Driving aggressive but motorists strictly follow rules- Doha Notebook 25
An expressway in Qatar.
What you need to know:
- It is common to see aggressive driving on the roundabouts and junctions
- Qatar was ranked 113th in the world by Fifa when they won the rights to host the 2010 World Cup, and had never qualified for the tournament before
- In Qatar, the police are dressed in black from head to toe
Driving aggressive but motorists strictly follow rules
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Cars here are left-hand drive and driving is on the right side of the road. Residents tend to drive hard -- hard accelerating, hard braking, and aggressively protect their right of way. However, they strictly follow the Highway Code. Right of way is right of way. It is common to see aggressive driving on the roundabouts and junctions. As long as the driver has right of way, no one will try to force through against that road rule as is common in Kenya. No matter the hour or vehicles on the road, drivers never, ever jump a red light. It helps that there are street cameras monitoring traffic 24/7.
Men in Black: Must be the Qatar Police
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Tanzania police dress in white. Ugandan ones in brown and some patterned blue hue, and are dreaded for their ferocity. Kenya police wear a screaming blue colour that deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, disparagingly described as, “colour of Women's Guild”. In Qatar, the police are dressed in black from head to toe. Many are rather young, but look menacing if you are up to no good. Squad cars, by contrast, are white in colour. The vehicles are big, beautiful and powerful looking Audi Q8 SUVs that would make you consider applying for a police job here if you were a petrol head. Crime here is a rarity.
A perspective on Qatar football in 2010
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Qatar was ranked 113th in the world by Fifa when they won the rights to host the 2010 World Cup, and had never qualified for the tournament before. The furthest the team had progressed in the AFC Asian Cup was to its first knockout round (quarterfinals) in 2000. The biggest trophy the team had won was the Arabian Gulf Cup twice -- as hosts. Qatar, in 2010, had a permanent population of less than one million people, less than the 1.7 million population of Uruguay in 1930, when they hosted the tournament. Qatar is the smallest country to host the World Cup.
