Over here it is not only the Qataris that drive as if rules are there to be disobeyed. As well one big cause of problems are the masses of Indian workers that got a driving licence. Wherever from I wonder.

Don't be surprised when you are driving along one of the major 3-lane-roads within Doha, approaching a junction with a traffic light and 2 additional lanes for the traffic going left when, suddenly and out of the blue, an old pick-up truck without rear lamps crosses over from the very right to the very left, not checking if there's a car coming from behind. You will most probably see an Indian guy driving the car, ignoring your horn signals and steadily crossing the road. His face most times is showing an expression of heavy surprise, as if he never drove a car before and he wonders why this steel boz around him is moving.

Stopping without indicating it on a straight road, just in front of you? No problem, maybe there was something interesting to see on the pavement, maybe one of the passengers wanted to get out of the car. As well a very likely place to stop the car for a mobile call or just to wait for someone else is within a roundabout, just inches before the next entrance. So that all visibility is taken for those who approach the roundabout. So you have to stop, carefully creep forward and look if the roundabout is empty to enter. Most times during the moment you start to accelerate, the guy also will start moving, of course without indicating anything. Maybe it is a must to deposit the brain before entering the car.

Another thing I dslike over here is the disability to take care of the own brake light bulbs. Once gone in a cars life time, they will never ever be replaced. Breaking and stopping becomes a challenge for the following cars. Especially at night, when some of those specialists save energy by not turning on any light. Or all lights, including front and rear foglamps.

Then safety belts. The majority of Qataris I saw rather trust their airbags, probably made by "Insh'allah", than wearing safety belts. Ok, when you hit a small saloon car with your 3-ton-V8-4-wheeler, you probably don't care about the little crash and this scratching noise somewhere in the front. You just drive through, that's it. But as well, they don't think about their kisds. Very often they jump through the car, not belted, no kids seat, standing in front with their heads just inches from the windscreen. Some even are standing on the passenger seat, looking out of the sun roof. One hard braking maneouvre, one slight crash: that was it. But nobody thinks of that. Well, maybe it is a quick death, when you go 120 within the city...

Others belt themselves, but maybe not quite appropriate.

Gibt es in Qatar häufiger Unfälle als in Deutschland?
Wenn ja muss ich meine Theorie über die Regellosigkeit revidieren. Ich war nämlich der Meinung, dass ein Verkehr ohne Regeln deutlich sicherer ist...Aber wenn man das so liest...Oh je oh je...

na dann warten sie erst mal den ersten wintereinbruch ab....
;-)

Hmm, kommt mir bekannt vor. Hier drüben müssen immerhin die Motorradfahrer einen Helm tragen, was aber nichts daran ändert, dass des Fahrers ganze restliche, auf dem Motorrad gestapelte Familie keinen Helm aufhat und der Säugling bequem über den Lenker gelegt wird und schläft.
Nach dem Crash kann der Fahrer sich dann sein restliches Leben verwirrt fragen warum Gott/Buddha/Allah gerade ihn mit Überleben gestraft hat.

Klasse Bild, hehe.