Driving my Jeep JK through Sharjah in the UAE yesterday with number 2 son (21) in the front passenger seat when an idiot pulls out from a parking space on my nearside right in front of me, no indication or anything. I brake hard, ABS cuts in and the only way to avoid a rear end shunt is to swerve to the offside which I do. Car following then ploughs into my offside wing and bumper. We all stop and nobody is injured. Call the police (you have to for every accident in the UAE) who duly arrive and we all troop of to the local police station. Everybody is talking in Arabic and the speed of their conversation makes it impossible with my limited linguistic ability to understand what they are saying.
Eventually I have my say and tell the investigating cop what happened. He then tells me that I have two options – pay a 200Dirham fine (£35) or elect a court hearing in which case they will confiscate my passport until the case is heard (2 months plus waiting time). Why should I pay a fine I ask – reply, ‘You changed lanes without indication,’ (when I swerved to avoid the car that had pulled out in front of me!) What should I have done I ask, ‘Ran into the back of the other car.’ Result of that would have been 2 totalled vehicles and possible injuries. I then ask what if it had been a person who had stepped out in front of me and not a car, reply ‘Knocked them over to avoid a fine.’
So with a heavy sigh I pay the 200Dirhams just to keep my passport as I will be returning to the UK next month and if you’ve ever been in a foreign country without your passport immediately available you will know how uncomfortable that can feel.
Oh and during this charade at the police station a guy at the counter next to us, also reporting a traffic collision collapses on the floor hitting his head on the way down. I jump up and start to assist him but am told by the cop (with a holstered gun) to leave him as, ‘He will be OK.’ The guy is comatose on the floor for about 30 minutes before anyone does anything to assist. He could be dead now for all I know.
So when we complain about the boys in blue in our respective countries give a thought to what goes on elsewhere and just be grateful....!
Eventually I have my say and tell the investigating cop what happened. He then tells me that I have two options – pay a 200Dirham fine (£35) or elect a court hearing in which case they will confiscate my passport until the case is heard (2 months plus waiting time). Why should I pay a fine I ask – reply, ‘You changed lanes without indication,’ (when I swerved to avoid the car that had pulled out in front of me!) What should I have done I ask, ‘Ran into the back of the other car.’ Result of that would have been 2 totalled vehicles and possible injuries. I then ask what if it had been a person who had stepped out in front of me and not a car, reply ‘Knocked them over to avoid a fine.’
So with a heavy sigh I pay the 200Dirhams just to keep my passport as I will be returning to the UK next month and if you’ve ever been in a foreign country without your passport immediately available you will know how uncomfortable that can feel.
Oh and during this charade at the police station a guy at the counter next to us, also reporting a traffic collision collapses on the floor hitting his head on the way down. I jump up and start to assist him but am told by the cop (with a holstered gun) to leave him as, ‘He will be OK.’ The guy is comatose on the floor for about 30 minutes before anyone does anything to assist. He could be dead now for all I know.
So when we complain about the boys in blue in our respective countries give a thought to what goes on elsewhere and just be grateful....!
Liverpool