It’s been seven-and-half months since my arrival in
the United Arab Emirates, and the things I have encountered and the very short
(41 years) history of this small country are interesting and intriguing.
Barely four decades ago, the UAE was a backward,
third-world nation with a population that was generally subsistence fisherman
and herders, and illiterate. The north of the country, famous today for the
city and emirate of Dubai, was the wealthier area, and all seven of the
emirates were and are controlled by an individual sheikh and his ruling family. These emirates were
connected by a tenuous and primitive network of roads. Reliable transport was
mostly by coastal dhow (a small, wooden sailing ship) or by camel train.
Today, the Emirates are linked by a modern, exceptionally
well-engineered series of limited-access highways that would make the US
Interstate and German Autobahn Systems proud. Motorway E11 between Abu Dhabi,
the national capitol, and Dubai is a 6-lane, heavily fenced, fully-lit speedway
for the 130 kilometers (80 miles) between the cities. The trip from Abu Dhabi
to Al Ain that took 7 days by camel in 1965 now takes about an hour.
And while the speed limit is 120 kilometers per hour
(km/h), there are signs at frequent intervals warning that the absolute maximum
speed, governed mind you by radar, is 140 km/h, or about 86 mph. The problem is
that it is well known that you are pretty safe, ticket-wise, unless you exceed
200 km/h, or about 124 mph. Anything over that and you can, and in many cases
had, have your car seized and your license suspended.
Yes, the UAE police not only seize your license,
they seize your car!
Confession time now: I have gotten a ticket here in
a speed trap. 105 in a 60 zone! That’s 65 mph in a 36 mph zone. The offer was
exceptionally polite and friendly, assuring me that the fine wouldn’t exceed
200 Dirhams (about $53). And then, a few days later, I received a text message
stating,
“You
committed a traffic offence in ABU DHABI ON 07-04-2013 (7 April 2013) that has
been registered to (my drivers license number). You are kindly requested to
observe the traffic rules.”
Interestingly, expatriates of certain countries have
a very easy time getting their Emirati Drivers License. With your UAE residence
visa (another story separate from this one), drivers license, a translated copy
of said license (which costs about 150 Dirham at a certified translation
center), and a 200 Dirham fee, you become the proud owner of an Emirati license
at your local DMV!
There are a few interesting differences here. One
example is the stop lights here which signal red for ‘stop,’ green for ‘go,’
and yellow for ‘caution.’ But, between the green and yellow signals is a
flashing green that warned of the coming yellow light, which doesn’t stay
illuminated long. And people here follow the stop light signals firmly. It's about the only traffic law that they do. Everything else is apparently considered to be "traffic suggestions."
Since being here I have encountered or heard of some
awful accidents on the roadways. One that occurred soon after my arrival was an
accident where a large tractor-trailer hauling sand overturned onto a bus full
of construction workers enroute to work. Twenty-two workers died, mostly of
suffocation from being buried in sand! And many deaths here seem to come from a
severe lack of seatbelt and car seat use. Just last week, a family of ten lost
both parents and five children in a single-auto accident. No statement was made
on seatbelt usage.
In that same vein, I have seen some AMAZINGLY poor
driving here. Nothing that would equal the ineptitude of drivers in Korea or
North Carolina, but pretty bizarre and dangerous nevertheless. I will state
that of all the drivers here, the ones I most fear are those who drive Lexuses
(would that be Lexi?). Without a doubt, Emirati Lexus drivers are the most,
aggressive, obnoxious and rude drivers in the country. I have had Lexus drivers
attempt to run me off the road, pull out in front of me, cut across four lanes
to make an exit barely missing me and other cars, passing in the emergency
lane, and pulling up on my bumper to try and have me pull over into another
lane even though that lane is occupied by trucks! Obnoxiousness in spades.
Another curious thing to me is the popularity of
what we in America would call exotic cars. Dubai, in its bid to host the
World’s Fair has bought a group of exotics that include a Lamborghini, a
Bugatti as well as others. Porsches, Maseratis, Mercedes, Infinitis and BMWs
are common here, and I see most of these drivers operating their machines
responsibly, though a 19-year-old died recently from wrapping his Maserati
around a pole while apparently sober. The most amazing thing, though, is the
apparent lack of factory-provided turn signals on these machines. If you live
and drive in the Carolinas, you can appreciate what I mean.
Double parking isn’t uncommon here, despite an
apparent policy here to provide fairly large parking spaces at every public parking
area. Here at my apartment building, where parking is not plentiful, I do my
level best to show my displeasure by parking as close as I can to said
scofflaws, making every effort to stay within the lines. Heh, heh. My car’s a
rental.
And speaking of rentals, I must give my little
Hyundai i10 a big thumbs-up. Small and just a 4-cylinder, I’ve had it up to 140
km/h, and the pick-up and acceleration are quite good. It is surprisingly
comfortable for a subcompact, and the clutch and stick shift are easy and
comfortable.
So far, except for few aggravations, driving in the
UAE is not unlike driving in the States. And, compared to Korea and Spain,
and possibly North Carolina, quite a bit more pleasant.
