U-nbelievable
How encouraging! In a bid to make Dubai roads safer, learner drivers will now be taught a new method for making U-turns.
And what is this marvellous, magical new method?
Probably to actually check for oncoming vehicles before turning.
And what is this marvellous, magical new method?
Probably to actually check for oncoming vehicles before turning.
Labels: driving
13 Comments:
Don't learn to drive in this country unless you have to...
I feel so much safer already.
I had my first accident while learning on a U turn
What they need to teach them is that a big red diagonal line through the sign means a U-turn is not permitted.
Funnily enough, there's a reason for it to be not allowed. Traffic, and often it's me, is already on the road, with right-of-way...and if you do an illegal U-turn you are likely to cause an accident.
What a breakthrough it would be if that could be imprinted in what passes for a brain. It would save me having to take evasive action several times a week too.
I feel the new change lobbied by the driving instructors might be to take a U-turn in the third or fourth gear so that you don't disrupt incoming traffic. Just reduces their frustration by heaps, they can go back to twiddling their thumbs playing 'snakes' on their nokia.
Seabee - I bet you're talking about the intersection from the Dubai Marina onto Al Sufouh Rd!
M, you got it in one! It's not the only one, but it's the one I'm nearly wiped out at maybe three times a week!
You too eh?
Yup - me too. Of all the intersections, this is the one that's nearly had the better of me on several occasions.
The thing that scares me most about making that right turn through the green arrow onto Al Sufouh Rd is that there's a Give Way sign immediately after the traffic light.
Now - I know that on the other side of the road, there's a NO U-turn sign, but what's the bet that if you had an accident there, you'd be in the wrong for failing to Give Way!
@ the last poster some people shouldnt be allowed to leave comments.
eg:
U-Turn is only allowed in Reverse gear now !! People pay more attention while reversing so thats the new big change.
Good luck to all expats...locals are gona die anyways!
How about teaching something to the driving instructors first before passing on these pearls of wisdom to those poor unsuspecting newbies.
U-turns...what will they think of next, how to parallel park a little differently!
The "New Rule" asks the driver to turn into the middle lane immediately after the U turn, instead of the rightmost lane (which ends in a short distance). The idea is to prevent moving into the right-most lane and then making a lane change immediately afterwords.
For an unknown reason, left turns are almost unheard of. Alright, it's possible to find the occasional example (behind Spinneys on SZR) but generally you've got to turn right.
So what do we find? Instead of turning left from the relative safety of the central median into the relative safety of a minor road, we are obliged to cross the oncoming traffic stream and immediately accelerate to the speed of sound in order not to be T-boned or rear-ended. And then slow down to turn right into the side road.
Neither are we permitted to emerge from a side road to wait in the median to turn left. Despite the central reserve usually being 8 metres wide (sufficient for normal vehicles to be completely shielded from all main-road traffic, and no: stretched Hummers don't count as 'normal'), we are obliged to turn right and then make a U-turn.
Perhaps if I were waiting to make the left turn, some fool would queue up behind me, tooting his hooter until hit from the left side by someone who knows what the button in the middle of the steering wheel is for but isn't quite so familiar with the middle pedal.
Result: Having to go hundreds of metres out of your way only to come hundreds of metres back again.
UPDATE: I found out what the change is. I'm a bit confused, but it seems to be something about going into the middle lane rather than the outside lane after you make the turn, if I've got it right. I can't remember the explanation of why this is a "good" thing though.
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