Business | Opinion
Rocky roads of the Middle East
Many foreigners might be surprised to hear that the roads of the Middle East are officially the world's most dangerous, apart from those in Africa.
- By Carole Spiers, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 June 8, 2010
- Middle East roads are among the world's most unsafe highways.
- Some claim this is cultural, to do with natural machismo.
- Experience shows it is a dangerous disregard for self and others.
Many foreigners might be surprised to hear that the roads of the Middle East are officially the world's most dangerous, apart from those in Africa. Thinking of the largely crime-free UAE in particular, they would visualise these modern well-built highways, mostly across wide-open desert with good visibility, equipped with new speed-cameras, and they would wonder why this might be.
Perhaps they should view a video that was circulated in Dubai last week, showing a saloon car and a pick-up truck performing two-wheel driving stunts at breakneck speed on the famously busy Shaikh Zayed Road at the height of the daytime traffic.
It stirred up quite a correspondence in the press, and as always, I checked-out the Readers' Comments, believing them to be a revealing source of spontaneous and sincerely-felt opinion.
There was a fierce debate between those who thought it was the fault of young daredevils showing off and those who thought it was people driving too slowly and holding up those wanting to overtake — especially buses and trucks, which have to stay in the slow lane.
Justification
One contributor actually claimed that stunt-driving was part of UAE culture — apparently justifying it. Whether or not he was just trying to shock, he got a detailed answer from a local doctor, who theorised that the countries with the lowest crime seem to "let off steam" with dangerous driving (as though this was not a crime).
He was suggesting that the UAE had become over-civilised, and that among all these air-conditioned comforts, young men have no outlet to demonstrate their natural machismo. It wouldn't have happened two or three generations ago, when daily life was simpler and harsher, he said. And as a specialist in stress counselling, I detected that he was recognising stunt-driving as a form of stress relief.
Mistrusting
I remember the first time that I drove in the UAE, I suffered stress and anxiety. I know that we in the United Kingdom are sometimes ridiculed for driving too slowly and safely, but the culture shock here was formidable. Almost as soon as I got on a fast road, I found people flashing me from behind, and driving dangerously close.
To cope with this, I realised I would have to turn myself into a different sort of driver altogether — more on my guard, more mistrusting. It was not a comfortable feeling.
My conclusion as an expert in stress reduction is that the stress-effects afflict those on the receiving end of this behaviour.
The offenders I witnessed did not seem to me to be suffering symptoms of stress, just young men taking liberties.
And the flashing? That's not stress. That's just macho behaviour that says. "Let me through. I'm an important person in a hurry!"
The author is a BBC guest-broadcaster and Motivational Speaker. She is CEO of an international stress management and employee wellbeing consultancy based in London. Contact them for proven stress strategies - www.carolespiersgroup.co.uk
Key points
More from Business Opinion
More from Business
Business Editor's choice
-
‘Wrong Way' Krugman
The source of our economic malfunction lies with government-mandated bank regulations
-
Greek exit could make Eurozone stronger
Departure will show limits of bailouts and allow remaining members to act much more like a unit
-
UAE upholds values of free trade
Recently released statistics confirm an established fact, namely that of the UAE embracing the free trade principle in general and imports in particular
