Saudi Arabia Driving:KSA Crazy Car Accidents
90Driving in Saudi Arabia
Driving in Saudi Arabia can be a total nightmare, with many crazy Saudi accidents to navigate around on an almost daily basis, I have driven in many countries but Saudi Arabia is by far the worst that I have ever driven in! This hub will detail out some of my views regarding Saudi driving habits, how to deal with car accidents (you will be in one - if you have driven here for more than a year and you have not had one please leave a message), and the Saudi Police. I will also recount a road rage incident involving road blocking and iron bars!
I have been working in Saudi Arabia for over 3 years, in that time I have been rear ended several times, had someone drive into the side of my car and had side panels and doors destroyed when I have left cars parked in public car parks.
My Saudi Arabia Travel hub will give you more information regarding general travel within the Kingdom and tell you about car hire and taxis, roads and roadsigns.
If you need to know about airtravel within Saudi Arabia then have a look at a Review of Saudi Arabian Airline.
I also have a few eventful stories of drives that I have made between the major cities in Saudi Arabia; Driving to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Al-Khobar.
If you are traveling around Saudi Arabia and need somewhere to stay look at Saudi Arabia Hotels
Only when driving in Saudi Arabia - you have to watch this!
Saudi Crazy Behaviour Driving on The Road
The behavior on the roads here is terrible, most drivers are very impatient, drive far too fast, and have no common courtesy for other drivers, hence the bulk of the cars have significant dents and bumps on them! I generally see at least one accident every day in my drive too and from work (this is not an exaggeration), the drivers at times resorting to fighting over the accident (or beating the Indian or other “lesser” nationality who will not fight back or they will be in even more trouble!)
Putting a Saudi behind the wheel of a car is like chatting on line, they assume a completely different anonymous persona and start to behave like a formula one driver with zero patience and no sense (and often no driving ability.)
Most drivers will take the wrong lane at a junction if they think they can gain any advantage, so a car turning left from the right hand lane or trying to cut back into the traffic from a filter lane is a very common occurrence. Roundabouts are a complete joke as no one here understands them and it is a total free for all. Generally it is the “bravest” driver that gains the advantage, pushing his car in to the front in the hope that others will not drive into them. But generally nobody will give so much as an inch to anyone if they should lose that inch!
The rules for one way streets and which way a carriageway should be driven depend on how close your destination is should you drive against the traffic, if it will save you a few feet in driving then most people will ignore the rules and drive against the flow even if they end up blocking the roads and causing greater delays!
On a highway the slow lane is generally the middle one or two lanes, the inner and outer lanes being used as overtaking lanes and the cars in the middle lanes being obstacles for high speed slalom racing, a great favorite amongst the Saudi youth.
Beware junctions, most drivers do not bother to look before they pull out, they trust in god so much that they believe that he will protect them even when pulling onto a packed highway with other fast moving vehicles.
The Roads In Saudi Arabia
Traffic Signals in Saudi Arabia
Beware about what signals mean, in England for instance, a car approaching a junction who flashes you with their lights is telling you that they are letting you out, here in Saudi if they flash their lights it means if you get in my way I will crush you!
Indicators appear to be a fashion accessory, only used to confuse others or show how pretty their car is. They are rarely used for actual indication of an actual turn or if they are the driver can and will change their mind as to the direction they will turn!
Hazard lights are often used, drivers will rush from one jam to the next slamming on brakes and hazard lights a few feet from the next jam just to inform the car following 2 feet behind that he is now slowing down!
Most Saudis believe that headlights can be used as a levitation device, they get close behind you and flash them repeatedly expecting you to float off the road out of their path even if there is nowhere for you to go – the bigger and more expensive the car the more this is used!
Road network for driving in Saudi Arabia
How did he get his car there?
Crazy Road Traffic Accidents in Saudi Arabia
I have been driven into on more than one occasion with minimal/no damage, every time has been very civil, hands shaken and we have moved on. However the rules of the road here are that if you have an accident you are required by law to remain where you are, even if blocking a main road at rush hour until the police arrive and arbitrate the case!
This being the case I find myself delayed
most days by minor accidents that could have been moved to the side of the
road. I tend to see accidents almost every day, some days more than one! The most number of cars I have seen in one accident was over 20 involved in a shunt after one car had to stop when trying to take a filter lane into a service road and all the cars behind drove into him and each other! Only in Saudi Arabia have I seen such crazy driving and so many road traffic accidents.
Most fights seem to be Saudi vs Saudi or Saudi beating “lesser” nationalities after a minor accident. The rules of the road here as far as the police are concerned is that the Saudi is in the right in all cases, even if he drives into the rear of you when you are parked! Otherwise the police take the sensible route of blaming whoever has insurance.
I once tried to call the police after an accident , another car drove out of a turning straight into the side of mine while I was passing, the emergency numbers are 999, or 99 8,7,6 not sure what each one is for but they are all police.. I spend 30 minutes trying to get someone to answer, when they did finally answer they spoke no English and hung up on me after they told me that they spoke none! Eventually we agreed to go to the police station together as the paperwork would be required to get the insurance to fix the car.
On arrival at the police station the police officers were sat smoking on the front step, none spoke English but told the guy that had driven into me that we should return to where the accident was and wait there. After a further hour I gave up and said I would pay for the repair myself! It only cost me 200SAR about $60.
80 Car Pile up in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia Road Rage
People here as I have already said have no patience and are prone to temper tantrums, driving along a main road exactly at the speed limit I was preparing to filter off, another car came up behind me at high speed also to turn off flashing his light and hitting his horn to try to levitate me out of his path! I continued on my route as there was no where for me to go to get out of his way unless I wanted to go past my turning. He continued to flash his lights and honk his horn and shake his fist at me until we reached the set of lights, which were on red. Stopping behind me he got out of his car and came to my window and started to shout at me. I locked my door and shouted that I did not understand Arabic, “Mafi Arabi!” He then started to kick my door and punched my window, thankfully at this point the lights had changed and I put my foot down not wanting to get in a fight with a saudi as I would be in the wrong whatever happened. I shot off attempting to get away and turned down the road on my way to work, he followed, in a much bigger and much faster vehicle, overtook me against on-coming traffic which was swerving off the road and turned sideways blocking the entire road! I had no choice but to stop!
At this point he once again left his car, pausing to pull an iron bar about 2 feet long out from under the front seats! I could not drive away and I did not want to remain in my car while he battered it so I decided to get out of my car and confront him, I really had no choice. Thankfully I am not small and I have 2 black belts to my name so the physical confrontation was not a worry to me, he paused when he saw how big I was but then proceeded to try to hit me with the bar! I removed it from his hand and threw it into the waste ground to one side. At this point he retreated and started shouting even more, deciding that maybe I was too big for him after I disarmed him so easily! Thankfully at this point other guys were leaving their cars, two of them gently grabbed the guy and started to move him towards his car, where his wife was sat in the passenger seat with her head in her hands! After a few minutes I managed to drive away and thankfully was not followed!
Crazy Driving on Main Highway in Saudi Arabia
Traffic Police in Saudi Arabia
Traffic police in Saudi Arabia to me always look so bored, there are so many police here you would almost think that every other car has a policeman in it! They are very efficient at setting up road blocks and pulling over all but the most expensive cars for no reason at all (best not to pull over an expensive car no matter what the reason as they may know your boss, or your bosses boss!)
I have already mentioned earlier in this hub that calling the police after an accident was all but useless, no English when they did finally answer and they never turned up! On a main highway this is another story as the main highways are constantly cruised by the police, either the normal police cruisers or unmarked police cars.
I have been stopped twice for speeding in Riyadh, both times I started arguing with the police who were totally unable to speak English so they let me go! (I even had women in the car that I should not have had, but they didn't check.)
They are prone to play with the lights manually to ensure better flow of traffic, you can always tell when they do this as the queues are at least twice as long, the same goes for roundabouts and busy junctions at peak times, the police will decide to control the traffic rather than the usual free for all, this always leads to huge delays that multiply back several junctions. Do they ever learn from this, well obviously not as they keep doing it!
Traffic cameras to control Saudi driving
Traffic Cameras have been introduced into the major cities in Saudi Arabia to try to regulate the crazy Saudi Driving and reduce road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia. You will see them on the main highways and at traffic lights to prevent people jumping the lights.
The fines are not huge for speeding, normally 200SAR, however some of the cameras are well hidden so if you are not careful driving in Saudi Arabia you could end up with multiple fines!
They also have mobile cameras now, hidden in the back of large family cars that they park at the side of the roads where they are difficult to spot except by the flash of the camera. I was caught twice in two days before I realized!
They ask you to register your mobile phone number to your car so that you can be notified to pay your fines, if you are an expat and want to leave the country you must make sure all of these fines are paid up first or you will be refused exit!
Saudi Traffic Statistics - Must Watch this (Use Subtitles)
Final word of Warning for Driving in Saudi Arabia
If you are a nervous driver (or your wife is a very nervous passenger), don't drive in Saudi Arabia!
If you are not an Aggressive driver, you will take twice as long as everyone else to get where you are going!
If in your 30 years of driving experience you have neither been hit nor hit anyone else and want to maintain this record - don't drive in Saudi Arabia, I know no one who has driven for more than 3 months in KSA that has not had some form of accident!
If you like demolition derby, "drifting" through high speed traffic, breaking rules or being an ignorant driver then Saudi Arabia is for you!
Check your Medical Insurance before you drive!
Help with Driving in KSA
If you need more information about Saudi Arabia feel free to follow the following links;
If you are an expat working in Saudi Arabia then you may find these additional links helpful for everyday life as well as driving around Saudi Arabia.
You may still be searching for Saudi Arabia Jobs or looking to get your Saudi Visas. Before you start driving in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia you may wish to find out a little more about being an expat in Saudi Arabia and how a Saudi driver may treat expatriates in Saudi should you have an accident.
If you are driving around KSA then you may need information about Saudi Arabia Hotels or Saudi Arabia Compounds.
Saudi Arabia Women are forbidden to drive as are any women in Saudi Arabia, there are a host of other restrictions that you should be aware of before you visit.
Driving in Saudi Arabia can be an etertainment in itself however you may wish to find alternative entertainment in Saudi Arabia or even drive to the Makkah Clock Tower if you are a Muslim. You could even try picking up women in your fancy car whilst dating in Saudi Arabia, but be very careful!
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@Al-Hussainy, "7 accidents maximum"! I had zero accidents in the UK in over 20 years of driving. Here in the last year I can think of 3 times that someone has driven into the back of my car, twice someone has reversed into me, once someone has driven out of a junction straight into the side of me and I have returned to a car park to find the side of my car crushed by someone that did not bother to stay and apologize or leave a note!
Even if you are including all of the little bumps in your figures above which I guess you are not, 0.4 accidents per year is still worse than anywhere else I have ever heard of!
I have never seen drivers using all lanes of a 3 or 4 lane highway like a slalom course at high speed until I came here, this is a common occurrence here, cars that zig zag across all the lanes to overtake, even using the hard shoulders to get past already fast moving traffic! Watch the videos, they tell all!
As I said, I have driven in many countries and cities around the world, and the driving in Saudi is the worst, I will stand by my comments!
Lol, he only had 3 to 6 accidents..goes to show you every accident isnt even worth counting!
This was a great read, I was quite entertained. I had a Middle east class in college that showed a video where in Egypt , Drivers left their keys in their cars or parked in neutral because parking space was limited, when you wanted to leave just pushed the other cars out of the way!
Could be outdated by now - I wish I had seen a Saudi Driving video instead!
Thanks Sunforged, the driving here is totally Crazy. Never been anywhere where I have seen so many people taking so many risks. As to parking they park anywhere. I parked in an underground car park in a hotel in Riyadh, when it was time to leave I drove up the ramp to find a car parked across the end of the ramp! 25 minutes before the driver returned to move it, I was on the verge of smashing the window to move it!
totaly out of conrol country, I cannot believe that you live there you must have the most interesting stories. I would love to know more about how the women live there?
Thanks for driving by DawnM. You can have a read of my hub about Saudi Arabia - Women for more info. I think that driving will be much safer here once they allow the women to do it too..
that is to funny and I will for sure check it out....lol
Thanks DawnM, I really do think that women will calm the situation down here a lot. But it will create a huge number of unemployed drivers..
These are great information in addition to the other information about Saudi travel hmm, you gotta make a web site now Tony, you master this one, (this hub made me smile) Maita
It does seem that I have a lot of information here, maybe I will do a specific site just for KSA one day PDH, thanks for reading.
I really enjoyed reading this hub. I don't think I want to drive in Saudi Arabia.
Wendy, even if you wanted to drive in Saudi Arabia, driving by women is not legal! How would you see through your veil and everything else?
saudi arabian z a gift of god n the foundation of earth n sky
I like how you keep mentioning that saudi officials don't speak english and you're so vexed and all, well u DO know that uk and u.s. officers don't speak arabic dont you?
This is is so true! driving here is a nightmare!
i went to riyadh from dammam in the rainy weather last week and found no accident, it was very easy and good driving experience.
Thanks for your comments Lilz, the Saudis employ so many foreigners that in almost every business I have been into the language in use is English. A large proportion of the drivers are also not Saudis but Indians and the like hired as drivers, god help them if they ever do anything wrong on the roads!
Most Saudis seem to speak English, except police officers! Maybe it is a required qualification!!
Irfan, I hope that you noted it in your diary, I would have done if I had a pleasant drive in KSA!
I just came back from there. Traffic in Riyadh can be a little "rushed" at times!
Dobster, that has to be the understatement of the year to say that Riyadh traffic can be a little "rushed".. lol
Besides all this craziness & reckless driving on streets, the one thing which I love about Saudi Arabia is a price of gas, its very cheap even cheaper than drinking water. Also, its a lot of fun being reckless at times & doing zigzag through traffic making your way through traffic. I like to tease aggressive drivers if they flash their lights, I reduce speed of car & don't let them go. My advice to drive in Saudi Arabia is if you want to drive their be like other Saudi drivers.
Ahmed, the gas is much cheaper than water in Saudi that is very true, but I would not describe some of the driving as fun! It is very dangerous, and often it is not the reckless driver that has the accident but the poor guy that had to swerve out of his way!
Yeah! I agree with you, it is not always fun, it is really very dangerous. One has to keep safe himself from other stupid drivers.
Hi
I'm an Indian working in saudi arabia as van sales man. when I came to saudi arabia, I feel very difficult to drive a car. But day by day, I learn new driving tricks, like how to overtake careless drivers, how to defense a rash driver and all those. I went from riyadh to makkah-madina-dammam with zero accidents. I just want to give an advise. How to drive in saudi arabia. Remember these points:-
1)Be confident that you are a safe full and defensive driver.
2)Before driving a car in saudi arabia be femilar with all the roads.
3)If you are feeling difficult to take the right/left direction, go in that direction which is safe-full for you. No matters your going in a different rout, which you doesn't want to go.
Be Alart! Be safe-full
Thank you.
Bye
Thank you for your advice for driving in Saudi Arabia Khan..
I AM DRIVING SINCE FROM SIX MONTHS I HAD VISITED MECCA A LOT JEDDAH NOT EVEN A SINGLE BRIUSE BUT DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY JUST BEHIND MY HOUSE A CRAZY MULLA WAS COMING IN SO SPEED AND BUMPED MY CAR IN MIDDLE THANKS I WAS SAFE BUT MY NEW 4 MONTH OLD CAR GOT LOT OF DIGS DOORS WENT SO DEEP INSIDE. AFTER TWO HOURS NAZM GUY CAME THANKS HE WAS CHARGED FOR 100% LIABILITY THAT TIME HE WAS EVEN NOT HAVING CAR INSURANCE BEFORE REACHING TO MURROR ANY HOW HIS FRIEND BROUGHT A NEW INSURANCE FOR HIM. NOW I AM VISISTING MURROR DAILY JUST PRAY FOR ME.
I just love SAUDIA
Also i have been to it and thats right i've never seen people drive like them ... they drive on 2 wheel car thats Unbelivable however that does not mean its dangeorus to drive because they practice it before ...
I did manage six months in Saudi without an accident, but my daily journey was only two miles. I would have walked, but there was no pavement and many of the 4x4 brigade undertake by adding an extra lane on the desert, so you can find yourself walking between speeding vehicles. Not pleasant! Anyway, brace yourself. Ramadan approaches, when driving standards deteriorate even further!
Thanks for your comments Paraglider, the roads in the evenings during Ramadan are a total nightmare, trying to drive anywhere is so difficult as everyone is out driving around Saudi Arabia well into the early hours of the morning.
Your comments about the lack of pavements are so true and the Saudis will drive anywhere if they think they can gain a few seconds advantage.
I am Saudi ^^
I agreed with u ,
the driving here Nightmare , Should be put strict laws to curb it
I sometimes say that Prevent women from driving here it is a blessing
but sometimes say we want driving maybe they feel responsible >_<
welcom to you in saudi arabia
ksa the second Country to you and Always say welcome ,
and sorry about this .
Amall, thank you for your comments about driving in Saudi Arabia, but maybe allowing Ladies to drive on Saudi roads will prevent some of these crazy Saudi Accidents that you see every day. I am sure the Saudi women drivers will be far less aggressive and more courteous on the roads of the Kingdom.
Yeah. I'm so glad that I drive an Audi A8 and have good auto insurance, because crap happens to me all the time here.
I've finally reinforced my bumpers, grill, seats and chasis. I've installed glass that's semi-bulletproof. Now my car is a 4900 pound killing machine. The last Saudi who suddenly stopped in front of me on the south ring road had his car totaled.
And yes I speed, but only if there's no traffic.
Hi leanMan
I read through your article and I realized something, you were learned how to drive your own car in Saudi Arabia because you were a reason for an accidents, do you know why!! because all main roads are rush cars
Hi Londoner, you do have to learn to drive in Saudi Arabia for a second time as the driving is so different from anywhere else.. But I can happily say that I did not manage to be the cause of any of these Crazy Saudi car Accidents.
Superguy; it's a pity that you didn't bother to upgrade the brakes on your 4900 pound killing machine that you drive around Saudi Arabia! Then you would not hit so many other vehicles when driving in Saudi.
totally disagree,
Driving in Saudi Arabia is worse than other countries, but not as worse as you describe it. I live in Saudi Arabia since I was born, and fortunately I have never get a car accident.
Regarding policemen, they do not have to speak English to perform their job, but speaking English will be better to deal with forefingers.
In France, people their do not speak English even if they know English they reply to you by French.
Welcome to Saudi Arabia,
Hi Sara,
Having driven in most continents (not Australia yet) and many many countries I can say that Saudi Arabian driving is the worst that I have ever experienced!! I have never had an accident in any other country but have been driven into several times in KSA! The driving rules in Saudi Arabia seem to be more guidelines to be ignored by most drivers! The comments left by some of the people above and the videos and various news stories say it all...
I'm Saudi and these reckless driving of some young
And some crazy driving driving
Type in the search engine YouTube
( ????? ????????)
Leanman,
I'm very grateful to you for writing this hub. I've been in Saudi for 2 months, and having finally received my iqama and licence etc have taken the plunge and started driving. I read this hub a while back, but returned to it just before I started driving. It really is an invaluable source of information, and has alerted me to many of the dangers on the road here, which will hopefully help me avoid accidents! Thanks once more.
Hi Richard, thanks for your kind comments about driving in Saudi Arabia. Please try and be careful, I had a perfect record until I went to Saudi but within a year I was driven into 3 times and I found my car smashed into in a car park! I have seen too many Saudi crazy accidents whilst driving and would not wish anyone to experience them! At least they are now doing more with speed cameras to slow people down.
Hey LeanMan, I agree with you in some point, however, people should know that a certain type of drivers that drivin' crazy (Young Guys). So, other people might not be as worse as young guys. My hometown is Dammam but I'm currently living in Boston U.S. and believe me they are way too worse than Saudis. I know you guys aren't familiar with how saudis drive. Just drive as they drive throw all your driving unneeded skills behind you and start over again and you'll get use to it. Don't forget that Many constructions make people there even much crazier.
Hi to every one
I am driving in Saudi Arabia, since last five months, thanks to Allah that he kept me Safe, i am driving around 400km daily, as i am in marketing field.
I would like to give the suggestion to follow the Center Track mostly.
Also any one can tell me that how much fine or penalty "they" got after breaking the red signal? camera flash
All the best for driving in Saudi Arabia, or nowadays we can say everywhere they are installing the new cameras for traffic violation control.
Hi Arif, the last I heard was that the standard fine was 200 or 400 riyals for speeding but not sure about jumping a red traffic signal in Saudi.
best drivers in Saudi Arabia i really cant stay out of this country for one month i swear it is the best place to stay in my life
every where there is bad and good rivers
i drive all my life here and really it is great to drive not as you said even in your country i can bring for you bad videos and i will say there is bad drivers every one will write what he want about other countries
all my life i drive here and not bad as you say
but for me really KSA is the best
you are not write about it maybe you hate Saudi Arabia because that you talk like that i was working there nothing i see like that or maybe you are bad driver so that is not good for you there
Hi old, if you think that driving in Saudi Arabia is acceptable and of a good standard I would say that you are part of the problem! As I have said in my article I have driven in many countries with reputations for poor driving but KSA is the worst! I have never seen as many accidents on a daily basis as I have in Saudi Arabia.
Hi "Hi", just a note if you want to leave multiple comments with different names try changing your ip address so that it is not so obvious!
i have many other friends they were with me as same time in KSA and they and i sent to them this they said you are really just try to make it as you want one of them i swear he said he drove in KSA for 40 years and he don't think as you do he is from USA
everyone will write and make it bad as he want
he is my friend and i make him read this from my computer and he answered you i am not that stumped i know ip address
Enjoy your opinion Old, personally I am glad that you have had such a wonderful experience driving in KSA and hope that your experiences remain that way. Drive safe!
about hi, good luck; enjoy driving in Saudi with your "friend".
thanks and i love Saudi Arabia very much and i enjoy my life here
i went many counties 19 but really i love to stay in Saudi Arabia
when i stopped at a stop sign last week
i discovered new insults I've never herd them before in my own language !!
drivers here are ignorant, old or young .
although i haven't been in a serious accident, i really fear for my life in the highway
i drive to my university 150 kilometers twice a week ,every time i see at least one accident .
i started to feel iam the only one who drive within the speed limits.
here's some statistics about the accidents in the ksa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlUplHf3OoA&feature
turn on the captions , i hope its understandable
Thank you Mohammed for sharing that video, it contains some horrific data regarding the roads in Sauid Arabia;
1 car accident every 2 minutes, 1 person hospitalized every 15 minutes (30% of hospital beds occupied by road accident victims), 1 Person killed every 40 minutes (6485 deaths in 2009).
The graphical comparisons against other countries death rates on the roads and comparing the number of victims against the various middle east wars is very powerful! It just shows how dangerous it is to drive in Saudi Arabia.
Don't forget to put on the subtitles if you can't read Arabic.
drive in ksa is too hard.
I agree to you, today the police give me a ticket for my headlights, as the car is already park, when they see me locking my door, they approach me then ask me to turn my lights on, i use cenon white in my high beem but i am not using it, because i have additional lights below my bumper but still they insists that i am using it, btw I am a new Muslim, i am disappointed for the reason that, they are searching for a reason to gave me a ticket... hmmmm, do this how you treat expat? Hasbiyah Laho Wa Nimal Wakil...
Hi Roel, the number of cars that run on the road with smoke pouring from them and other problems I am surprised that they picked on you for a faulty headlight!
hi leanman , u are right again , drove there for a couple of years and i remember in the begin i make a accident by hiding the side street because of a other car , i get stopped a couple of time but did like i didn't understand arabic and they let me go , ( the true was i didn't understand arabic , just some small words ) , pump up to some other cars but had my eyes one something else hehe , when u know the road a little and u start getting used to drive there u will start racing from place A to B .
I have very bad driving habits Danny, so I fitted into driving in Saudi Arabia very easily..
I am a 30 years old Saudi guy living in Riyadh, and had lived there for my whole life. I don't know how to say this, but except some of the religious stuff you mentioned such as "they trust in god so much ... vehicles.", which i find somehow offensive, i am 100% with you. People here are really crazy and stupid when it comes to driving. The problem is that you just can't convince them otherwise. I always dream of driving down the road where people abide by the rules and respect each other. I just hope that this day comes !
Hi Tariq, sorry did not intend to offend.. I hope that with all the new traffic cameras people will learn to slow down a little and begin to abide by the rules of the road in Saudi Arabia a little more.
I am sure you didn't mean to offend, you are just angry and you have the right to be :). In my opinion, traffic cameras will not eliminate many of the other bad habits that drivers have here. Cameras only control traffic speeding limits, but what about those who come behind us and keep flashing their lights and hitting their horns, and those who go in the opposite direction of the traffic ! and of course not forgetting the idiots who keep crossing you from the right lane ! What we really need is a society like the other parts of the world, a society that does not approve such behaviors, i am very positive that in your country if someone did those stupid stuff that drivers are doing here, people will not leave him in one peace, i am sure that the other drivers will kick his butt !
Hi Tariq, if people behaved the way they do in Saudi on the roads of my country or any other part of Europe or the States they would almost certainly find themselves in trouble with the law or a victim of road rage at the hands of other offended motorists! That sort of behavior is certainly not tolerated in most other countries.
I arrived in Saudi about a month ago. Why on earth would any woman even want to drive here? If you believe in human rights, don't call for women to be allowed to drive, call for men to get banned too!
Hi Eek, i would hope that having women on the roads in Saudi Arabia would actually improve the driving conditions and reduce the number of fatal accidents in Saudi Arabia.
LeanMan, I totally agree with you and i know that statistic will approve your finding. Myself, I am scared every time I had to drive. I am a Malaysian and move in to Riyadh about 6 months back, and I am always overly cautious when driving. While bad drivers are everywhere, here in Riyadh, it is a norm. And I don't foresee any improvement in the near future as I see many foreigners adopting the same culture.
Don't take me wrong, I like many things about life in Riyadh but driving is definitely high on the hate list. I just prefer to stay indoor most of the time rather than risking my money and worse, my life by being on the road.
Hi Nil, I am sure that when they finally let women to drive the traffic will calm a little. Meanwhile stay safe.
Driving in Saudi Arabia Links
Here are some useful links that may come in handy if you are within Saudi Arabia or looking to visit Saudi Arabia for work or any other reason;
Saudi Arabian Airlines Saudi Airlines (Saudia) is the national airline within KSA and most of your internal flights and even incoming or departing flights are likely to be with this airline. If you would like to read a review of Saudi Airlines then follow the link.
Saudi Arabia Embassy in the UK, lots of links and details to help you with getting your Visa for Saudi Arabia, use this website to find all of the entry and documentary requirements for your visas.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs KSA (MOFA), links here will enable you to monitor the progress of your Saudi work visa or any other variation of Saudi Visa by using the reference number you will be given for your application..
Saudi Government Links is a Saudi Government website, it has many links to other government sites which will help you with finding other information that you may require for your visit to Saudi Arabia..
Saudi Arabian Embassy Washington is the main Saudi Embassy in the US, here you will find all the information required for your Saudi Visa.
British Embassy in Riyadh is the UK Embassy in Riyadh, very useful if you have questions about Saudi Arabia or need any help. I have found them very helpful when I have needed advice, plus they hold events for us Brits in the country at which they serve BEER! If you should be involved in a serious road traffic accident in Saudi Arabia then these guys may be able to help or point you in the dirrection of help.
US Embassy in Riyadh is a helpful link for those of you from the US should you be visiting the country. As with the UK embassy they have events and lots of advice for entering KSA.
Philippine Embassy in Riyadh just to help those of you coming from the philippines to work on a visa in Saudi Arabia.
Indian Embassy in Riyadh Indian Embassy in Riyadh
Embassies in Saudi Arabia has Contact Details for All the various Embassies in KSA should your individual embassy not be listed above.
Saudi Arabia Travel Advice is US Travel advice for Saudi Arabia which is equally applicable to any other nationality who may be considering gaining a visa to visit Saudi Arabia.
Arab News Arab Newspaper
Haj Travel Information Saudi Arabia Haj Information
Muslim Sacred Sites in KSA to visit when you have your Saudi Visas.
Entertainment in Saudi Arabia Things to do in Saudi Arabia, places where you can drive to on your weekends off.
Learn to Speak Arabic Learn to speak Arabic online so that you can ask directions and deal with problems when driving in Saudi Arabia.
Arabic words and phrases Some Handy words and Phrases which could help you if driving in Saudi Arabia and need directions.
Muslim Date Conversion Saudi Arabian Muslim Date Conversion so you can see when your traffic offense occurred!
The above links may come in handy if you are visiting or an Expat working and living in KSA, I hope you enjoy driving in Saudi Arabia and avoid any crazy Saudi Accidents.
Al Hussainy 21 months ago
WTF !! That's not even 50% true .. My father works in Saudi Arabia since 1994 and he had only 3 to 6 accidents in this period .. average 0.4 accident/year. My friends have been driving all their life here and everyone of them had about 7 accidents maximum. I don't deny that they are aggressive here but not as you said at all.