ExpatAl

Hi all,

I have a UK driving license and have been advised to get a car when in Dubai. Only catch is, I haven't driven since I passed 4 years ago (living in zone 2 London means you don't really need a motor!)

I've heard a few horror stories of driving in Dubai - are these unfounded? What's been your experience of driving?

I will be doing some refresher lessons before I arrive but also intrigued to know of the price for driving lessons in Dubai.

Cheers!
Alex

Miss Ann Thrope

Driving lessons in Dubai will probably decrease the quality and confidence of your driving.

You hear horror stories about driving in Dubai mainly from people drive who have never driven outside Europe/N America/Australia. And compared to those places it is pretty hairy. But you don't have to stray far to get much, much worse.

Most people here have only driven in developing countries previously, where the driving is generally awful. In fact many who earn their living driving here have never driven before. For example, for some bizarre reason Peshawar and the NWT seems to be the source of most truck drivers here. India, Pakistan, Egypt, Philippines and the Levant account for the vast majority of drivers here: all of them with awful standards of driving from which Dubai must seem a blessed relief. Meanwhile it seems to me the younger western demographic have also acquired most of their driving experience here and with it all the bad behaviours.

That makes driving unpredictable here. Add to that fatalism - often based in religious beliefs, arrogance of some drivers, gormlessness, timidity of other drivers and a general inability to read the road and apply any road sense, all plonked into an 18-lane highway with 140kph de facto speed limit and well.....you'll be fine!!

scrubbedexpat141

It's not that bad....well, it is and it can be but it's not always.

Just predict stupidity at all times.
When making a 'move' or changing lanes or whatever...just do so with confidence and speed. The second you indicate to change lanes into a safe(ish) gap, the car behind in that lane will close it if they can more often than not.

Just be confident, hire something shit to start with to learn the roads. Bring or buy a decent phone holder, plug every destination into google maps and you'll be fine.

Or just use the metro......only joking.

jam25mack

Driving in Dubai is awesome!

Essentially, just think of all the niceties that people do in western countries and then dismiss them as time wasting! Drive it like you stole it and then just pay the fines at the end of the month!

And if you're really lucky you may see some Grand Theft Auto style driving from the locals. Although unfortunately the driving has improved ten fold in the last decade.

Seriously tho, you're most likely to be rolling around in a 1.3L automatic piece of Jap crap. It will be sloe as hell and everyone in a 4x4 will bully you.

Just get out there and do it, there's nothing to be scared about.

mission

driving virgin.....love it

jam25mack

DXBtoDOH

Driving isn't that bad in the UAE (it's worse in Qatar). The difference is people drive fast. This isn't inherently a bad thing, it means there's less patience for slower drivers. The flip side is that there are slow drivers in the UAE and it seems 99% of the accidents are because a fast driver intersects with a slow driver, whatever the circumstances, and it's not always the fast driver's fault.

Jam's right, driving standards in Dubai is much better than it was 10 years ago. I'd compare it to Italian driving standards now.