Kuwait Driving

I can walk for days on end. Since being in Kuwait, The Kuwait driving scene is on that Mad Max level. "Survival of whoever" I planned to go to the DMV here and see what's required to obtain a license because many of the people here cannot drive. Everybody is on the offensive. And we all now that defense win's championships, or in this case save lives. While I do not want to complain, constructively evaluate I must. Kuwait is muslim country and as a muslim, Islamic values should be translated into to everyday life. On the road that is clearly not the case. Its as if Islamic values are thrown out the door when driving. Thats not cool. Now I am far from a saint, but I do believe that the multitude of disrespect and lack of driving skills make for disaster. From the oldest to the youngest, there is not compassion on these roads.

One-third of all deaths in Kuwait are driving-related and the country has one of the highest road accident rates in the world. Based on Al-Watan Daily"Kuwait ranks third in the number of deaths caused due to road accidents and statistics show that an average of 124 accidents take place every day in the country. Damn. In 2005, 57,000 traffic accidents were reported, out of which 30 percent were reported in Capital Governorate, followed by Hawalli with 25 percent. As many as 455 people died in road accidents in 2005. These stats are to large for such a small area.

Go Seabiscuit. Many of the drivers here are like those racing horses with blinds on the sides of their eyes. Everybody just looks straight. Being bold and self has not saved a soul yet. Rear and side view mirrors might as well be takes off the cars as they are not used. Its tough to understand the rationale behind the driving. I could not imagine driving like that on the way to the mosque.

While accidents cannot be avoided altogether, using the Islamic and basic moral principles will reduce the number of deaths and accidents. I have heard many horror stories which deter me from buying a car. As of ride now I ride the bus(A whole blog in itself). One Filipino man told me a Kuwaiti rear ended him and the police told him if he didn't come to this country, this would not of happen! That kind of elitist thinking is ignorant and idioitic to say the least. Expats have made major contributions to Kuwait yet many are treated like slaves. Its like an American getting frusturated with a Mexican due to a language barrier. But that American has no problem providing low wages and no healthcare for his compadre.

These sad pictures should be deterrent enough though.

Paz