Chris Saul's Blog

Wednesday November 01, 2006

More blog fame

I've been pretty chuffed to see a few or my recent posts reprinted in the Gulf News recently. My recent post on traffic was reprinted here along with a great photo (linked from Gulf News' website).

Traffice news good news Dubai bonanza!

More great traffic news in Dubai.

Sheikh Mohammed has laid down the law - sort out bad driving!

I love the photo in the article of a driving school car that's just parked itself in the middle of the street. Sadly some driving instructors can be the worst culprits when it comes to idiotic driving. I've been overtaken on the hard shoulder and have seen instructors let their pupils blatantly ignore the rules. A friend of ours who learnt to drive here was even told not to worry about braking or stopping erratically as if someone hit you from behind it would always be the other person's fault.

To understand the mentality that's common here, read the first comment left by a reader of the article advocating speeding and tailgating. You'll even see letters in the papers from people recommending that drivers drive closer together so that traffic jams get shorter.

I'd like to see a change in the way car insurance is handled in addition to heavier policing. At the moment it's the car that's insured, not the driver, as in the UK. This means that an 18 year old who passed his test last week can jump into a powerful car and drive as he wishes, with the car's owner not needing to worry about any extra costs to his insurance. Proper no-claims bonuses are also needed, as is the impementation of a points system on driving licences.