Appalling road behaviour

I have lived in the UAE since the start of September this year. During this time, I have witnessed some of the most appallingly arrogant driving seen anywhere in the world.

Having been to 83 countries, I have had ample opportunity to witness driving behaviour.

It would be extremely difficult to pin down one violation that stands out. We are talking about a plethora of violations, which should attract the attention of the authorities.

Perhaps I could start with tailgating — drivers who seem to believe in travelling, often at excessive speed, mere inches from the vehicle in front.

Take any Friday or Saturday on the E88 from Masafi, generally after 5pm, and you will witness such drivers. There are dozens of them on the roads.

They usually speed out of the distance — lights flashing — and move to one's left as though to force the other driver off the road. Where one is expected to go when the vehicle to one's left is a large truck, beats me.

Then there is lane indiscipline. Why do drivers sit in the middle lane of a six-lane road when there is absolutely no one on their right and, sometimes, nothing else on the road for kilometres? Are they worried they might touch the edges?

Additionally, what about an almost complete failure to use indicators? Are they an optional extra on the lesson schedule? Or do drivers learn what they are and forget about them, once they pass the test?

Sorry, drivers. Your indicators are to inform other road users of your intended direction. Start using them!

It is surprising the road toll in the UAE is not far higher. Driving standards must rise, and the law must be strictly enforced on highways, thus enforcing the basic expectations of driving courtesy. Until this happens, the roads of the country would continue to be unsafe.

— The reader is based in Sharjah.

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