Scary road rage
I was on my way back from Abu Dhabi with my pregnant wife. When she is with me in the car, I don’t drive faster than 120km/h, and I stay in the right lane most of the time. Other cars were driving very slowly, so I moved into the fast lane to overtake. Next thing I know, I can’t move out as the car in front of us is driving at 110km/h in the fastest lane and the next lane has cars, too.
A car comes up right behind me, with the driver flashing the headlights and honking repeatedly. I try and signal to move, but I didn’t have any space to. At this point, the person behind me is tailgating so close that I can only see his front grill in my rearview mirror.
When I got a chance to move out of the way, he followed me right into the slowest lane and continued to tailgate us for a good few minutes with his high beam on with no regard to anyone’s safety on the road. My wife was terrified.
These people should be banned for life for endangering the lives of others.
From Mr Asim Ahmad
Dubai
A quick honk, a lot of anger
One afternoon, there was a taxi that had stopped just by the entrance of a service road in Al Barsha 2. In front of the taxi was a red sedan blocking the road. They seemed to be confused about whether the woman driving the sedan wanted to take the service road or drive on to the main road. I stopped to wait for her to make a move but after a while when the car seemed to be not making any move, I gently pressed the horn and she moved to the right. To my surprise, when I passed by her, she was doing a rude hand gesture with an angry expression as if I was at fault. She should have been apologising for blocking the road, instead, she was angry with me. I was so furious with her reaction. This kind of behaviour really gets on my nerves. I am sure a lot of frustrated motorists feel the same way.
From A Reader
Dubai
Full name withheld by request
Stop eating, start moving
There is no refuting the fact that diabetes can be a direct consequence of an evolving lifestyle. Succumbing to the temptations of fast food combined with a sedentary lifestyle is an almost sure shot recipe for acquiring diabetes. As a resident of the UAE, I can’t help but notice the irony of concurrent advertisements for fitness centres and fast food restaurants. As a grade 10 pupil, I’d like to urge all my fellow students and youngsters living here to make a choice and opt for a healthier lifestyle.
Let us make a concerted effort to teach healthier diet options including fruits, vegetables, pulses and cereals, while curbing the craving for foods high in calories and saturated fat. A few minutes set apart daily for an exercise or fitness regimen can pay off over the course of a lifetime. The figures for diabetes are mindboggling. Worldwide there are more than 380 million with 65 million adults in India alone, a figure that is set to rise to more than 100 million by 2035 when my generation is well into adulthood. Nearly 20 per cent of the population in the UAE is living with diabetes.
Are we set to be a part of these statistics and join the millions in the clutches of diabetes or are we going to repel this epidemic with the dual keys of eating right and physical activity?
From Ms Lisa Jacob
Dubai
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