Dear Ali: I’m an expat who has lived in the UAE for a short time. I first obtained my driver’s licence in my home country. Can you explain to me the driving style that I face every time I drive on the highways in this country? I’m chased by other drivers flashing their lights who want to overtake me on the far left lane of the roads. Since the speed limit is clear, I follow it, so why do they drive like this? AM, Abu Dhabi
Dear AM: Thank you for your question – it’s one that I get asked the most. Most of these questions come from people who built up their basic driving experience in their own countries and discovered how the driving style and culture vary here, even when the rules are the basically same.
In every country, the driving style is different – it all has to do with implementing the laws and people’s backgrounds.
Let’s say if you drive in the big cities of the United States, such as New York, you will notice a difference from provincial states in the US. If you ever have a chance to drive in Egypt, it may make you think that the driving style in the UAE is one of the best in the Arab world, by comparison. So it really depends.
However, the police in the UAE are very strict regarding drivers and especially speeding. Speed radars are everywhere and this significantly helps to control the situation on the roads.
What you should note is that drivers flashing their headlights simply means “give way”. It’s nothing personal. Sometimes, people can find themselves in a situation where they need to reach their destination in time or in a hurry. The left lane is intended to be for the cars moving at the fastest-allowed speed limit.
Not letting them pass may provoke them to overtake you on the right – and sometimes on the hard shoulder on the left – which is not allowed by the rules of the road. That can cause a dangerous traffic situation, as they are moving at the highest-allowed speed.
So my advice for everyone who has the same question is probably if you can’t drive the same speed as they do, it would be much safer to move into the lane to your right when it’s safe and let them go. Once they have passed, you can go back to the same lane that you were driving in before.
Your car’s rear and door mirrors help you to notice if there are cars approaching from behind, whether they are travelling quickly or otherwise. Once I notice that a car is flying towards my car from behind, I simply put on my right indicator and move into the lane to the right – I let the other driver go in peace and I stay in peace as well.
Ali Al Saloom is a cultural adviser and public speaker from the UAE. Follow @AskAli on Twitter, and visit www.ask-ali.com to ask him a question.
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