Driving in the UAE

I have been threatening for quite some time to write about the experience of driving here in Abu Dhabi. It's a TRIP! We laughed so hard because Finn Sisu used to plan his errand trips to be all right hand turns, so very efficient of him. And then we come here where there's pretty much nothing but right hand turns. Basically if you want to go left you need to turn right enough times to get you there, or you can go to the red light and make U turn.

We went to the gas station (on the right hand side of the road) and when we left there was no way to go back the way we came. So we continued and made right hand turns and got stuck in Mussafah Industrial City where you can turn right in to; but there are no left hand turns out of!!! This is not exactly true, but we drove around for 2 hours before finding one of the two roads that would allow us to make a left hand turn to leave Industrial City.

The curbs are at least 10 inches high, which is a good thing because they drive anywhere and everywhere. Three street lanes not moving fast enough for you, no problem just drive up the emergency lane. And honk at anyone who does not yield to your desire to have their spot. "Waiting your turn" has no meaning here. In fact what you drive determines how you are treated on the road. It is not uncommon for an SUV to blink their blindingly bright lights for a smaller car to move out of its way, even if you are going over the speed limit.

The worst are the ones who drive like they are the only ones on the road and it is a racetrack. Actually pulling off to get gas is VERY MUCH like NASCAR, with everyone vying for a spot to get their gas first and be the first back out onto the track.

The government has tried to make it better, thus you find many, many speed humps in the strangest places. Sometimes two at a time. We learned very early to spot the road signs warning of speed bumps, they are not to be taken lightly.

Did I mention the round abouts? I don't know if this is the case everywhere but on a circle with 4 lanes the one on the inside (closest to the middle) has the right-of-way. Meaning he cuts across all 4 lanes to make his right hand turn and you are supposed to clear way. These are often located at major intersections, instead of red lights.