Driving in the Middle East

In English this sign says Stop - but I am positive in Arabic it must say , “Just Kidding. GO Speed Racer! GO!”

Driving in the Middle East is like an experience of no other, and I hope to have no other experiences with it.

I can handle a bit of disorder in my driving. Driving here in France is a bit chaotic to the outsider but when you are in the midst of it, it really does ebb and flow majestically together like a ballet. But… in the Jordan and especially Lebanon, you really get the most use out of those “Oh No” grips on the top side of the passenger doors.

I don’t think there were more than 5 stop signs or stop lights that we actually stopped at in a week’s time. And even then, I believe it was just because the intersection was full, not due to adherence of the sign. Even during the times, where cars were coming from the direction with the green light, our drivers would continue through the intersection confidently- while my eyes bulged out of my head staring at the car approaching my door- praying I would not meet the end of my life in the next two seconds.

While driving down the freeway at about 80 mph the two lanes have become roughly 3-4. Dotted lines mean squat.



Seatbelts aren’t even optional- they just don’t exist. A few cars did have the luxury of a seatbelt and I don’t think I ever clasped one across my waist in such haste.

What I found most interesting were the different forms of communications drivers have here compared to other places I have been exposed to their driving habits. Here the horn is essential. I once read a statistic that the average person honks their horn like 7,000 times in their life. I thought that was crazy cause I hardly ever honk- and usually it’s to say hi or bye. I now realize this can be an accurate average because people in the Middle East (especially taxi’s) honk about 500 times a day. No joking. Beep. beep. Beep. Beep. All across the streets.

Interestingly enough, I learned that Parisians too, used to be honking addicts until the 1930’s when the Frenchies outlawed the tooting of the horn. Love the Frenchies for this! Paris sounds so much more beautiful with the silence of the horns.

Going back to the honking signals of Lebanon- while flying down the freeway- if someone was entering into your lane and you weren’t happy about it, what do you do? Slow down? Psh! Never. You slam on your horn until they hear you and submit. If that doesn’t work, and it is night time, you can feverously flash your lights to get their attention.

One night driving home in Beirut- our car was flying down a hill into a cross intersection where I could see there were no stop signs. As we approached, our driver flashed his lights to warn our entering into the intersection. Within a second we passed through. After surviving I asked the driver, “How do you know who has the right away? What if someone flashed their lights back?” His reply, “Whoever gets there first.” So comforting.

When I was in Spain, a friend living in Afghanistan said, “You know, you really do have a greater chance dying in a car crash in the Middle East then ever dying from a terrorist attack there.” At the time I found it an interesting comment. Now having been on the roads, I have to say my friend is 100% correct- if you can survive the driving- life is good! So if you find yourself being driven around the Middle East, I leave you with some advice from the French, “Courage! Courage!”