I have never been to a place like this before, and we have been around the globe... Cairo Egypt I thought had to be the worst, until I moved here, but DOHA takes the cake. This is a subject talked about daily in every group and organization, newspaper, online, but still NOTHING has changed... Bottom line...
NO RULES for the LOCALS!!! They own the road... and the country and everything else... So move out of their way... That is their Motto!!!
1. The shoulder is a LANE, even if it has stripes painted on the road, or even curbs, It's a lane. The bike path, it's a lane too, sidewalk, you guessed it - A LANE!!!
2. There is not a such of thing as courtesy, everyone just pushes their way into the lanes in the front of the light. Queue, or waiting in line is not an option here. Not even a word they know.
3. Smash your car, leave it there, go buy a new one tomorrow.
4. A right turn from the left lane is completely OK if you are driving a white Landcruiser or even better, visa versa, a left turn from a 6 lane road at a red light from the right lane is just normal. Get use to it!!!5. They have to build fences between the medians to keep them from jumping curbs. Curbs are not a big enough deterrent.
6. Qatar has the #1 pedestrian deaths in the world. At the mall NO ONE lets you walk to the door, they speed up when they see you to scare you. It's super rude. Even the taxi drivers have not learned that pedestrians have the right of way. My country taught us better manners!
7. If you driving down the street and a Qatari gets 2 inches behind you and flashes his lights no matter what, you are supposed to move over, even if there are wall to wall cars and traffic, or you are about to turn, it's the law... Remember they own the law and the road...
8. Seat belts? WHAT IS A SEATBELT? This has to be my worst issue here. Never a child buckled in!!! They sit in the laps of the drivers while they are on the phone! Yes, and it is a law, but only for others... How can you not want to protect your baby? This my friends, I do not understand. Allah or no Allah, I love my babies and will do whatever it takes to protect them.
9. Oh and the phone, you got it... Law: you can not use any devices while driving, if you are not local.
10. If you haven't seen a young Qatari trying to show off by getting his car up on two wheels at a round about - you will. Or a motorcyclist guy doing a wheelie for an entire block at a super high rate of speed, don't fret, you will.
Here are some rules the Qataris follow:
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Solution:
BE ARAB!!! Turn up your Van Halen as loud as it goes, be BEYOND aggressive and pretend you have a white landcruiser, DO NOT LOOK AT THE ROUND-A-BOUTS, JUST GO, everyone will stop for you. It is amazing how much fun this is... Even if you are just going to the grocery store, buckle up... and put your PEDAL to the METAL all the way to the floor and BUST A MOVE!!!
Trust me, it is way more fun that being in a bad mood... If you can't beat them, Join em!!!
