Biting your tongue...

This is a frequent occurrence in the UAE. Such an occurrence happened to me tonight in the extreme.

I was already pissed off because I had been to Yas Marina Circuit to run and my Garmin GPS's battery had died at 4.8KM, leaving me not knowing what my time was for 5KM. Annoying.

So, the route home from there takes me through a short tunnel (imaginatively called 'Yas Tunnel') which has a 40kmph (c.25mph) speed limit. This in itself is ridiculous for a three lane (or is it 4, can't remember?) road, even if it is in a tunnel. So, I am driving in the outside lane of said tunnel, absolutely not doing about 80kmph and neither was anyone else (!) , when a twat in a (wait for it.... yes,  you guess it.....) a Land Cruiser (shock, horror!) came tearing up behind me, flashing his lights and positioning himself about 4" from my rear bumper. This is in a tunnel remember? 40kmph limit.

So anyway, as he didn't actually have anywhere to go i.e. no hard shoulder to overtake on (which is a favourite) and cars on my inside, I do my usual thing....just sit there. Save ramming me (which I wouldn't put past some) there wasn't really much he could do, except continue flashing his lights, sounding his horn (he did, a lot) and kind of swerve from side to side like a demented cobra. As he was being a particularly irritating rear orifice, I did in fact slow down somewhat just to wind him up. Yes, childish I know, but it just had to be done. This was "bite your tongue" moment no.1. I'll explain later.

When we exited the tunnel, I sloooowwly pulled over so he could pass, which he did and performed the totally predictable "lets try and swerve in front of you to make you break hard" manoeuvre, which they learn as small children on their bikes in the street most nights between the hours of 11.30pm and 1am. I followed him as he screeched round the roundabout and up to the traffic lights, which much to my amusement, were on red. As I pulled my car up behind his, I thought this is it, I'm going to get out and have a quiet chat to him and explain the error of his ways. Or something like that. So I put the car in "park", undid my seatbelt and then started counting to 10. I reached about 3 and had my second "bite your tongue" moment. I put my belt back on, waited for the lights to change and let him speed off.

So why all the tongue biting, the uninitiated may ask? Back home it would be for different reasons. Back home, these days you never know who you are dealing with and could end getting stabbed. But the odds are more in your favour of this not happening, so road rage kicks in and arguments abound. So why here? Because the odds are totally stacked against you. Try to argue your case against certain people and you are just going to fail every time. So when my instinct in the tunnel is to slam on my brakes and let the pillock smash into the back of my car (why should I care, it's a lease car and the insurance will cover it),  I have to remember that when the police are called, all he needs to do is say is that during the inevitable confrontation that would occur after, I had verbally insulted him and flipped my finger at him. This will be enough for me to be arrested, thrown in jail and eventually given a short jail sentence, followed by deportation. No need for witnesses. No burden of proof. My word against his. Happens time and time again. Same at the traffic lights. Whatever I may have said to him, would just be relayed as something totally different to the police and include the inevitable finger flip too.

So - biting you tongue my friends is the way to go. Not very satisfying, maybe galling, but will keep you out of jail. After nearly 5 years here now, my tongue is very sore.

Ridiculous story, ridiculous sentence

Death sentences for Briton and Syrian for drug dealing

Haneen Dajani

ABU DHABI // A 19-year-old Syrian and a Briton, 21, were both sentenced to death today for selling an undercover policeman Dh1,500 worth of marijuana.

After the verdict was announced, the Briton’s mother collapsed outside the Criminal Court while the Syrian’s mother tried to comfort her, telling her they could appeal the decision.

The two men were caught after a CID officer posing as a customer bought 20 grams of the drug. The officer had earlier bought Dh500 worth to test it and confirm it actually was marijuana.

A Sudanese man who was also a defendant, was sentenced to one year in jail and deportation for taking the drug, while a 17-year-old Emirati was sent for rehabilitation.

Previously in court, defence lawyers had attacked the credibility of the police investigations, because the witness said he did not know the address of the defendants.

He also said that the Syrian asked the Briton to get him the drugs from the car in Arabic, which lawyers said did not make sense.
Moreover, the two were speaking in English, which, they said, the CID officer did not understand.

Newspaper stories

Some stories from the paper caught my eye today, especially as they were all on the same two page spread.

So... a few observations: 

8 out of top 10 - Emiratis

Other 2 , Egyptian and Indian

What no Westeners??

I seriously think that fines and impounding are not a deterrent, especially to Emiratis who mostly have more than one car, some several - and even if their favourite car is impounded, they just go out and buy another one the same! They just don't care about fines and impounding. Send them to jail - maybe that would work?

So, next two stories that have an interesting contrast...

So four years for having a bit of puff and 1 year for killing someone while drink driving. The sentencing here is so inconsistent and often just defies logic. The drug guy even volunteered a lot of information he didn't need to, admitted what he had done and was very helpful to the police - and then gets 4 years. This place is just mental sometimes....

Couple of random pictures...

Abu Dhabi Police obviously think they need to go faster to catch the badies! Looks like they are having a new Camaro delivered...

Roll up, roll up - get your gold bullion here! No, seriously...they are selling gold bars!

I kissed a girl (or two) and I liked it...

... until I got arrested and sent to a detention centre!

So a young guy who is cheekily dating two sisters, with their knowledge apparently, sneaked into their house and has a snog with them. That's it. No more fumbling, no suggestion of any other fornication - but for this, he is now banged up.

If we had the same laws in the UK I reckon there would be very few boys still with their freedom!

Full story here....

Boy, 15, who kissed girlfriends detained for up to three years - The National

Discount to death

This is a headline on the front page of The National today:-

"Road deaths linked to traffic fines discount"

This follows a previous post of mine below...

http://neilandcaz.blogspot.com/2010/06/speeding-fines-cut-in-half-national.html


They had another "sale" on fines in September, giving 30% discount, which then increased to 40% in December. Low and behold, the violations increased, as did the number of fatalities - all very predictable.

“When we reduced traffic fines, many people saw it as an opportunity to commit more traffic offences, and they came to think that we did not care,” Maj Gen Mohammed Saif Al Zafein said.

You don't say!

It seems a common occurrence here that rules or laws are changed at whim without really thinking through the consequences, only for them to be revoked soon after. I can only assume that some big guy decides he wants to do something and no one else dares challenge him. Surely if there was some level of consultation, some of these changes wouldn't happen?

I love the way they then try to blame the pedestrians for the high fatality levels. Yes, this is a problem, but I don't think that in the main it is their fault. It is either high speed driving at fault, or urban planning that doesn't provide any way for people to get from one side of a highway to another without a ten mile hike.

“Highways are not there to be crossed, and they should also not have any underpasses or overpasses,” he said.

I really don't understand why they should not have underpasses or overpasses? You are just giving no option to many people who have to get from A to B without a car.

Anyway ... here's the full story ....

DUBAI // Deaths on the roads rose by 28 per cent during a four-month discount period for traffic fines.

Pawan Singh / The NationalMaj Gen Al Zafein said anyone crossing a road that has a speed limit of more than 80kph should be fined.

The deaths are too high a price to pay and the discount experiment will not be repeated, Dubai’s traffic police chief said yesterday.

“When we reduced traffic fines, many people saw it as an opportunity to commit more traffic offences, and they came to think that we did not care,” Maj Gen Mohammed Saif Al Zafein said.

Officials introduced a 30 per cent discount on traffic fines in September last year. In December the discount was increased to 40 per cent and the period extended to January 10. The scheme was aimed at encouraging offenders to pay accumulated fines, and nearly 800,000 fines worth Dh344.7 million were paid compared with just under 700,000 worth Dh335.5m in the same period a year ago.

In the last four months of the year, however, 46 people were killed on Dubai’s roads, compared with 36 a year ago. “We observed a clear connection between the discount and road fatalities.

“Deaths on roads continued to increase during the discount period, and for us that is a clear sign of a direct link between the two,” Maj Gen Al Zafein said.

“Our main priority is reducing road fatalities and saving lives, not collecting fines. And if collecting fines would mean that more people are killed we will be held accountable.”

He dismissed any suggestion that police might extend or reintroduce the discount scheme.

Maj Gen Al Zaffein said one of his department’s main goals for 2012 would be reducing the number of accidents in which pedestrians are run over, which comprised about 30 per cent of the total number of road fatalities in 2011.

“Reducing the number of people killed while crossing the roads is our main challenge this year,” he said.

Last year 41 people were killed in such accidents, compared to 43 in 2010.

Maj Gen Al Zaffin blamed lack of awareness and negligence by pedestrians for most of the deaths.

Anyone crossing a road that has a speed limit of more than 80kph is committing a traffic offence and should be fined, he said.

“Highways are not there to be crossed, and they should also not have any underpasses or overpasses,” he said.

However, he did call for more pedestrian crossings on roads with lower speed limits.

“There are not many pedestrian crossings on inner roads, such as those in Al Wasl and Jumeirah, and therefore people will cross those roads from anywhere,” he said.

Car Impounded (not)

I got a really strange call from my car lease company yesterday.

"Sir, do you have your car with you"

"err... yes"

"It's just the police have contacted us to say your car is impounded"

"Well, I can tell you I am looking at it right now and it is definitely not impounded"

"They say it was involved in a very high speed incident and then impounded. The impound period is now over and the vehicle must be collected. They have suspended our company trade license until it is collected"

"I think there is some mistake here."

"Sir, we will speak to them and get back to you"


A couple of hours later....


"Sir, we need to collect your car and take it to the police"

"umm... ok"

"They want to inspect the car"

"Would they not be better inspecting the car the have?"

"We have to take it sir."


So they duly took my car, gave me a replacement and since I have heard nothing.

Intriguing.. can't wait to hear the outcome!


Update: 18/12

Well they have now accepted that the car they have in their pound is not mine (good work Sherlock!) and have released the lease company's trade licence. What a complete waste of everyone's time! 

Brilliant - if only you could get away with it!

From The National today...

More needless child car deaths!

Father and two children killed in head-on crash in Al Ain - The National

This just makes me so angry! Parents driving with their kids roaming the car (as is usually the case here), should be prosecuted for negligence.

..and fine them for their blacked out windows while you are at it - because 100% they will have those too.

Why do the police here ignore all this stuff....??

Abu Dhabi Speeding

I've realised it's been a long time since I blogged about driving in Abu Dhabi. I actually think I have become partially immune to the madness, because I don't come home every day thinking how lucky I am to be alive. I've become de-sensitised to it all. According to Caz, I have also started to adopt some of the local bad driving habits. I think maybe I have partially - it's a case of "if you can't beat them, join them" sometimes! And if you can drive down the highway at 100 mph at no risk to anyone else, knowing that you won't get flashed by speed cameras - why wouldn't you!

I am totally unfazed now by the flashing tailgaters on the highway. I just sit there in my lane if I am overtaking and move over when I choose to do so, not when they try to force me to. There is the occasional one where I do get out of their way because they are quite clearly psychopathic and will literally ram your car off the road because they have no fear/intelligence/respect/problem buying a new car if theirs is wrecked.

If I get the chance to block someone who blatantly has driven past the queue of traffic to barge in at the last minute, then I certainly will. Mind you - I would do that at home too, it's just it happens more frequently here. I just can't stand the "get out of my way because I am more important than you" attitude. In the UK you might shout "do you think you own the road!" - here, the answer could be possibly be "yes". Mind you, at home you might also get punched or stabbed.

There is a news story running here that they are cutting the "buffer" that allows you to drive up to 20kmph over the speed limit without penalty. In residential areas they are cutting limits to 20kmph (ridiculous) and 40kmph with no leeway.

They are doing this because they believe it will save many lives.

“I think this is a positive step forward,” said Mustafa Issa el Wazani, a senior engineering inspector at the National Transport Authority. “If we implement this correctly, it will have a huge impact in terms of safety.”

When are they going to do it?

The changes will take effect in two years’ time in an effort to reduce speed-related accidents, Brig Gen Hussein al Harethi, the head of the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrol Directorate, said yesterday.

In two years time! Deeerrrr! Why? If it is going to make such a great difference - do it tomorrow, next month - but don't leave it 2 bloody years!

They have already declared publicly that the highway speed limits and the speed at which cameras are set (also public announced - another FAIL!) will not change. Hooray I say. I am not a believer in the phrase "Speed Kills" when applied to highways. Poor lane discipline kills. Idiots kill. Not using mirrors kills. Driving on worn out tires kills. Driving with a family of 9 in your Nissan Tiida kills. Driving at speed in fog kills. Speeding per se, does not kill.

Here endeth the lesson.....Amen

UAE Speeding fines cut in half

This must be the most ridiculous law passed so far this year!

Drivers who have clocked up huge speeding fines (which don't need to be paid until the car's annual registration) are to be given a 50% discount under a new law passed yesterday by Sheikh Khalifa.

It is already common knowledge that discounts of up to 30% can be granted if you pay off your fines "in bulk" ! But this formalises the discount at 50%.

"Col Hussein al Harthi, director of traffic and patrols, said the new decision to halve fines, which applies to all traffic departments in the emirate, had been made in “sympathy” for drivers. He said the scheme aimed to encourage them to comply with traffic rules and regulations."

How on earth does that work!? Sympathy!? "Awwww diddums, have you been speeding very fast many, many times.....let me help you out....."

"Hmm... let me off half the fine - that will stop me doing it again eh?" - cunning plan!

The most disgusting thing about this was that is was announced on the same day that was the anniversary of a highly publicised incident when 3 young Emirati girls were run over by a speeding car. How bloody insensitive.




Speeding fines cut in half
Matthew Chung and Mohamed Yahia mchung@thenational.ae
The National - News
30 Jun 2010

abudhabi // Drivers who owe unpaid fines for speeding and other traffic offences are being treated with “sympathy” by the traffic and patrols department and will be given a 50 per cent discount on outstanding debts. The new legislation, law number 400...read more...
Tech Tags: The National - News newspaper The Emirates

Abu Dhabi Traffic Police

I followed a police car all the way across the Yas/Saadiyat 5 lane highway today. A few observations:-

• I drove all the way either in the inside lane, or next left if overtaking
• The police car drove all the way in the outside lane or next right
• The police car drove well above the speed limit for the whole journey and never changed speed for any section whether the limit is 100 or 80. Mostly they went at 130-140
• At this speed they allowed at least one car overtake with no action
• On the Sheikh Khalifa Bridge a truck had split a load of either flour/powder paint/cocaine across two lanes of the highway - police didn’t stop
• Also on the bridge a very large, fully loaded lorry was parked on the hard shoulder, wheels barely off the highway - police didn’t stop

What exactly do the traffic police do?

Traffic fines

Apparently the “Black Point” system is going to be rolled out across the whole country. Below is a list of the country’s traffic offenses. 95% of these are never enforced. Check the difference between 3. and 4. Obviously number plates are more important than life!

To people who live here, some of these are just laughable. 32. for example - every local here has illegal tinting and not one will be fined. 26. - 1000’s of people do this - never fined. 41 - happens all the time, never seen anyone fined.

Oh well, ho hum...... one day maybe they will wake up and start imposing the law?


UAE Traffic Offences

No Justice

This from today’s BBC website.....

Amnesty International says UAE abused Indian prisoners Rights group Amnesty International has condemned authorities in the United Arab Emirates over the alleged torture and forced confession of 17 Indians. They were sentenced to death last month for killing a Pakistani man. Amnesty says the men were taken to the scene of the killing in the emirate of Sharjah and forced to re-enact it. It says they were made to beat a police officer posing as the dead man a month after their arrest - an act filmed and presented as genuine evidence. There has so far been no comment so far on the allegations from the UAE authorities. 'Faked video' Citing evidence produced by Indian rights group Lawyers For Human Rights International (LFHRI), Amnesty said that the 17 men were beaten with clubs, given electric shocks, deprived of sleep and forced to stand on one leg for prolonged periods. "This is a mockery of justice. These 17 men have been tortured, forced to confess and sentenced to death based on a faked video," Amnesty's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, Hassiba Hadj Sharaoui said. "Amnesty International is calling on the UAE authorities to investigate the allegations of torture and abuse and to ensure the 17 men receive a fair trial on appeal," the group said in a statement. The murder allegedly took place after a dispute over control of an illegal alcohol business. About 50 people were involved in the fatal attack in which the Pakistani man was stabbed repeatedly. Correspondents said gang violence connected to illicit alcohol is on the increase in the UAE, where the sale of such drink is controlled. Reports said that it could be the highest number of death sentences handed down at one time in the Emirates. The 17 have appealed and are due to reappear in court on 19 May.

This story has been running for a while out here, but this Amnesty report sheds new light. I think it is safe to say that Amnesty are a pretty reputable organisation, with some pretty good lawyers, so I am sure they wouldn’t be putting this kind of information out if they didn’t have some solid evidence behind it.

So, if proven to be true, this is just disgusting and yet another example of the lack of justice available in this country - especially to expats.

Driving Penalties

There was an article in the paper today about possibly means testing the fines for driving offenses because it is not a deterrent for rich drivers. Good idea I say, although I doubt it will happen.

In the same article was the table below. I am not going to state the obvious. Read it for yourself and see how ridiculous it is.

No number plate / Death? Clearly the number plate issue needs clamping down on..........

Photography lesson: shoot a sunset, go to jail (The National - News, 16 Feb 2010, Page 1)

There has been many a time I have thought about stopping on this bridge to take a photograph, the only thing stopping me being the thought of getting taken out by a Land Cruiser at 180 Kmph! Well this guy thought he would take his chances, but found himself in trouble of another kind........maybe I won't bother.

This is all part of the ridiculousness that is the UAE...

---

Photography lesson: shoot a sunset, go to jail
Marten Youssef Courts and Justice Reporter
The National - News
16 Feb 2010

ABU DHABI An amateur photographer who said he was aiming for the perfect snap for a photography competition was jailed, relieved of his passport and yesterday fined Dh1,000 (US$270) for taking prohibited pictures on Khalifa Bridge. M A, 30, a...read more...

Tech Tags: The National - News newspaper Front Page

Ridiculous news story

Story from The paper today....

SHARJAH Police have ruled out foul play in the deaths of two Bahraini nationals who were found dead in their car behind Sharjah City Centre last week.

According to a police forensic laboratory report, they died accidentally, apparently suffocating after closing the windows and turning off the air conditioning.

Police told reporters that A S A, aged 24, and A M A, 26, were found in a white Nissan Altima that was parked in the Industrial Area 1 behind the mall, with its engine still running. The bodies were in the front seats.

“We have already contacted their families in Bahrain,” a police spokesman said yesterday. “We would now release the bodies for burial as there is no crime to investigate.”

Police found two passports inside the vehicle, which was owned by one of the occupants and registered in Bahrain. The documents showed that the two men had entered the UAE through Saudi Arabia from Bahrain a day earlier.


I would find it very unlikely that anyone could "accidentally" suffocate inside their car because their windows were closed with no air conditioning on. Would you not have thought that if they were in their car without the air conditioning on in the middle of summer, they might have thought "hmm... it's getting a bit hot in here, I think we better put the air conditioning back on" ? Indeed, who here in the middle of summer would actually sit in their car without the air on in the first place? So, I would guess at either suicide - but I can think of much quicker ways to do it - or some kind of third party involvement. I'm afraid it just smacks of a slap dash investigation to get it off the books, or an unwillingness to admit it was a suicide.

You heard it here first!

From today's Gulf News

Man's body found in garbage chute

By Rayeesa Absal, Staff ReporterPublished: September 15, 2009, 22:53

Abu Dhabi: A man's body was found at the bottom of a rubbish chute in a building in the Mina area on Sunday morning.

The man, yet to be identified, is thought to be an Asian aged between 30 and 40, according to an official involved in the investigation.

The building is located next to the National Bank of Abu Dhabi building.

The watchman of the building found the body around 9am on Sunday as he went to clear trash from the garbage room. He immediately informed the authorities.

Police are investigating the case. "It is unclear as to how and when the man died, but we believe it has not been very long& Probably less than a day," the official said, asking not to be named.
The body was fully clothed and was not concealed in any way, he said.

"The body of the man had injuries, which could also be due to the impact of the fall. As the investigation is only in the preliminary stage, no more details are available," the official said.

Police - a waste of space

Despite a so called campaign to clamp down on dangerous drivers ,the Police continue to ignore speeding drivers and dangerous manoeuvres. I have seen people speeding straight past them (like below) driving too close to the car in front and even undertaking on the hard shoulder - right next to a police car, and....nothing!

Here's an example...

First of all you can see that I am doing about 150kmph (93mph). The limit is 120kmph, but everyone knows that the speed cameras are set at 160kmph. So, the car ahead of me in the same lane is a Highway Police car. You will see a white car come past me in the outer fast lane, probably doing c.170-180kmph (105-111mph). You can judge from the second shot of my speedo showing nearly 160. the Police car pulls into the inside, slow lane and just let's him speed off into oblivion! Bloody useless...

A lot of the problem is that none of the Police are local Emiratis, they are mainly Lebanese, Palestinian or Sudanese. In this society all other races are inferior and to a large extent the locals can do as they please without reproach. The police dare not accuse a local of doing something for fear that "they know someone" who will get them in trouble for something "they haven't done". I know of a British girl who was hit sideways on by a car that had gone through a red light. The driver of the other car was a local lady. The police were called. The case went to court eventually and the British girl was deemed to be at fault! Justice seems to depend on where you come from.

There was also a case of an American guy who was nearly run over as a pedestrian. I guess as a reflex action he flipped his finger at the driver. Maybe not nice, but in any other country not exactly a major crime. Anyway, the car pulled over and out came 4 young Emirati lads. They tried to bribe him by asking him for a fair amount of money to not tell the police. The American, naively, decided to call the police himself under the misapprehension that they would help him. But what happened? He is arrested and ends up in jail for 3 months for making a rude gesture!

Oh well....life goes on (unless you die on the roads)