06 December 2005
Kuwaiti Drivers
I’m not sure what it is. Some Kuwaiti drivers are absolutely insane (or perhaps more accurately, Drivers in Kuwait are insane--I suppose I don't know if they are Kuwaiti or not).
I’ve driven the roads of New York, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, etc. Sure, they have the cars that drive 90-100 mph on the highway, weaving in and out of the various lanes. That’s stupid. And, I know you’ve probably experienced or heard stories about how various countries have “crazy” drivers. Perhaps so. But, how often though do you see two cars driving 90-100 mph side by side, jockeying for position, heading northbound in busy southbound lanes? Or, how about a car with a flat tire failing to pull all the way off the interstate-type road and then trying to change his tire sitting in the road (one of my soldier’s saw the subsequent decapitation take place). And the one I’ve seen over a dozen times, a semi-truck moving on to an entrance ramp too quickly and tipping the rig and trailer over.
Every time I head south in Kuwait, I either witness a serious accident or see the recent aftermath of a serious accident. I’m not talking fender benders—I’m talking flipped vehicles, overturned trucks (especially fuelers) and crushed cars.
I suppose it has to do with a lack of driver experience and perhaps a lack of regulation and enforcement. I don’t know. But, they have got to see the consequences of this type of driving.
In Iraq, the driving is not so bad (comparatively so anyway), but when there is an accident involving a truck, dozens of people come out and pilfer the goods from the truck.
I’ve driven the roads of New York, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, etc. Sure, they have the cars that drive 90-100 mph on the highway, weaving in and out of the various lanes. That’s stupid. And, I know you’ve probably experienced or heard stories about how various countries have “crazy” drivers. Perhaps so. But, how often though do you see two cars driving 90-100 mph side by side, jockeying for position, heading northbound in busy southbound lanes? Or, how about a car with a flat tire failing to pull all the way off the interstate-type road and then trying to change his tire sitting in the road (one of my soldier’s saw the subsequent decapitation take place). And the one I’ve seen over a dozen times, a semi-truck moving on to an entrance ramp too quickly and tipping the rig and trailer over.
Every time I head south in Kuwait, I either witness a serious accident or see the recent aftermath of a serious accident. I’m not talking fender benders—I’m talking flipped vehicles, overturned trucks (especially fuelers) and crushed cars.
I suppose it has to do with a lack of driver experience and perhaps a lack of regulation and enforcement. I don’t know. But, they have got to see the consequences of this type of driving.
In Iraq, the driving is not so bad (comparatively so anyway), but when there is an accident involving a truck, dozens of people come out and pilfer the goods from the truck.
# posted by themobilized : 23:14
