# bad accident



## melbatoast (Aug 13, 2008)

how many of you have seen one here? I saw my first today, results in front of me. I've been here 1 year 6 mos.
now I'm filled with anger at every speeding taxi, every tailgating car. 
Those of you who have seen a bad accident, how do you get over it?


----------



## Vetteguy (Jan 3, 2010)

I used to fly with a helicopter rescue crew and I have seen more than my fair share of bad accidents and dead victims. All I can say is it depends on you state of mind and how the accident effects you personally. Most I have forgot or rarely think about but there are a couple I will never forget.


----------



## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

I have seen/been around some bad motorcycle accidents where I wish I had not been out riding with guys. It is terrible and absolutly leaves an imprint. Everytime I see any type of accident, I always hope everyone is ok and then think that I hope their family and friends make it thru this tough time, if it be a person being hurt or killed. 

You have to focus your energy on hope and not draw into the anger. 

And when driving by an accident, do not look at it. I know its hard but just look forward, and do not slow down to look. I do not know why, but they seem to pull the victims out on the pavement here and cover them with a thin sheet.  Its a terrible imagine. Just try not to look is my best advice. Nothing good can come of it.


----------



## melbatoast (Aug 13, 2008)

Too late, I got way involved. I'm pretty certain I was the first to call for cops + ambulance and I was sitting with victims until long after the paramedics came. I think I checked my rearview as I pulled over and missed the ba$%ard driving away from the accidents s/he caused. 
So I go thru that, and later I know, there's absolutely nothing I can do to prevent another.
thanks for your reply.


----------



## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

Sorry to hear melbatoast, must have been pretty hard for you to see


----------



## melbatoast (Aug 13, 2008)

It WAS hard to see it, but the car flipped (and rolled?) directly in front of me, and from all the bangs and screaming brakes, I immediately thought "people will need first aid, I have to gather myself and give first aid as best I can." I guess time will give me some relief, but I HOLLERED at a taxi speeding thru Springs last night, so much so that the maid next door asked me if I was alright. I guess I wasn't.


----------



## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Being witness to a nasty accident is most unpleasant and can really knock a person's confidence on the roads. I have seen far too many here.

A couple of years ago the taxi I was in, on SZR, was hit by a speading Porche that then bounced into the central reservation andd burst into flames. The driver was dragged out, but I never found out if he survived. He had been driving at something like 180 km per hour (the selfish & reckless fool) and I was amazed at our driver's skill as we ought to have gone off the road and hit something. My husband and I were shaken and I had whiplash, but otherwise unscathed. I didn't drive for a week.

According to the insurance compnaies I deal with here, there are more expat death claims for traffic accidents than for anything else. By a significant margin. 

Be careful out there folks...

-


----------



## Vetteguy (Jan 3, 2010)

The old saying "Time heals all wounds" isn't always true but you learn to feel better
inside your own heart and mind...Hang in there kiddo just give it some time


----------



## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

That sounds horrific. I know probably it doesn't help a lot nor gives you much comfort, but it actually was a blessing for the victims of the accident that you were there to help them as much as you did. You did all you could have done and probably much more than the majority so you should feel proud for the way you handled the situation. Unfortunately pain and suffering are just a part of the human experience and the more we resist to that, the more we suffer. What happened happened and you did all you could have done. Hope you feel better soon xx


----------



## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

My female colleague was hit by a speeding driver, who then disappeared and was never found... The young girl was between life and death for 2 months, her face and neck require plastic surgery, which she probably can't afford so she just lives with it... She is driving again though... As said above, time heals... But just be careful when you drive... 
I still believe Dubai is not that bad as Moscow, the accidents I saw there are above common sense... Pregnant woman is hit by a drunk policeman and police is trying to hide the evidence until her family makes a big issue on the TV... 4 school kids are killed by a young lady who lost control over her car and hit the bus stop... Driver overslept while driving and killed a 4 years old girl crossing the street... And this happens daily... I never ever drove in Moscow, I prefer to take a taxi, close my eyes and sleep... Hope Dubai will never reach to that level...


----------



## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

Ella_and_Yousef said:


> ... Hope Dubai will never reach to that level...


It will if people insist on speeding and being irresponsible and thinking rules and laws don't apply to them because they are way too special and their errands are way too important or we all have to pay because they woke up late to go to work etc... :frusty:


----------



## wonderwoman (Nov 14, 2009)

it definitively shakes you up every time i take a taxi ride it scares me some of them drive recklessly try not to think to much on it hope you feel ok soon


----------



## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

jackcarlin said:


> it definitively shakes you up every time i take a taxi ride it scares me some of them drive recklessly try not to think to much on it hope you feel ok soon


If your driver is driving recklessly tell them to stop it and to drive sensibly. If they don't comply call the RTA and complain about it there and then. You just need the cab reference whch is painted on it. Quite often an awkward driver will behave as soon as he realises you are serious, as he will be fined for bad or dangerous driving by the RTA.

The RTA will deal with these issues, but the first thng is to tell the driver to be safe. Oh, and no tips for poor driving and tell then why. 

There are plenty of very pleasant and very nice taxi drivers, but as with anything, the bad ones spoil it for everyone.

-


----------



## jander13 (Mar 12, 2009)

I have been going on walks in downtown burj dubai area lately and then i really realized how terrifying it is. I get stressed out waiting at the lights to cross the street each time because those white/black range rovers are usually speeding down burj boulevard triple the speed limit. really dangerous being a pedestrian in Dubai.


----------



## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

Elphaba said:


> If your driver is driving recklessly tell them to stop it and to drive sensibly. If they don't comply call the RTA and complain about it there and then. You just need the cab reference whch is painted on it.
> 
> -



Well that may lead to the following:

I never understood why there are so many mentally unstable taxi drivers here.
I used to think it was because of the long hours, but many of them are doing quite well now, at least the RTA ones, and yet they have to kill someone over receivin directions.


_


DUBAI — A taxi driver has been referred to the Court of First Instance on the charge of assaulting a passenger with a heart condition and accidentally causing his death.

The arraignment sheet says that the Pakistani driver assaulted the Iraqi passenger, in his fifties, which caused his death in a police patrol vehicle later.

According to him, the Iraqi hailed a taxi driven by the defendant at a late hour. On the way, a brawl ensued between the two, following which they exchanged insults. The driver is said to have pulled the cab over to the roadside and traded blows with him.

*In his statement, the Pakistani alleged that the victim was trying to meddle in the way he was driving and giving him orders to go right and left.*_


----------



## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Tropicana said:


> Well that may lead to the following:
> 
> I never understood why there are so many mentally unstable taxi drivers here.
> I used to think it was because of the long hours, but many of them are doing quite well now, at least the RTA ones, and yet they have to kill someone over receivin directions.
> ...


One extreme case. 

You should always be polite to everyone. It amazes me that people just get in taxis without even saying hello.

If they are driing in a manner that you dislike, ask then to change it. Most will comply. If they don't tell them you will report them. You can also tell them to stop and get out if you are unhappy.

No point in people whining and complaining without attempting to improve the situation...

-

-


----------



## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

I've been here many years and have had a few bad experiences. Worst however was June last year, my 35 year old cousin was heading home after watching the 20/20 World Cup Final. A taxi driver jumped the red light and drove straight into his car killing him instantly. I'm always amazed at how people love to complain about bad driving, but not many people actually do something about it. It's only a matter of picking up the phone and giving the company the taxi's reference number. If everyone took the time, we could bring down the number of tragedies and save some families a lot of unncessary grief and heartache.


----------



## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

dizzyizzy said:


> It will if people insist on speeding and being irresponsible and thinking rules and laws don't apply to them because they are way too special and their errands are way too important or we all have to pay because they woke up late to go to work etc... :frusty:


Totally agree. Speed kills.

-


----------



## melbatoast (Aug 13, 2008)

When I take a taxi now, I say Hello first (agreed Elphaba, basic courtesy is, um, basic) then position with the driver the Honor/Shame thing, we must honor the speed limit, it is the law. THEN I mention I'll tip them well if they keep it around 100 on SZR. Once a decent tip is involved it seems to make a difference. (around 10%) 

Elph, my friend said the reason people don't stop here after an accident, is that awhile back they got blamed, or sued for blood money, when they tried to help. Does that still happen?


----------



## melbatoast (Aug 13, 2008)

pamela0810 said:


> I've been here many years and have had a few bad experiences. Worst however was June last year, my 35 year old cousin was heading home after watching the 20/20 World Cup Final. A taxi driver jumped the red light and drove straight into his car killing him instantly. I'm always amazed at how people love to complain about bad driving, but not many people actually do something about it. It's only a matter of picking up the phone and giving the company the taxi's reference number. If everyone took the time, we could bring down the number of tragedies and save some families a lot of unncessary grief and heartache.


Geez, Pamela0810, thats awful. I'm sorry that happened. And it shouldn't have. !!! ugh. Together with Elphaba's previous about the speeding Porsche-- horror. 

I remember a guy on here from before the credit crunch--he bragged about going so fast past speedcameras on SZR that he was never caught. He was from Canada, not a destiny culture--so you wonder how someone rationalizes that its okay to drive dangerously--


----------



## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

melbatoast said:


> Geez, Pamela0810, thats awful. I'm sorry that happened. And it shouldn't have. !!! ugh. Together with Elphaba's previous about the speeding Porsche-- horror.
> 
> I remember a guy on here from before the credit crunch--he bragged about going so fast past speedcameras on SZR that he was never caught. He was from Canada, not a destiny culture--so you wonder how someone rationalizes that its okay to drive dangerously--


It's terrible. I'm not sure if anyone will remember this but back in December 2006, there was a major accident on Sheikh Zayed Road right outside Mall of the Emirates, involving a bus and a mini-van. It happened very early in the morning and was all over the news. Traffic was held up for about 4 hours! I was about 3 months pregnant and the accident had just taken place about half an hour before we drove by. I remember seeing blood and dead bodies scattered all over the place...took me a very long time to recover!
Another incident I remember, was when an acquaintance got drunk at a wedding reception and she mistakenly reversed out of the petrol station straight on to the highway. Her car was hit by a truck and there was a 16 year old girl sitting at the back who is now paralyzed permanently. 
One thing I hate about Dubai is how people drive with their egos on the steering wheel. They think they are unbreakable!


----------



## sdh080 (Jan 20, 2010)

I was driving down Al Khail Road one day approaching one of the roundabouts near Al Quoz, as I drove across a car came from the right and plouged straight into the car in front of me.

Thankfully he hit the passenger side of the car and there was no-one in it, I still to this day have no idea what he was actually doing.


----------



## simon001 (May 5, 2010)

Hi folks,

I am moving to Dubai from the UK in August with my wife and three kids, i have been before and
was aware of the driving situation, i have always used taxis and never driven. After reading some of 
the posts on here it has really stopped me in my tracks. Is it as bad as i imagine from reading your
experiences, do i really want to put my family at risk or maybe i will just have to buy a Hummer.

Simon


----------



## jamin (Jan 6, 2010)

Here, here simon001. It just sounds terrible what you guys are having to encounter on Dubai's roads. Me too am moving in August with kiddies and husband. Has the metro not relived any of the craziness in the commute belts?


----------



## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

simon001 said:


> Hi folks,
> 
> I am moving to Dubai from the UK in August with my wife and three kids, i have been before and
> was aware of the driving situation, i have always used taxis and never driven. After reading some of
> ...


Common, there are bad drivers and accidents everywhere in the world... it's not that bad, but yes, you need to learn the rules and the roads... once you start to drive you will learn which roads are better/safer than the others and you will also learn to stay away from taxi drivers, dirty cars (cuz they don't see where they are driving) and drivers who talk on the phone (that's fatal)... Many people have a good driving experience here... but yes, 4x4 is better to my own taste


----------



## melbatoast (Aug 13, 2008)

Simon & Jamin, I think responses came forward that tried to sympathise with my original post. 
Traffic is not all horror here; traffic accidents with injuries EVERYWHERE are horror. 
And we all like a good venting. 
IMHO, its not as bad as India or Cairo (if you've been to either you know what I mean), and you have to drive defensively. If you are truly concerned, why not take a defensive driving course before you com?. Its how I drive, and it could be why I witnessed the accident closely, but was not involved.


----------



## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

I drive to AUH every day and I have seen my fair share of accidents, including a few dead bodies in the middle of the road. After a while, you just stop feeling anything! The bad accidents shakes you up but considering that the chances of meeting a similar accident further up the road are so high, you can't really afford to let it affect you for an extended period of time - you just have to keep your eyes on the road and make sure that you do not become a victim yourself.

Whilst speed definitely kills, so does driving way too slow. I get more annoyed with the idiots that pull into the fast lane at 80km/hr and seem to think nothing of it!!! Even the queue of cars slamming on their brakes to avoid them does not seem to awaken one brain cell for them to actually realise that they nearly caused a pile up! I actually had one idiotic driver who did just that in front on me and he was subsequently pulled over by the police. Even took him a while to realise that the police was ordering him to stop! He must have been doing about 60km/hr on a motorway!!!!

Then we have the pedestrian that treat the motorway like their living room and simply decide to run across it whenever they feel like it!

I think that both drivers and pedestrians in this country have absolutely no idea about road safety and traffic laws! I simply prefer to driver myself as opposed to using a taxi - at least my life is in my own hands and provided that I do not do anything stupid, I have a good chance of getting to my destination in one piece! Most of the taxis that I have used simply stink and the drivers drive like idiots, get offended when you tell them to slow down and then on top of it all, demand a tip and that's after my poor ear drums have taken a bashing from all the complaints about their life and whatever else they care to moan about on that particular journey. I've even gone so far as to ask a taxi driver to shut since my deadly silence did not even give him a clue that I wasn't particularly interested to listening to his rants whilst he attempted to kill me with his reckless driving!

My two pence!


----------



## wonderwoman (Nov 14, 2009)

yea i agree with you you get bad drivers in any country if you are a driver then you are responsible for following the laws of thr road


----------



## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

I have told numerous taxi drivers to drive more carefully. Some listen, others brush it off laughing.

My favorite one was a Pakistani tribal who told me "We Pathans are not afraid of speed or anything else, other people like Indians and Europeans are too cowardly to drive at speed".


----------



## Mohammeddin (Feb 24, 2010)

Yap. Taxi drivers are very fast. The faster they drive the more clients they get...


----------



## melbatoast (Aug 13, 2008)

Mohammed, that is not correct. two reasons--one, there isn't always a next fare "ready & waiting" so speed doesn't matter. two, drive too fast for conditions, and you have an accident! GAME OVER! I object to going over the speed limit and tailgating, all which put ME in danger as a passenger--that's not right, because my requirement is to get from A to B SAFELY!! if a taxi driver "fish where the fish are" -- to to the right place to get fares-- he will not suffer from driving responsibly. if a taxi driver is always in a queue --he's not trying. Many times I left my office at Emaar square and there were lots of us needing a taxi--but none around.


----------



## Mohammeddin (Feb 24, 2010)

melbatoast said:


> Mohammed, that is not correct. two reasons--one, there isn't always a next fare "ready & waiting" so speed doesn't matter. two, drive too fast for conditions, and you have an accident! GAME OVER! I object to going over the speed limit and tailgating, all which put ME in danger as a passenger--that's not right, because my requirement is to get from A to B SAFELY!! if a taxi driver "fish where the fish are" -- to to the right place to get fares-- he will not suffer from driving responsibly. if a taxi driver is always in a queue --he's not trying. Many times I left my office at Emaar square and there were lots of us needing a taxi--but none around.


Agree with you. I just explained why they use fast driving... As for me I always ask the driver not to be in a hurry


----------

