Saudi driving

[st4]

Folks,

As some of you know a good friend of mine moved overseas to Saudi Arabia. Well, he sent me this email about driving over there with some youtube videos to illustrate what its like.

Hey,

Thought I would show you some vids of driving in Saudi for your viewing pleasure.


The driving here is hilarious, I have seen 6 lines of traffic on a 3 lane road, the 3 lanes were full and people were overtaking on both hard shoulders and one guy in the desert overtaking the overtakers, brilliant.

I have attached some links to stuff that happens on Saudi roads, a lot of which I have seen myself,

+ A saudi showing everyday, standard driving techniques, and yes I see this every day, and worse than this guy, he is fairly tame; How we Drive in Saudi Arabia - YouTube

+ I've seen this but not quite as impressive Crazy driving in Saudi Arabia - YouTube

+ I havent seen this yet, but I do know the record for this is held by a saudi on the highway, if memory serves he did it for over 25km: Crazy Motorway Drivers - Saudi Arabia - YouTube

+ Nor have I seen this, but is hilarious, all I can say is he must buy a lot of slippers; ‫

+ On the side of the road you see some of the funnies accidents where you wonder how did they do that, now I know; Spectacular Crash During Saudi Drift 2012 HD - YouTube

+ More drifting accidents, watch this too the end the best ones are near the end; Drift Powerslides And Crashes In Saudi Arabia - YouTube

+ Busy road madness; car tricks from Saudi Arabia -- dashcam - YouTube

And yes, all these drifting vids are done on open roads, they just call all there mates and the rest of their drifting buddies, get a big gang of them, go to a highway and park up and do it, and when the police come they all bolt. Imagine that on the m8.
I told you funny ****...

I bet this place would be great fun for tearing around....

Cheap fuel, feck all regulation, whats not to like LOL!!!

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Recently within the last few weeks there has been a video posted on YouTube with a car spinning out of control into a watching crowd on a Saudi street, non of the passengers had seatbelts on and as a result you can see one of their arms break off, fly out of the car before the passengers do themselves. grim viewing.

 

[MOCAŠ]

Seems they're hell-bent on re-living the horrors of the Group B rally days. I shall be steering well clear.

 

[markjay]

Seems they're hell-bent on re-living the horrors of the Group B rally days. I shall be steering well clear.

Err.. more like a demolition derby with the participation of the audience ...

 

[st4]

Seems they're hell-bent on re-living the horrors of the Group B rally days. I shall be steering well clear.

Some might argue Group B was the pinnacle of rallying and we'll never have the joys of it again.

Looks like they have a laugh over there in their cars, perhaps too much fun maybe but what the hell.

 

[WDB124066]

I'm living in Muscat at the moment, the driving is so shocking I don't drive, I even fear walking to the pub. They are shocking drivers!!

 

[SportsCoupeRich]

I drive in Riyadh. Hard work.....

 

[TDE1]

Recently within the last few weeks there has been a video posted on YouTube with a car spinning out of control into a watching crowd on a Saudi street, non of the passengers had seatbelts on and as a result you can see one of their arms break off, fly out of the car before the passengers do themselves. grim viewing.

Out of morbid curiosity, I just watched that clip.

Horrendous.

 

[GordonTarling]

I watched half of the first clip - my nerves are shot to pieces!

 

[st4]

I watched half of the first clip - my nerves are shot to pieces!

Makes you think twice about whinging about driving standards and safety over here

 

[Comcastle]

Ah, the Wacky Races that is driving in the Middle East.

"We will reach our destination, Inshallah."

I spent a while in Qatar, I still remember the night I saw a truck driving down a D/C with no lights on, and a metal chain dragging along the road a few feet behind the trailer.

You only knew the truck was coming by the shower of sparks trailing behind it.

 

[st4]

My pal says I should pop over and visit....

He has a company 4x4 and I got an email he found a dirt road and was doing powerslides round it and re-inacting the WRC.

Sounds a scream!!!

 

[Dryce]

Looks like they have a laugh over there in their cars, perhaps too much fun maybe but what the hell.

Accident rates tell a rather less humorous side to this

 

[andy27168]

I was in Saudi couple of years ago on buisness and we were driving from our enclosure to our place of work on a 3 lane road which had a hard shoulder on both sides of the carriageway, we were being driven by a local at about 120 when I felt something tapping the rear bumper of ourcar and there was a dirty great white Lexus so close to us he was tapping our bumper for us to get out of his way, our driver was completly indifferent to this, and maintained his speed, after a minute so the Lexus passed us on our right on the hard shoulder which was barely wide enough for his car throwing up great clouds of stones and dust, so close that he hit our door mirror on his way past.
We even had an HGV travelling head-on towards us one morning on the wrong side of the carriageway!
One good thing was the petrol was something like 6p-7p a litre! In fact bottled water was markedly more expensive.

 

[Adam230K]

If you have a run-in with an arab, he'll always turn out to be a prince's relative and threaten to have you hung...

Not a country I'd want to live in...

 

[blue gnome123]

It's a scary place to be driven around that's for sure. Even worse I was in Ryiadh last December and it rained. Insane driving.

 

[stevieb15]

It's a scary place to be driven around that's for sure. Even worse I was in Ryiadh last December and it rained. Insane driving.

Most third world cities also I think
I was in Marrakesh earlier in the year and made the mistake of hiring a car for the duration of the trip....in spite of being advised by the more knowledgeable to take taxis!
Picked the car up at the airport, two minutes later found myself back in the airport car park as I'd taken the wrong turn off the main drag, but that was my fault! Spent an hour getting to my hotel, assisted by a friendly local on a moped who acted as guide after he'd seen me drive half a dozen times round a roundabout trying to get my bearings, but after that I left the car at the hotel for the whole week
Most travel by moped, often three or more on each, no one wears a helmet, red lights are ignored, a lane is any piece of Tarmac which a car will fit into, zebra crossings a lottery, pavement an extra lane, anyone with a car believes they are omnipotent, we even saw an accident between two horse drawn carriages both on a circuit of the old city, because neither driver could bear the thought that the other was in front.
It rather makes Hyde Park Corner in the rush hour rather tame!

 

[markjay]

Anyone been driving in Rome recently?

 

[Ted]

Anyone been driving in Rome recently?

I found Milan worse.

And Sardinia - saw an accident most days. Also saw a bus deliberately push a car over a crossing in Cagliari, because the lights had gone to green, and the car driver had't completely finished his transaction with the street seller.

 

[A210AMG]

whats not to like LOL!!!


^ Losing your life maybe?