veiledsentiments]

Being the typical American who grew up in a car, I drove everywhere that I lived except Cairo... where you don't need a car.

I found Kuwait traffic scary, but I was never really worried driving to work as the route skipped the ring roads where it was frightening... Abu Dhabi was much less chaotic... and Oman was nearly sleepy in comparison. (all is relative, of course) Oman and the Emirates were very similar to Washington DC and the I-95 corridor on the east coast for those Americans who know it.

That said, it was a rare semester that you didn't have a student in your class lose a close relative in an accident. That article made the danger clear. Watch out for the camels and goat herds... and polish your defensive driving skills.

VS

[redeyes]

Thanks as always VS for your knowledge and advice --

Can I ask, do you think it's more difficult for foreign women and non Muslim women drivers? Are they taken less seriously regarding "their rights on the road", and thus more jeapordised by other bad drivers?

[adorabilly]

Hey RE.

Lets see...

The driving here is about the worst I have ever seen. I lived in Central China for 2 years, and they drive horribly. I would never have driven in China because it is the most passive aggressive driving country in the world. I often felt like I was taking my life in my hands when I would get into a Taxi. I don't often feel that unsafe on the roads in the UAE, but the drivers appear to be worse.

I think the driving here in the UAE is worse for several reasons.
1. Traffic congestion is pretty bad. Since there is no rail traffic for bulk items, you have lots of lorries (semi's if you are from the states) on the road which usually removes a full lane (or two) of mobility in traffic.

2. You then have a boat load of taxi's zipping around, mostly driven by wonderful individuals who are maniacs and dont' understand the rules of the road in their home countries, let alone the rules for the road here in the UAE.

3. To quote my dad... "too much power under the hood, too little brains behind the steering wheels" also comes into play. You have tons of rich, young emirates in high powered, or super sized SUV's who are driving like they own the roads and they come racing up behind you, expecting you to get out of the way... and if you don't they will tailgate you honking, and flashing their lights (even if there is NO place for you to go, or if you are passing other people)

It is not uncommon to have someone pass you doing 40 to 60 kph above the speed limit.

4. Whoever designed the roads was/is an idiot. They have never taken account of the needs of the people who drive. You have massive bottlenecks trying to drive in most cities (national paints flyover anyone? getting out of sharjah) and to top it off the road planners (oxymoron?) do not have a consistent method of using road signs, so when you drive often you have to look for your exit while trying to move through the congestion...)

Most of the traffic I have seen has to use roundabouts, and uturn points because the roads have massive hard median's which makes turning left almost impossible when you want to. I have spent an hour going a kilometer to make a u turn to go to someplace that I could have thrown a stick to from where I was in traffic because I couldn't turn left for 2 KM.

[veiledsentiments]

[mishmumkin]

[Umm Banat]

I was driving on the highway from AD to Al Ain and pulled over to let an ambulance past. I was doing about 120, ambulance about 160kph.
Behind them was an SUV with two young men flashing the ambulance to get out of their way.

I was neither surprised nor shocked.

[mishmumkin]

[kiefer]

Unlike Kuwait, the UAE is large enough to warrant a railroad for shipping freight. All goods move by roads. On the very few roads connecting the emirates, one has to contend not only with the cars but big rigs being driven by drivers who seem to have gone from donkey carts straight to 18 wheelers with little training along the way.

[007]

Well, I think the most dangerous place to drive in the Middle east is the magic kingdom (Saudi Arabia). Nearly 6000 people died in the year 2007 only! That is a rate of around 21 deaths per 100,000 people, which is one of the highest rate in the world. By comparison, around 14 deaths per 100,000 were killed in the USA in the year 2006.
And it seems female teachers in the magic kingdom are dying in large numbers on dangerous Saudi Roads!
http://infidelsarecool.com/2008/04/29/sad-reality-for-women-in-saudi-the-birth-place-of-the-religion-of-peace/

What a pity for the women in the magic kingdom, on one hand they are not allowed to drive, and on the other hand are the 'innocent' victims of Saudi roads accidents!!!!!
Unle Bandar must be crazy!

[redeyes]

Thanks for the feedback -- for those of you familar with the Far East, do you consider traffic in UAE to be worse than say, the traffic in downtown Bangkok?

I can imagine a major difference is, Bangkok has a good public transport system ( eg subways, even the choice of regular river boats etc, at least in some South East Asian cities ) so if you want to avoid the personal hell of sitting behind the wheel yourself, you can at least choose other options when planning the journey to work.

Comments from those who can compare?

[Bklyngrl]

When I lived in Dubai, I couldn't leave my house without spotting at least one traffic accident. It was a huge problem. During my four years there, I was in two minor "fender benders" that weren't my fault. There was the sense of people rushing around and a lot of talking on cell phones while driving.

We drove an SUV which made me feel much more secure. I hear from friends who are still there that traffic has gotten much worse. I don't think it can really be compared with Bangkok where you're sharing the road with tuk-tuks and bicycles.

We're headed back to the UAE this summer, to Al Ain, which I hear is a bit tamer than Dubai.

[veiledsentiments]

[Iamherebecause]

Driving here is far worse than Bangkopk - more agressive.

However it does seem to have calmed down a bit since they introduced the points-on-the-licence system for infringements and also upped the fines. Even in a small saloon I have fewer loonies flashing me to get out of their way on the Al Ain Dubai highway.

[tmac-100]