Back in 2009, I spent two years driving from my home in Dubai to work in Abu Dhabi. Three hours a day, five days a week, back and forth. At times it was unnerving, but often it was exhilarating – a bit like one of those video games where a mutant zombie suddenly bursts onto a quiet suburban street and confronts you with a laser gun and a rocket launcher, only in this instance, it was a white Land Cruiser bearing down at 160kph with its headlights blazing.
Occasionally, the sense of action was very real: the crumpled shell of a car that had just spun across the central reservation; a shattered white minivan on the hard shoulder, its dejected passengers awaiting treatment from the emergency services. Mostly, though, it was low-level stuff. Shunts caused by tailgating; the certain knowledge, heralded by red brake lights across four lanes stretching into the distance, that you would be late for work or dinner. It is also worth bearing in mind that I am British and would never venture to say that the UK’s roads are free from such incidents.
So, what did I learn from this experience, other than that, in the end I needed to move back to Abu Dhabi? Mainly that, like a lengthy daily commute anywhere else in the world, it was tedious and exhausting.
In some countries, people talk about the weather incessantly. In the UAE, where the sun almost always shines and rain is front-page news, driving fulfils a similar role. The scurrilous and now-defunct British tabloid the News of the World once said of its pages: "All human life is there." Much the same might be said of the UAE's roads, which, while at least mercifully free of C-List celebrities and adulterous politicians, offer the full range of the human condition behind the wheel.
It is often claimed that 200 different nationalities live and work in the UAE, which is several more than there are member states of the United Nations, even if you include Vatican City. In wider society, many of these discrete groups coexist with little direct interaction. However, in addition to places of worship, the nation's roads function as a place where we all come together at − sometimes uncomfortably − close quarters. This means that on any one journey you can potentially encounter a vast number of conflicting interpretations of what is a reasonable way to drive. For newly arrived westerners, the received opinion is that the nation's roads are to be approached with caution. The tailgaters, the four-lane swervers, the "signalling is for wimps" brigade, and the elite group who have confused the outside lane with the F1 track on Yas Island.
Over time, a more nuanced reading is called for, or at least one that is based on something more than the simple idea that many competing regional ideas of acceptable highway etiquette create chaos. Most notable is that, for all their quirks, the roads of the UAE are remarkably free of ill will. The phenomenon of road rage, so frequently observed in the West for even the most minor dispute, is largely absent here. Bad driving is not necessarily associated with bad tempers. It is a valuable lesson from UAE society of the wider virtues of self-control.
Then there are the clear tribal divisions on the highway. The slow lane belongs to the convoys of weary lorry drivers from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, who literally keep the country running. At peak times they are joined by the buses carrying construction workers. For many of us, this is our only contact with this demographic, which makes up such a large proportion of the population and, yet, remains largely hidden behind the hoardings of the nation's many building projects. In the evenings, after an exhausting day, these men can sometimes be seen on the hard shoulder, performing the Maghreb prayer, an act of devotion that may look hazardous, but is also humbling.
In the middle lanes you will find the middle classes; drawn from all over the world, especially Asia and the Middle East. These are naturally cautious, careful people: middle managers, supervisors, IT specialists, accountants. At weekends, or at least on Fridays, you will see families, enjoying a few precious hours together. Culturally, they may be diverse, but their aspirations − and their driving styles − are remarkably similar. Steady, unhurried, staying just inside the speed limit, carefully guarding their safety and their hard-earned vehicles.
That style of driving does not always sit easily to the next tribe of motorists; the fast-lane wannabes. This can reflect a state of mind as much the choice of ride. I have seen many a Toyota Yaris out there, playing chicken with the Mercedes Geländewagens, and the Porsche 911s. To sit in the outside lane in a car that costs a 20th of the one crawling up your rear bumper is a statement of ambition. It says “I belong here as much as you do,” whatever the risk.
This analysis of the social structure of UAE traffic is, I realise, not quite the same as the conventional wisdom that driving habits reflect your country of origin. It’s true there are certain behaviours that could be culturally determined. For instance, someone who has spent their formative years crawling over potholes in traffic-choked Delhi might be forgiven if they open up the accelerator a bit at the sight of a well-maintained multilane UAE highway.
The question is whether the 200 potential driving styles of the UAE are actually a reflection of national stereotypes, or more a lesson in the country’s social fabric, in which some are in the slow lane, a smaller percentage in the fast lane, and most of us steadily progressing to our desired destination in the middle.
The changes being sought by the authorities in the country's driving culture will surely apply to everyone, given time. Growing up in the UK in the 1960s, we bounced happily without seatbelts on the backseat of the family Rover until our parents learned better. The same learning curve about the value of such precautions has contributed to a 22-per-cent drop in fatal accidents in Abu Dhabi in just the first four months of this year. Across the country, road deaths have fallen by a third in two years. The authorities, and the police are taking an increasingly tougher line on everything from aggressive tailgating to abrupt lane changing. The recent removal of the so-called speed buffer on Abu Dhabi roads is also likely to bring a further profound change in the emirate's driving culture.
This is the truth that I learned from 10 years on the UAE’s roads. That in every society there are bad drivers and good drivers. Most fall into the latter category, while a small minority cause mayhem for the rest. And it doesn’t matter where they are from.
The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
Rating: 4/5
Brighton 1
Gross (50' pen)
Tottenham 1
Kane (48)
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
Saturday results
Qatar beat Kuwait by 26 runs
Bahrain beat Maldives by six wickets
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by seven wickets
Monday fixtures
Maldives v Qatar
Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
Bahrain v UAE
* The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
RESULTS
Men – semi-finals
57kg – Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) beat Phuong Xuan Nguyen (VIE) 29-28; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) by points 30-27.
67kg – Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Huong The Nguyen (VIE) by points 30-27; Narin Wonglakhon (THA) v Mojtaba Taravati Aram (IRI) by points 29-28.
60kg – Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Amir Hosein Kaviani (IRI) 30-27; Long Doan Nguyen (VIE) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 29-28
63.5kg – Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Truong Cao Phat (VIE) 30-27; Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Norapat Khundam (THA) RSC round 3.
71kg – Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ) beat Fawzi Baltagi (LBN) 30-27; Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Man Kongsib (THA) 29-28
81kg – Ilyass Hbibali (UAE) beat Alexandr Tsarikov (KAZ) 29-28; Khaled Tarraf (LBN) beat Mustafa Al Tekreeti (IRQ) 30-27
86kg – Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Mohammed Al Qahtani (KSA) RSC round 1; Emil Umayev (KAZ) beat Ahmad Bahman (UAE) TKO round
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
Rankings
ATP: 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 10,955 pts; 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 8,320; 3. Alexander Zverev (GER) 6,475 ( 1); 5. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 5,060 ( 1); 6. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 4,845 ( 1); 6. Roger Federer (SUI) 4,600 (-3); 7. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 4,110 ( 2); 8. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 3,960; 9. John Isner (USA) 3,155 ( 1); 10. Marin Cilic (CRO) 3,140 (-3)
WTA: 1. Naomi Osaka (JPN) 7,030 pts ( 3); 2. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 6,290 ( 4); 3. Simona Halep (ROM) 5,582 (-2); 4. Sloane Stephens (USA) 5,307 ( 1); 5. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 5,100 ( 3); 6. Angelique Kerber (GER) 4,965 (-4); 7. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 4,940; 8. Kiki Bertens (NED) 4,430 ( 1); 9. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 3,566 (-6); 10. Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 3,485 ( 1)
The squad traveling to Brazil:
Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
Results
5pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner No Riesgo Al Maury, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner Marwa W’Rsan, Sam Hitchcott, Jaci Wickham.
6pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner Dahess D’Arabie, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi.
6.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m
Winner Safin Al Reef, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,200m
Winner Thulbaseera Al Jasra, Shakir Al Balushi, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
7.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh 80,000 2,200m
Winner Autumn Pride, Szczepan Mazur, Helal Al Alawi.
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
Pupils in Abu Dhabi are learning the importance of being active, eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle now and throughout adulthood, thanks to a newly launched programme 'Healthy Lifestyle'.
As part of the Healthy Lifestyle programme, specially trained coaches from City Football Schools, along with Healthpoint physicians have visited schools throughout Abu Dhabi to give fun and interactive lessons on working out regularly, making the right food choices, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated, just like their favourite footballers.
Organised by Manchester City FC and Healthpoint, Manchester City FC’s regional healthcare partner and part of Mubadala’s healthcare network, the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ programme will visit 15 schools, meeting around 1,000 youngsters over the next five months.
Designed to give pupils all the information they need to improve their diet and fitness habits at home, at school and as they grow up, coaches from City Football Schools will work alongside teachers to lead the youngsters through a series of fun, creative and educational classes as well as activities, including playing football and other games.
Dr Mai Ahmed Al Jaber, head of public health at Healthpoint, said: “The programme has different aspects - diet, exercise, sleep and mental well-being. By having a focus on each of those and delivering information in a way that children can absorb easily it can help to address childhood obesity."
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
