The Jeep Cherokee Sport

Before I start this post, I'd like to go back a few years to something that Allie told me once when I was working in Central PA. She said: "I can tell how bored you are by your incredibly up-to-date blog." Well get ready, everyone, 'cause December is here, the students are gone, and I've been saving up stuff to say. Now, onto today's post. About....

MY NEW CAR!!!

I bought my wonderful little Jeep about a month ago, and it still has the new car smell :-) I got it because my rental car was a tiny little car, and everytime I entered a roundabout, I was pretty sure I was going to get smushed between a Land Cruisar and a construction vehicle. It can go over construction instead of around it, and now I can get to Dunkin Donuts (and various other places) by going over the dirt and rocks, which is much faster than the road. Also, it is much cheaper to buy than to rent it. So yay, I have a new car!

Unfortunately, I am now driving an SUV in a country that has never even heard of emissions standards, let alone implemented any. I'm gonna be driving a hybrid for the rest of my life to make up for this one.

I also thought this might be a good opportunity to explain some stuff about driving in Qatar. I'll probably get pulled over at least once a week for a month or so when I return to driving in the States. Here goes:

1. The Land Cruisar Phenomenon. The creme de la creme of vehicles in Qatar. The must-have of everyone who is anyone. The only way to start a list of "things to know about driving in Qatar." This Toyota SUV is made for taking on desert dunes and picking up otherwise respectable women. If you aren't driving one, just get out of its way.

2. The roundabout.
One of the bigger roundabouts in Doha, very close to Education City.





These exist instead of intersections at most places, and at first they are very daunting. There are literally hundreds of them all over the city, and you simply pull into them when no one is coming, and then exit at your "turn." Cars on the left (the inside) have the right of way. This is convenient when you don't know your exact road, because you can go around the roundabout until you figure out which to take, but it also causes a lot of accidents because many people forget to yield to the person on their inside, and there are a lot of quick speed ups and slow downs.

3. Left turns. Are impossible to make anywhere in the country, unless you want to take your car over the median that exists in the center of every road. If you want to go left, you either have to make three rights or go to the next intersection and make a U-turn. This is usually ok, but if you are running late or there's traffic, its a huge pain in the butt.

4. Intersections. The intersections that do exist have at least two lanes for going straight, one for going right, and two for going left. There is enough space for this because they all used to be roundabouts. There are two lanes for going left because the one on the far left is actually the U-turn lane (see Number 2.) When making a U-turn, one gets in the far left lane and uses the turn signal. When actually turning left, one gets in the center-left lane and does not use the turn signal, lest someone think that you are trying to make a U-turn from the center-left lane. All of this can be moot, as I have seen many people make U-turns from the far right lane, but its usually your best bet for avoiding accidents.

5. Getting lost. It happens all the time. Doha has possibly the worst urban planning I have ever seen. The concept is ok. The port is a half-circle, and the roads are built in concentric circles around the port, with other intersecting roads appearing as spokes to the wheel. Fine. Unfortunately, as the city got more crowded, they started adding half-circles and partial spokes all over the city and now its a big ol' mess. Take lots of gas with you whenever you go out, especially into the old part of town.

6. Accidents. Qatar has the highest per capita rate of injuries sustained in car accidents in the world. However, because so many of them happen at very low speeds in the roundabouts, the rate of death is much much lower. When you have an accident (and we always say "when," not "if" in Doha) you must first call the police. Even for fender-benders, because shops can't do any repair work without a police order. If you've colided with a Qatari man, just be quiet. Its your fault.
6a. There are a few things you can do to avoid accidents: (a) don't hit the person in front of you, and in turn, the person behind you will try not to hit you, (b) always yield to the bigger or more expensive car, and (c) always be on the lookout for someone behind you speeding and flashing their headlights. when this happens, switch lanes as soon as possible so they can pass you without being inconvenienced by switching lanes. even when in a hurry, don't actually do this yourself... it makes you an asshole.
6b. If one hits a pedestrian or cyclist, the fines are directly proportional to the nationality (i.e. social status) of that individual. In order of most expensive to least, this is: Qatari, other Arab or Western expat, Phillipino service industry employee, Indian skilled worker, Nepali or Indian construction worker.

7. All traffic laws are negotiable if you are a Qatari in a Land Cruisar.