Driving Emirati Style

Well, I have survived two days of driving in the UAE and let me tell you... It is scary, but I can handle it.  Here's what I have learned.

Roundabouts are scary as hell.  Yield and look to your left for any glint of light shining through the space between two cars.  That's where you will fit in.  While you are rounding about, people will cut across several lanes to exit.  they may or may not exit into their own lane.  If you aren't exiting immediately then you have to go across two other lanes to get into that small sliver of space.  After you are in that tiny nook, you will immediately be trying to get out of that wee spot so that you can again cross two lanes to exit the roundabout. Upon your exit, you yourself will cut off two lanes who are entering. And you may or may not remember what lane you need to exit to!  When you are exited, you will breathe a small sigh of relief, but it will be short-lived as you see their is another roundabout right in front of you.  

Lanes are simply guidelines and are not often strictly adhered to.  Cars, usually very large ones of the Range Rover type, are often seen drifting between lines and off onto the shoulders. Usually this behavior gets you labeled a drunk driver. In the UAE, this is very unlikely.  These people just don't care to stay between the lines.  This is also true when Emiratis park.  

Speed limits do not matter unless you drive a Volkswagen.  Here's why.  The highest speed limit used to be 120km. So at 120km ALL cars start dinging to alert you to your speed.  In Eric's rental, the alarm stops after a few dings.  "You are speeding; now you know it.  I shall stop dinging and leave you be."  However, the Volkswagen I rented for two days does not stop dinging.  Even when the speed limit is 140, I have to go 119 or listen to ding ding ding.  And since there are no English radio stations in Al Ain, I can't even drown out the noise.  I am dropping it off today.  Toot sweet. 

Speaking of speed....just like in the US...you will get passed like you are crawling if you do the speed limit.  Even though speed is monitored by radar and tickets are expensive, the drivers here like to go fast.  If you aren't going fast enough, they will let you know by passive aggressively passing too close to you and sliding over right in front of you.  So closely, in fact, you could not so passive aggressively high-five their faces with a fist if you simply reached out your driver's side window. 

I guess that's about it for my driving adventures!  More later!  Including a road sign I don't quite understand.