Driving safely and sanely in Dubai

Driving in Dubai is a solid experience on many levels, all of which will help strengthen your patience and tolerance levels if guided correctly.

A true test of the enlightenment achieved by the Himalayan monk might be to give him a UAE driver’s license, put him in a midsize car, point him to Sheikh Zayed Road, and tell him to be at the Deira City Center mall at 10 minutes. While we’re very curious and a little skeptical about the results of that test, we think it’s probably a good idea to embrace some of the lessons we could learn from that scenario.

In doing so, we’ve rounded up some driving tips and rules of thumb to live by that can help keep you safe and sane when you hit the streets of Dubai.

Tips for Driving in Harmonious Dubai

be the traffic

Driving in Dubai requires a level of patience that can only be achieved with the cunning of a monk. Until you reach the required level of cosmic awareness, our advice is to relax. Don’t be a stiff driver. Be flowing like a river. Yield. Keep calm. breath.

high beam pressure

Somewhere on the highway in the United Arab Emirates, it has become a tradition for a driver in any lane to turn on the high beams of the people in the car ahead with super turbocharged headlights until the driver is overpowered and gives up. due to blindness. This is most common when the person blinking is driving a Ferrari, Mercedes, or giant SUV, and can leave the blind feeling frustrated, victimized, and, well, hard to see. This is normal, don’t take it personally. Any resistance to this behavior will tip the delicate balance of tradition and open the door to chaos. If someone comes speeding down the highway harassing you to move into the next lane, be zen, change lanes, and let them go.

change of ways

Changing lanes in Dubai takes on new and different dimensions. Many times you will find people driving in more than one lane simultaneously. The four-lane weaving is commonplace, along with bottleneck-first-line-squeeze and last-second-lane-change-cut-and-stop signal. These maneuvers can be a source of distress for the pedigree European driver. Over time, these maneuvers can also become contagious and you too can find yourself driving like an idiot, but we remind you that the true zen master does not stray from the chosen path and is harmonious even with donkeys on the road. Be aware of your cars at all four corners and the cars around you. Signage is not as popular an idea as it is where you might come from.

none for the road

The meditative mind of the Zen monk and the UAE’s permissible level of intoxication have something in common; nothing. The UAE has zero tolerance when it comes to drunk driving. If you are caught behind the wheel of a car with any amount of alcohol in your system, you will be arrested, your driver’s license taken away, and in most cases you will be required to leave the country after serving your sentence and paying these good (and maybe even getting spanked). If you’re thinking of having a good time in one of Dubai’s great outlets, go crazy and take the road to safety… by taxi.

roundabouts

While it is true that the wheels of the bus go round and round, so do many newly arrived UAE residents when they find themselves stuck in a roundabout. Here is a brief synopsis of how the roundabout works: When approaching a roundabout, the lane you are in will dictate to other drivers which direction you are going. If you are in the center lane when you approach the roundabout, then you must go through the roundabout. If you are in the right hand lane as you approach the roundabout, you should take the first right after entering the roundabout. The left lane is the tricky one; if you are in the left lane, you will be heading left (meaning that at some point you will be cutting right out of the roundabout). It will take a western driver some time to grasp this concept, as he will go crazy every time the left lane driver cuts him off on the right. Keep in mind that the driver to the left of him can cut him off to the right at any point, and he would be right to do so. Car awareness on the left is key. If you are in the left lane trying to exit the roundabout, signal and be aware that the car on your right may not be aware of you.

hundredth second rule

In most countries, the two-second rule leaves two seconds of time between you and the car in front of you. Complying with this rule will get you nowhere in Dubai and in most cases you will experience some form of harassment from the cars behind you. Drivers in Dubai don’t like any space between your car and the car in front of you and will let you know by squeezing the four inches of space you’ve allotted for quick braking by the driver in front of you. . Our advice is to stick to the two second rule as it saves lives. Resist the urge to pull up to the pushy driver trying to squeeze a couple of inches by mowing in front of you. The enlightened driver will see aggressiveness as another opportunity to practice tolerance. Let them in and secure your cloud in the sky.

Flexible

This is a strange concept in the United Arab Emirates. If you expect drivers to give way just because you’re facing a large triangular sign that says “Give Way,” you’re setting yourself up for a miserable failure that manifests itself in high blood pressure, skin breakouts, cold sweats, nightmares and occasional eyelid muscle. jerks To be zen, always assume that the other driver will not yield to you under any circumstances. Practice the quickness of the wolves in case they don’t give up, and gratitude if they do.

honking

Don’t let this get you down. Honking the horn doesn’t necessarily carry the weight it does in Western countries as a disrespectful gesture towards others. In the United Arab Emirates, honking can be interpreted in the same way as a turn signal; it’s just another way to communicate with other drivers. In the event that you are on the receiving end of a honk blast, our advice is to just shrug and let it go. If it makes you feel better, honk your horn, but don’t get excited about it. In the event that the driver of a large tinted SUV is honking his horn in a rub it in your face, poke it through your nostrils style, following the dangerous split haircut, try to keep your temper. The truly advanced Zen driver will enjoy the confusion created by smiling, waving, and pulling out of the way.

I fly, I don’t fight

Driving in Dubai can make you nervous and invariably make you angry. Still, never, ever, ever get into an altercation in the United Arab Emirates. Western and European-style tantrums will do no good in Dubai. Cursing and hand or finger signals and gestures carry hefty fines in the United Arab Emirates, and failure to control yourself can land you in jail. You may find yourself in a very difficult situation and the law will not be tilted in your favor. If you feel the urge to shoot birdie in Dubai, be prepared to pay a fine of AED 5,000. Our advice is to resist the temptation and use that money to treat yourself to one of the many world-class stress-relieving spas in the city.

Zen Master ZOOZi encourages effortless driving. Don’t let poor driving by others lower your driving standards. After all, the only thing you can control is your own driving, so do it right. In time, the generous, forgiving and conscientious driver will reap the rewards of Dubai’s lovely highways, bypasses and roundabouts, by reaching their destinations safely.

If you found this article helpful, feel free to visit us at http://www.zoozi.com for more helpful articles on getting around Dubai.