It is the life milestone that I should have achieved nearly two decades ago.
Now, after years of failed attempts, I've finally passed my driving test, in Dubai, aged nearly 37.
It's been a rollercoaster.
Having taken lessons in Scotland aged 18 and again at 24, I failed on a total of four occasions and promptly gave up, until signing up again to learn in Dubai earlier this year.
Many, many thousands of dirhams later — I'll tell you how much at the end — I've finally been allowed onto the roads, after passing on my second attempt.
But as I'm finding out, the learning process continues long after you're able to legally drive. Passing and becoming a good driver on this country's often wild roads are two different things.
For fellow beginners, here are a couple of humble tips that I can offer.
Get the basics right
At the very start of my first road exam, in the driving school car park in Al Quoz, the RTA examiner asked me to switch the car on.
And I had no idea. That was after 18 two-hour lessons over three months.
As daft as it sounds, the car had always been running when I got in. This keyless vehicle had a start button.
Floundering, I figured out I had to put the car in standby by pushing the ignition once, then pressing down the brake again and the ignition button again to start the engine.
It was a bad start to a bad first test, and I went on to make other mistakes and received a fail.
Early on in your lessons, ask if you can pop open the bonnet and see the engine. Make sure you understand the fundamentals of the car too.
Rules of the road
I spent weeks chipping away at 10 hours of online video classes for the mandatory theory course, which is sat before you ever get into a car.
And I could answer most of the questions correctly, passing the first time around. But I didn't really understand the roads — at all.
Take your time to understand with your instructor which lane to use on a roundabout and who has right of way in any given situation.
When you start your driving classes, it is assumed that you understand how the road system works and instructors tend to skip over the obvious.
Master the lane change - and take your lessons at rush hour
Squeezing between fast-moving SUVs and construction trucks to change lanes doesn't come naturally.
Your inclination is to cautiously hang back. That's one of the main mistakes examiners look for and fail students for.
Being cautious is a virtue but slowing down and nervously hovering into the next lane? It's even more dangerous.
I booked all of my later lessons at rush hour and tackled the problem head-on, switching lanes in aggressive traffic until it clicked. Eventually, I tackled Al Khail Road, Mohamed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road, all during rush hour.
Learn how to drive, not just learn how to pass
Some instructors spend a lot of time telling you what to expect in the test and how to pass it.
You're there to learn how to drive.
Don't be afraid to ask to go over the basics again and again, and ask why you're being taught certain things. I did four night-time driving classes instead of the mandatory one, which helps to get used to hazards.
When it came to the high-speed motorway lessons, normally done before your first test, I asked for two instead of one.
By the time you sit your test, the examiner will see a calm and confident student behind the wheel.
Check your blind spot
It's the cause of many accidents, including fatal ones. Last year, 22 motorbike riders died and 253 were hurt on Dubai's roads.
A surge in the number of motorcycle delivery riders in the past five years has made the traffic on roads even more fast-moving. E-scooters are an even bigger problem.
And they can often be found hovering around your blind spots. A quick shoulder check can make the difference between life and death.
And finally, you can't do much to avoid bad or aggressive drivers - they're everywhere - but you can stick to the rules and keep yourself safe.
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Quick facts
How much does it cost to learn?
For a total beginner, you'll need 20 hours of lessons as mandatory, which are packaged into two-hour lessons. If you have a licence from back home, you can do an automatic switch from some countries, while others, such as India and Pakistan, require five or 10 hours of lessons and a test to be sat.
The main driving schools such as Emirates Driving Institute (EDI), Belhasa Driving Centre and Galadari, charge about Dh4,500 to Dh5,500 for a course, once fees and various permits are added in.
You have to pay more for extra lessons, and if you fail you're required to do four hours of learning before sitting the test again.
Most of the schools offer fast-track courses in luxury vehicles. I paid about Dh22,500 for EDI's all-inclusive platinum course — far, far more than I ever planned to.
Towards the end, the RTA brought in new costs for luxury courses only meaning you must pay Dh1,100 for each test, and I took two tests to pass.
It's an extremely expensive way to learn.
What's the pass rate?
According to instructors, the RTA road test pass rate is just under 50 per cent, or precisely 46 per cent when I asked.
For the gold/platinum courses that the schools offer, which include unlimited lessons, it is claimed that the pass rate is more than 80 per cent, meaning that the vast majority pass on the first or second attempt, owing to extra lessons and more tailored instruction.
What's the test like?
It is 10 to 15 minutes of driving in Al Quoz or Al Qusais with an RTA road test examiner, which is a profession reserved for Emiratis.
Normally you sit your parking test separately in a closed car park earlier in your course, then at the end sit a driving-only test. In the course I did, you do both together in one test.
Some of the driving schools still put several students forward in the same car - a real quirk of the system - so that you rotate for the examiner.
If you fail, don't panic. Listen to the feedback from the examiner, it will help you to pass next time.
Good luck.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Norway
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Canada
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:
Juventus 1 Ajax 2
Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate
Opening Premier League fixtures, August 14
- Brentford v Arsenal
- Burnley v Brighton
- Chelsea v Crystal Palace
- Everton v Southampton
- Leicester City v Wolves
- Manchester United v Leeds United
- Newcastle United v West Ham United
- Norwich City v Liverpool
- Tottenham v Manchester City
- Watford v Aston Villa
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
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'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
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Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
