[aaggoswami]

@f50xj13:

Glad to know you didn't board the vehicle. I wonder how these accidents can happen on well laid out streets unlike India. But the damage is quite extensive, extending upto the passenger compartment. Sometimes, luck helps us a lot, in this case you are pure lucky not be in the vehicle.

I hope the driver is back to driving safely on the roads soon.

[tanwaramit]

Isnt it NHC ? Sad state of the car after just sideswiping. Glad that you are safe. Is this car written off by insurance companies ? I thought it could be made up.

[f50xj13]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

@f50xj13:

Glad to know you didn't board the vehicle. I wonder how these accidents can happen on well laid out streets unlike India. But the damage is quite extensive, extending upto the passenger compartment. Sometimes, luck helps us a lot, in this case you are pure lucky not be in the vehicle.

I hope the driver is back to driving safely on the roads soon.

It happened at an roundabout... Driver is driving a Mondeo now. I really hate Ford India for ruining this vehicle in India....

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

Isnt it NHC ? Sad state of the car after just sideswiping. Glad that you are safe. Is this car written off by insurance companies ? I thought it could be made up.

Correct, Its a NHC-ZX-CVT-Vtec with 7 speed auto -The body shell was damaged and i guess as the repair bill was coming more than the insured value of the car, they declared it as a writeoff.

[Dev Iyer]

The link road, exit 119 linking the Emirates Road and the old Dubai-RAK road is a potential disaster. I used to drive through this road often earlier. However, on seeing the number of huge trucks and trailers, not to mention the blinding sand laden wind that blows at times, I have stopped using this road since there are many other parallel roads that are safer.

Seen below is the mangled remains of the car involved in an accident that took place recently. 4 occupants died on the spot and 2 died at the hospital. The cause for the accident is head on collision with another vehicle. Point to be noted that this road cuts across the desert, is a single carriage way with no street lights.

[searchingheaven]

Just in. One of my uncles in Dubai has banged his E class into another car. Not much damage by Dubai standards, although repair bill will still be around 4 to 5 lakhs. Front right fender, HL assembly, front tire, alloy. Will update the thread with better pics and total damage cost by evening. He himself has only slight injuries. Car was just 1.5 year old.

[searchingheaven]

^^^^^^The above accident.

[Edmund]

I tried searching in vain for a thread on accidents/wrecks across the globe. Here's one from China, that I came across in my morning read! I thought i'd post it cause the F-Type just made headway into India!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...nt-others.html

PS: The daily Mail and it's erroneous and decorated reporting claims he "hit a tree that tore off the roof"!

[Alfa Romeo]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

HANDBOOK FOR DRIVING IN DUBAI

1. If your road map is more than a few days old, throw it out and get a new one.

2. If you are in Rashidiya and your map is one day old, then it is already obsolete.

3. Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. Dubai has it's own version of traffic rules, which can be summarized as "Hold on and pray!"

4. If it is your priority to cross, forget it and wait.

5. There is no such thing as a dangerous high-speed chase in Dubai. Everyone drives like that.

6. When you plan to get a new car, ask first about its acceleration from 80 to 160 Km/h (recommended: 3 seconds). Very important if you frequently use the Emirates Road

7. All directions start with Sheikh Zayed Road, which has no beginning and no end.

8. The morning rush hour is from 5:00 AM to 1:00 PM, The evening rush hour is from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

9. Thursday's rush hour starts Wednesday morning.

10. If you slow down at a yellow light, you will be rear-ended and then given a ticket by the Dubai Police.

11. If you are the first one at the intersection, when the light turns green ignore the car honking behind you and count to five to avoid crashing into one of the cars running the red light in cross-traffic.

12. Construction on all main roads is a way of life and a permanent form of entertainment. (Sorry for the inconvenience)

13. All unfamiliar sights are explained by the phrase, "Oh, we must be in Sharjah!"

14. Car horns are actually toys for big boys.

15. Anyone in a Land Cruiser, Tuned Patrol, or Mercedes G Wagon with tinted windows has the right of way. Period!

16. If you are driving a Corolla, Sunny, or another small Japanese car, stay on the far right lane. No comment!

17. Most roads mysteriously change names as you cross intersections.

18. To ask directions, you must have good knowledge of Hindi/ Malayalam

19. A trip across town will take a minimum of four hours, although Sheikh Zayed Road has an unposted minimum speed of 150 Km/h.

20. It is sobering to realize that local Arabs are taught how to drive by Pakistanis.

21. 18 wheeler trucks are one of the fastest vehicles in Dubai; they can do 120 Km/h on Hatta-Oman Road when fully loaded.

22. The minimum acceptable speed on the Emirates Road is 160 km/h. Anything less is considered downright sissy.

23. Al Khail Road is Dubai's daily version of NASCAR.

24. Dubai Autodrome has a new extension: The Emirates Road.

25. WELCOME TO THE UAE!

Hi steroid, the way you have summed this up is excellent. I know this is a very old post, but for me its of relevance now. I am in dubai, learning to drive after driving in India for 13 years your post is a true guide to anyone wanting to drive in Dubai. The checkpoints which are taught in the driving school are only for passing tests. one point which you can add up there is 26. Forget SOME checkpoints taught in driving school or you would end up in a crash. 27. If you don't want to follow any of the above , travel by metro and keep walking

[navsjab]

Sent by my brother-in-law living in Sharjah. The Land Cruiser toppled after colliding with the truck. No major injuries reported.

[amitoj]

I recently spent a few days in Dubai. I was not driving though but I did get to see a lot of Dubai traffic. One thing that struck me the most was that people are usually very tolerant of other's transgressions. Most common example of that was cutting into a lane close to the traffic light. Rarely does anyone honk over that.
And rarely does anyone jump a traffic light. Are there cameras at every light?
In my entire stay, I did not see a single accident either!

[Prathiiik]

Originally Posted by amitoj

I recently spent a few days in Dubai. I was not driving though but I did get to see a lot of Dubai traffic. One thing that struck me the most was that people are usually very tolerant of other's transgressions. Most common example of that was cutting into a lane close to the traffic light. Rarely does anyone honk over that.

In my entire stay, I did not see a single accident either!

Well, yes, Dubai is not devoid of rash drivers. Driving Fast, especially is very common.

And rarely does anyone jump a traffic light. Are there cameras at every light?

Most of the Lights are equipped with cameras, mainly the major intersections, one of them being the Sana Intersection.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by amitoj

I recently spent a few days in Dubai. I was not driving though but I did get to see a lot of Dubai traffic. One thing that struck me the most was that people are usually very tolerant of other's transgressions. Most common example of that was cutting into a lane close to the traffic light. Rarely does anyone honk over that.
And rarely does anyone jump a traffic light. Are there cameras at every light?
In my entire stay, I did not see a single accident either!

If you read some of the posts above, especially the one from Steeroid, you can see jumping red lights etc used to be very common. I concur based on my childhood days there. However, it is quite possible that with technology watching over you from everywhere, this must have reduced.

I still remember big 4x4s tailgating small cars to the point where they literally drive you off the road. Was quite a common sight on the Dubai-Sharjah-UAQ highways.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

I still remember big 4x4s tailgating small cars to the point where they literally drive you off the road. Was quite a common sight on the Dubai-Sharjah-UAQ highways.

Tailgating still seems to be quite common, based on my short experience that was a trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and back.

Why so many Nissan Patrols though??

[Prathiiik]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Tailgating still seems to be quite common, based on my short experience that was a trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and back.

Why so many Nissan Patrols though??

Tailgating is most common on the Sheikh Zayed Road from Dubai to Abudhabi. I've even seen small Toyota Yaris hatchbacks tailgating GMC trucks and Vice - Versa.


Nissan Patrols are abundant primarily due to the car's off-road ability. It acts as a very good competitor to the Land Cruiser and also offers a bit more equipment and a better third row.

The Patrol is also offered as the Nissan Patrol Safari edition which is mainly focused towards the offroading folk and gets less equipment when compared to the regular Patrol.

The Patrol is also less expensive than the Land Cruiser.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Tailgating still seems to be quite common, based on my short experience that was a trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and back.

Why so many Nissan Patrols though??

Tailgating is pretty much a way of life on those roads. I remember seeing campaigns launched in the past to educate against such behavior, but looks like old habits die hard.

The Nissan Patrol has been a favourite with the Arabs right from the 90s, from what i remember. Some of the reasons are as described below:

Originally Posted by Prathiiik

Nissan Patrols are abundant primarily due to the car's off-road ability. It acts as a very good competitor to the Land Cruiser and also offers a bit more equipment and a better third row.

The Patrol is also offered as the Nissan Patrol Safari edition which is mainly focused towards the offroading folk and gets less equipment when compared to the regular Patrol.

The Patrol is also less expensive than the Land Cruiser.

Apparently, the popularity of the Patrol as an off roader is not limited to the Gulf countries alone. The same is seen even in Australia, where the Patrol is a very popular offroader. They undergo a lot of modifications to further improve on their potential.

In fact, Australians combine their love for the patrol as well as utes to come up with some highly capable machines like these. Very popular in offroading circles. The V8 under the hood further adds to the appeal, compared to the more expensive Landcruiser.



EDIT : Image taken from Google Images, and copyright of respective owners.