Kix

Brit:- you're more likely to be killed in the road by a speeding local or sub conti than you are by a pissed Brit.

It got me thinking, I've never heard of a Brit killing anyone while driving drunk, (drunk in the UAE means having a glass of sherry - zero tolerance and all that).

So is it because the Brits don't drink and drive (personally I don't think that's right, people have a glass with their dinner at a friends house), or is it really because the Brits can drive after having said glass of sherry?

Is drinking and driving worse than how certain nationalities drive?

Bahtatboy

I reckon I'm still a better driver when tanked up compared to the idiots on UAE's roads. I'm not saying that I'm better than the majority of the drivers, but better than those who are most likely to cause an accident because of they way they normally drive.

I only drove once in UAE after having a few beers, and that was back from Coopers to downtown in AD. And was the only night I'd seen in the 3 years I was there that they were stopping cars en masse to breathalyse the drivers. 50:50 chance they didn't pull me over. They didn't. On the other hand I knew a couple of expats who regularly drove when tanked up. Stupid, in my view.

scot47

Sounds like a throwback to the discussions form the 1950s and 1960s when the Saloon Bar Brigade objected to the violation of personal liberty implicit in drunk-driving bans !

britexpat76

The amount of drink drivers I know is crazy, far worse here in Doha than the UAE. What I cannot understand is this, Is it really that inconvenient to get a cab which costs peanuts?? (My incident was in the morning which is something else I never now do and where most people forget about the alcohol still inside them, or care to ignore)

Regarding pissed brits and smashes we had one here, A guy at the end of his career leaving west bay and crashed the rental. In the car was 2 ladies for entertainment purposes - one was killed and the other badly injured. Having paid the blood money, hospital bills and the totalled car his retirement fund was drained. Had that been anyone younger without the savings they would still be in jail here.

Millhouse

Why anyone would consider drinking even one drink and driving in the UAE is beyond me. I often take a taxi the next day.

On a related note, I highly recommend 'The Driver' service. Bloody brilliant.

Autonomy

Yup - totally agree. Chances are, depending on how tanked you are, that you'll probably not hit anyone. Chances that someone will bump you... and then you are screwed.

I know some Brits that have been drunk drivers here and have twatted immovable objects and somehow got away with it (i.e. not been seen) but if you want to go down the nationality route of the worst offenders - by far - Lebanese. Seem to not give a moment's thought about it.

To be fair in Lebanon the petrol stations do sell alcohol and it is not an offense to be drunk and driving there.

Irishbeekeeper

Yeesh!

Autonomy

Ok... couple of points - my statement about the legality of drinking and driving in Lebanon might be wrong, I was told otherwise and googled now - perhaps that was incorrect.

In practice, by first hand observation (of my own) and anecdotal, is that is common place.

http://eleenakorban.wordpress.com/20...iving-illegal/

Secondly, I have witnessed on many, many, many occasions people that are proudly Lebanese drinking and driving from business meetings or clubs or whatever where I either didn't drink at all and drove or I called the Safer Driver service.

Beekeeper - would you agree or disagree with any of these statements (clearly not the ones where you were not there)?

PS - The petrol stations definitely do sell booze. The one by the corner of Gemayze and Martyrs Square for sure....

hong_konger

90% of road accidents are caused by sober drivers. Only 10% by drunk drivers !!!!!

Victor Meldrew

What point are you making?

NorthernLad

For the cost of a taxi here, drink driving is beyond me. Of all the Brits I know here, not one of them ever drinks and drives. South Africans and Aussies are the worst I know for it.

Why would you risk your whole life here for the sake of paying maximum 90dh for a taxi

Patsy Stoned

I don't drink and drive..the last time I tried it I spilt my drink!

Victor Meldrew

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LETLEup79zI

He then went on to say something on the lines of 'and do you know how many people we killed last year as a direct result of drinking, driving ....... and juggling!?? - 7!'

Therefore the safest way of getting home is drinking, driving ....... and juggling.

Lee Mack - he's a funny bloke.

Scamp

I'm going to sound like an echo....but I've never done it. Why risk losing what I've worked hard for here to save 50 dizzee rascals?

Lots of people in the office will have one or two beers and drive. Whatever, their problem....but as we've said, I'm not worried they'll crash but someone crashes into them and then it's game over anyway.

Pointless.

Couple of times I've driven in the morning and had a bit of a panic about it. Try and avoid it now by getting a cab to work where my car is patiently waiting for the journey home.

TheShed

At a bar I used to frequent on a regular basis (now temporarily closed), I would venture that 60% of the brit, aussie, and SA expats drunk and drove. 95% of the Emiratis drunk and drove!!

As many have said, I would not do it. Its just not worth it.

Many many years ago and longish term British expat was leaving back to blighty and during his leaving drinks someone asked what he would miss about Dubai ; Youve guessed it, "Drink Driving"!