Driving in Kuwait #4 - "When Does Stop Really Mean Stop"

Good morning! We enjoyed a lovely weekend full of 120 degree days...this is only the second 2-day weekend that BJ has had in the 4 months that we have been here, so we definitely enjoyed the time off together. Friday was a cookout with friends...it was unbelievably hot, but we had such a good time!! BJ may not have enjoyed it as much as I did, since he was in charge of the grill while I was inside in the air conditioning...but I sure did have fun! :-) Saturday was a low-key day just spent exploring a little in the morning and relaxing in the afternoon.

So today's driving blog is titled "When Does Stop Really Mean Stop?" There are a few rules that you learn quickly here when being handed the keys to a car. Actually, there are a LOT of rules that you learn quickly, otherwise you will be in an accident before leaving the parking lot.

But one of the most important is when you DO and when you DO NOT stop. You DO stop at all red lights!! Kuwaitis do not. It is illegal to run stop lights (as it is everywhere), and this is one law that the Kuwaitis actually enforce with vigor...if it is broken by a non-Kuwaiti. The fines are extremely expensive for this one...apparently they did start to notice the number of fatalities occuring due to the running of red lights. And you don't get a ticket that just requires paying the fine, you get the joy of going to court and getting yelled at by the Kuwaiti judge because you are endangering the lives of his countrymen. I pray to God I don't get a ticket, because it will be very hard for me to bite my tongue and not explain to him the endangering of lives his countrymen throw my way each and every day. I will then be given a tour of a Kuwaiti jail, with no exit, and BJ has promised that he will NOT be getting me out for fear of being thrown in because he is my spouse.

You DO NOT stop at any stop signs...EVER. If you do, chances are really high that you will get rear-ended, and this will also be your fault if you are a non-Kuwaiti. Now, it will also be your fault if you pull straight out without stopping at a stop sign and hit a Kuwaiti, so you are basically gambling on the lesser of 2 evils when debating this one. Trust me, chances are actually much higher that you will get hit stopping than if you just close your eyes and pull straight out. You will hear horns blaring, but you probably won't actually hit anyone. The best solution (at least in my opinion...this is what I do), is to TAP the brakes and do a calculated yield. So far, so good...but no promises that this will work all the time.

Again, good times on the roads of Kuwait!!