Sunday 19 July 2009

A Driving Post

There is nothing fitting to blog about more than a driving post. The last time I wrote I was happily based in the UK where some of the world's most courteous drivers live. However, due to a change of circumstances I am back in the motherland, in Dubai, the mother of all driving disasters put together!

Ok, so yesterday I decide to have a morning coffee with a friend in bur dubai.. just 20 min away, should be less given it was early and a holiday. So I take my car out of our small street and into our main street in the neighborhood and as I turn the blind corner I find our idiot neighbor has parked his mammoth suburban truck on the corner! I almost ploughed into him! Thank God the traffic was light and I could swerve into the other lane.

I breathe easier then, and as I approach the next bend on the main road the most stupid looking cow in the world cuts in front of me (she has a give way sign) even though I was doing the speed limit of 80 kmh. So without getting angry I move left. Then she moves left even though her lane is free. She was doing 50. I lose my temper (and unleash the horn). I don't understand why people can only drive in the fast lane here?! what a complete donkey of a woman driver.

The above two incidents happened within 2 min of each other. Still in my neighborhood!

The best was saved for last. As I approached from behind Rashid Hospital to hit Oud Meitha road, I encountered my first bit of serious traffic, a sea of light yellow. These cabs in front of me were queuing to get into the nearby church to pick up the faithful. The way they parked (on the main st) meant that we couldn't come out from the side street. In civilised places, the cars would leave a small gaps so cars can filter through, but no Sir, not here. Taxi-driving idiots! I waited for about 10 min without really moving. There were less than 10 cars between me and the street ahead. At the end I was so furious I mounted the pavement just to get to the main street. Even then the moron taxi drivers didn't move or realise what they are done.

Honestly, one day a lot of people will die here because of driver stupidity. I hope I don't witness this anytime soon.

Safe driving all.

9 comments:

Digital Nomad said...

Hello! I'm so glad you're blogging :) At first, I thought the cow was really a cow, but there's no way a cow would be doing 50 lol. Out here, too, people like to dawdle in the fast lane of the freeway; sometimes we'll see a motorcycle cop come along to hurry them out of the lane...but not often enough!

I remember the driving in KSA to be quite, how do I put it? adventuresome? I guess Dubai is about 10 times worse due to the sheer volume of drivers in a much smaller area.

Stay safe, inshaAllah!

nzm said...

BuJ!!! Welcome back!

As Moryarti says about Dubai drivers: I see morons!

BuJ said...

hala wallah.. thanks Digital Nomad for passing by.. i need to find a way to put back the music.. and the links.. oh.. this will take time!!! that's why i have a job hehehehe

in british english, a cow is a fat person, usually a woman, that is also stupid with no spatial awarness!

i drive a motorbike in duba, and it's much more fun (maybe coz it's a life and death experience!)

KSA driving is just bad.. for the car, bad for the environment, bad for the road even, bad for the crash barriers.. bad for the humans! cows and camels!

NZM!!! HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

GLAD TO READ YA!

i haven't announced the return yet.. so how did u find out?

nzm said...

I have my ways of finding out - heehee!

I saw an update for your blog appear on toot as you're still listed with them.

rosh said...

Tip of the Iceberg! Sadly I've come to believe the ways of driving, in many ways represents an individual's traits. True to form, we indeed have the worst drivers of every kind imaginable (and beyond) right in the UAE.

NYC is no different - often, another bunch of looney tunes. They follow the law rather reluctantly, in fear of being ticketed. This place is goddamn rude.

BuJ said...

7ayaa Allah Mr Rosh! welcome dude!

NZM i was so shocked to learn iToot haven't removed me.. they are kind ppl :)

i been offline for almost a year.. isn't it?

good to be back.. but i haven't advertised the reopening coz i am in two minds about it :)

Dubai Jazz said...

Mr. Bu Jassem,

Welcome back once again!

I think insensitivity is the most disturbing element. People really don't realize what they're doing; in your case the slow driver and the cabbies. I thank God I can pick up the cues when someone behind me on the road is in a hurry, it's really not that hard, you just have to glance at the rear mirror every once in a while. And I also never park in a place, no matter how urgently I need to get something done, until I make sure there's enough gap for the most inexperienced driver to get through.

Amira said...

ouch....stay safe man.

BuJ said...

DJ.. i agree about insensitivity.. yesterday i almost got forced off my bike coz some fuckface is just too stupid to notice me. i was speeding along as u do on a bike and that particular fuckface came out of festival city from the slowest lane to the fastest one (he indicated too) and STAYED going slow.. idiot.. i flashed him maybe 10 times.. no use.. also with the horn.. no use.. at the end i was forced 1.5 lanes to the left to avoid him. it's just stupid. sometimes (it's everyday now) i wish i had a tank and i can just run the cars that get in the way and hope their drivers die a horrible death or to fire heavy artillery fire at those that are too fast for me. and also hope they die a slow and horrible death.

i have no clue why people are so rude in their driving attitudes here. i guess all that time in the uk will take a long time to rub off. i hope it never does. coz i'm proud to say that they drive so much better than us and we have a LOT to learn from places like the UK when it comes to driving.