6 Unwritten Rules Of the Roads

If you're new to driving in the UAE, you may have noticed there's a curious use of car signals people use to indicate certain things. A highway code that's almost like an unspoken language! Let's break down six of the most popular.

1. Leaving the left or right indicator on while driving in the fast lane

What motorists mean: Leaving the right indicator on is to inform the driver behind you that you'll move out of the way when it's safe. For example, someone's flashed their high beams at you to move but you can't. The right indicator lets them you'll move when it's safe. On the other hand, leaving the left indicator on is the complete opposite. You're essentially telling the driver you have no intention of pulling over. This could be for safety or any other reason.

2. Flashing headlights to force a vehicle to give way

What motorists mean: Cue the *aggression*. Primarily used in the fast lane, this method is to tell the driver in front to get out of the way. The quicker the flashes, well we can all guess what that means.

3. Sudden braking when a car gets too close

What motorists mean: Often followed by the flashing headlights, there are a certain set of dangerous drivers that will swing in front of another person and pump their brakes. Letting you know that they're pretty angry you didn't get out of their way. This is an incredibly menacing tactic and those that do it will be slapped with a fine for "driving dangerously in a manner that endangers others' lives".

4. Driving too close to a car in front is a classic form of intimidation

What motorists mean: This is another form of intimidation, albeit a little less aggressive, to get drivers in front to move out of the way by tailgating until they submit. Do this and you will get a fine for "not leaving enough distance behind vehicles".

5. Using the windscreen's water jets to drown out the tailgaters

What motorists mean: This method is used to inform the car behind you that you're not happy with their driving. The idea is that if you hit the water jets while traveling at a high speed, the water will fly over your car and hit the windscreen of the car behind, forcing them to brake. This is dangerous because it could lead to a sudden stop and cause an accident. Our question is, WHO THOUGHT OF THIS?

6. Indicating left or right once, then indicating left or right again

What motorists mean: This isn't the most common, but it's meant to be a sharp clap back to being flashed from behind in the fast lane and means, "Nope I'm not moving".

We hope this gives you a little insight into motor etiquette in the UAE. Let us know if there's any we've missed in the comments.