Driving in Kuwait

Ha ha ha. What a question and where to start. But let's just agree to these few fundamental observations. Rules of the road are only guidelines and indicators on cars are a factory fitted optional extra that were obviously never opted for. Moving between lanes must be done when ever you feel like it and you are not allowed to use mirrors.
Roundabouts. Ha ha. Always enter the roundabout on the left lane to go right and visa versa.
Stick to these basic rules and you can't fail

I'd say it's a bit scary. Many people drive like they don't care about their cars or others. There is barely any signaling when changing lanes or turning. Many "pushy" drivers, which kind of explains many of the accidents here.
Honestly, in Kuwait it's better to have a car that you can easily "sacrifice" than something you hold dear. Most people I've met have been involved in at least a fender bender or two.
In Salmyia and Kuwait city, traffic is a problem. Bumper to bumper and it takes ages to barely move. Then, there's parking... Good luck with that in the weekends.
Other things that are worrying in Kuwait: lack of pedestrian crossings and lack of general interest to road safety. I've seen many cars with children inside and no child seats. They weren't even sitting down, and the cars were moving...
I don't know. Maybe I complain too much about this, but I'm just not used to it.

Feel free to get a Jeep, fill it with bouncing children, then spend your time texting while driving at 100 kmh.

My first experience of driving in kuwait was the taxi driver spending 5 minutes talking on his phone...without his hands on the wheel for a lot of the journey.
Thats enough of the true horror stories.  I'll just echo the advice i've been given by people that have been here longer than a month. When your driving on the motorways, or 3 lane road, always stay in the middle lane. People under take and over take constantly. The turnings off can  be very sharp, causing either lane to come to a stand still unexpectedly until you know the area.
The speed bumps... you HAVE to learn where these are otherwise you can cause yourself some serious damage. They aren't sign posted very well or at all..

There is ZERO tolerance for pedestrians, in fact you have almost the feeling that the motorists are hunting you down as they increase the speed when you attempt to cross the road, some intersections do not even have traffic lights for pedestrians. To be a pedestrian in Q* is a live threatening event.....LOL

norbertblum wrote:

To be a pedestrian in Q* is a live threatening event.....LOL

Being a driver is just the same.

The way they drive in kuwait was so dangerous they drive like crasy people they didn't respect the other peoples lives or any nationalities.  They think they are kings  of the road and they doesn't mind if they will make any accident I'm not saying all of Kuwaiti  are bad but some of them.and some are good they respect tthe other people. Hope at least they think the safety for them and safety for the other drivers as well and even those people who's just walking on the sideways of the roads. And don't use there mobiles while driving.

oh yeah, if you cant beat them, join them. I gave up trying and have adopted all the local driving skills. Having a 4x4 just gets me in and out of car parks so easily. I think i only had to apologize to the police once for bouncing over pavements. When in Rome, as they say.

Different groups have different shortcomings.  One group is arrogant and aggressive, another is unsure and overly cautious the local traffic police should be the equalizer but they are non-existent.  Cameras don't stop reckless driving.  Parking enforcement is non-existent.  Some areas are so congested that anyone requiring ambulance service will surly die due to the inability to access.  Why are parking regulations violated...because of self servicing comfortably.  Access for emergency vehicles is obstructed because someone doesn't want to walk.  A complete renovation and restructuring of the traffic department is required.  Emergency service providers should be polled for actual conditions and changes prioritized to suit.

BIG JOCK wrote:

oh yeah, if you cant beat them, join them. I gave up trying and have adopted all the local driving skills. Having a 4x4 just gets me in and out of car parks so easily. I think i only had to apologize to the police once for bouncing over pavements. When in Rome, as they say.

Even though it might be an easier path to take, I don't think it is right to contribute to the chaos on the roads.

When I driving in a renting white Mitsubishi lancer I have the feeling that every body like to Kill me !!
Now I driving my Volvo CX90 and feel me save. Also big Busses wil stop for me !!

But I know when I going back to the Netherlands I go for Jail !! because its unaccepted in the Netherlands how I must driving Here in Kuwait !

Ribosom wrote:

BIG JOCK wrote:

oh yeah, if you cant beat them, join them. I gave up trying and have adopted all the local driving skills. Having a 4x4 just gets me in and out of car parks so easily. I think i only had to apologize to the police once for bouncing over pavements. When in Rome, as they say.

Even though it might be an easier path to take, I don't think it is right to contribute to the chaos on the roads.

I cant argue with you there. But it is only the odd car park infringement. And i do park in a space and not in the front door of the mall :-) I do have, believe it or not, an advanced driving certificate from Britain, a defensive driving certificate from the American and British Military, and a competitive racing licence from Croatia. You think i would be the last person condoning anything out here. But as I said, you wont beet the system here, and trying to will drive you mad to the point of gesticulating rather badly to the wrong person. Hence the reason I go with the flow. If not it would be road rage all day long and that only gets me a fast track to the airport.

Hi,
On the whole, road etiquette is ignored, rules are not obeyed, and give way at junctions become filter feeds!
On the plus side, most drivers do avoid pedestrians, and give way to them!

1) Stay a way from the last left lane even if you are driving a Ferrari.
2) Always watch your right even if you are on the right lane.
3) Do not go slower than 100 on Highway.
4) Leave the maximum possible distance with the car in front.
5) Leave the maximum possible distance with the car behind.

ogulsev wrote:

4) Leave the maximum possible distance with the car in front.
5) Leave the maximum possible distance with the car behind.

I found out this is the frustrating exercise in futility even though it is probably the single most common cause for accidents.
The moment you try to keep a minimum safe distance from the car in front of you, someone will cut in between you and the car. Then you pull back, and another one jumps in....eventually you will end up going backwards.
Unfortunately there is no way to make sure there is a safe distance between you and the cars around you, so the best you do it hope there will be no unexpected event taking place on the road in front of you and always have an exit strategy in case there is one.

Wow...!

An experience is all I can say!

Taxi drivers on the whole represent some sort of kamikaze movement and the huge white 4x4 brigade do their best to climb over every vehicle in their way.

Apart from that all good and seen just as bad in both London and Manchester.

Be vigilant out there.. 😳

Not sure if it's incredibly arrogant Kuwaiti citizens or if it's expats.....I'm sure it's both. .But every time I drove in Kuwait I would get tailgated on the highway at 120 kph.  People would get 12 inches from my rear bumper.....
I think 10-15 times during the 12 months I lived there I would slam on my brakes when people did this.  Every time they would go out of control and almost every time their car would spin out or slide sideways.  2 times I made these idiots lose control and they hit the wall in the median.  A Mercedes and a Porsche Cayen......haha.  Too bad for those idiots.
Morons in Kuwait drive like idiots and deserve to crash.  Also....when there's heavy traffic and these idiots like to drive 120 kph in the far left emergency stop lane........I put my car halfway into that lane so nobody can pass.  I have had 15 cars lined up honking their horns trying to get by.....lol.....nope, they get to wait just like the rest of us.

Where to start.

Driving training is limited. Even the instructors break the rules and teach students to drive badly. Learning to drive in Kuwait is essentially how to use the accelerator, brake and horn. Position, road safety, courtesy, parking,  etc. are not taught.  So there are drivers on the road are starting off ignorant.  Which makes the licensing process a joke. Its basically how much do you pay 400-1200 KWD.

Laws are not imposed. A fine could easily be overturned especially if you are Kuwaiti or know somebody. Rules do not apply. I have seen rules broken in-front of the police and no care.

Driving in the desert and off-road does not help when on the road.

The roads are designed poorly in terms of on ramps, off ramps, intersections, etc.  Though there have been some improvement on newer routes.

Following safe driving practices are possible in Kuwait but there are only a few other drivers who do the same.  I used to time when and where we go to avoid traffic.  The bigger vehicle the right of way except, trucks. One has to be aggressively safe and not afraid to argue with another driver. Be aware that some drivers are on drugs so there can be serious altercations (one guy I knew experienced an accident with a drugged out driver first hand and the police was no help).  There are lots of idiots on the road but controlling one own safe driving helps. I know guys who spent over 5 years in Kuwait and no accident.

Others will scratch your car in parking lot. I have had a few. 

Driving in Kuwait is a challenge especially if you are a safety conscious driver. One has be prepared to be a bit aggressive and allow idiots the right of way especially when they are overtaking on the left had shoulder at 160 km/hr plus.

There is much much more.

If a human being doesn't naturally know that tailgating at 120 kph is bad.....or using the emergency lane to speed by stopped traffic with inches between the cars......then you have defective human beings.  And that's the problem. 
It's arrogance and the fact that these people are truly stupid human beings.  These are the same idiots that stand up on the airliner when it still has not stopped moving.  These are the same losers that TRY to walk up and cut in front of you in line at the grocery store .....dish-dash or not, that shit never worked with me, I've told many Kuwaitis to get their ass in line......
These are the same dirtbags that let their little animal children throw rocks and water bottles at the animals at the Kuwait Zoo.  The loser expat employees don't say anything to them....they are scared of these people I guess. 
But the driving........yea, even a monkey would understand they should not drive like the Kuwaitis do......and some of the moron expats.

Roundabouts.  Assume that all the other lanes around you are going to take a racing line to get around it.

There is a round about in mahboula that I am currently avoiding. Several mile detours to avoid it infact.

I'll try to bring a different perspective...

This being my 2nd time in Kuwait, I never realized how badly I drove until I left Kuwait. My 2 other international relocations taught me a lot of patience (especially Nairobi - anyone who has sat in rush hour on Mombasa Rd will understand).

I cannot add any more tips than already mentioned. However, I make it a point to adhere to the (official) rules now, like someone said, I don't want to contribute to the chaos. Another reason (more importantly) is the amount of road rage. I am constantly amazed at how much risk we put ourselves and others at because of this. Imagine a crazed guy your blocking or racing against, not given the parking to doing something drastic - its happened before! That one moment of poor judgement, and you or your loved ones have to suffer for the rest of your/their lives. Not worth it.

Much more chillaxed on the roads and will give way to almost anyone and will wait my turn. Can't guarantee you won't get into an accident, but hey... you can't wish for everything!

Cheers

Especially I love driving during Ramadan right before sundown!

And once more ... hmmmmm, let's say it again... if your thin skinned, don't read this! ...lol   

This subject is brought up and referred to 'frequently' on this forum ... and one of my favorites 

That said, I'm just going to do a cut and past (slightly edited) from one of my previous posts.


First ... one short snippet on ‘traffic' (as opposed to ‘driving') ... if every expat here in Kuwait had the ability to obtain a license, a vehicle, and get on the road… you wouldn't be able to drive around this country because it doesn't have the infrastructure (physically nor in planning) to support the actual population base in driving… this is a ‘fact' that people here in the government have been discussing for quite sometime and relates directly to a lot of their licensing and peripheral policy making.

A little bit of statistical data…

Houston Texas  (as a western reference) in 2012 had 183 fatalities (with a population base of about 4m of which about 2.9m are licensed drivers), with another 211 fatalities in 2013… now, add those numbers together and you get about the normal ‘reported' vehicle fatalities in Kuwait each year …  this being a country with a lesser total population base and less then 1/3 the licensed drivers … so in summary your looking a basically double the fatalities annually with a third of the licensed drivers, or 6 times the simplified rate being reference (and that's based on reporting).  Now, what a lot of people don't know is how the statistics are skewed in reference to international standards (and Kuwait's not the only country doing this … no one really wants to look ‘too' bad) … western reporting encompasses all fatalities “vehicle related” … this includes pedestrian related and injures resulting from vehicle accidents … here in Kuwait (statistically) pedestrian strikes resulting in fatalities, and injuries incurred in an accident resulting in a fatality are not counted in the reporting. 
Example … your driving along at 120 in a posted 80 section of coast road and a pedestrian trying to catch their bus runs out in front of you resulting in your knocking them 40 meters in the air killing them pretty much instantly… you in turn freak out loosing control of your vehicle slamming into to two other vehicles one of which has five kids ranging from 2 to 12 playing around un-seatbelted in the backseat … as emergency personnel arrive they find yourself, one child, and one other adult dead on scene… one other child dies on the way to the hospital… one more child and two adults die in the hospital over the following weeks.  In the western cultures this accident is reported as resulting in 8 vehicle related fatalities (1 pedestrian, 3 kids, and 4 adults) … in Kuwait it's statistically reported as 3 vehicle related fatalities (those originally in the vehicles and died on scene) … the pedestrian has their own reporting category … those who died on the way to or after arriving at the hospital are categorized as dying of “medical complications” … lol
An acquaintance of mine who works at a subject based ministry and deals with this data told me in ‘his opinion' that there are probably 2.5 times the deaths in this country that should be statistically reported differently then they are in order to be comparably aliened to its international counterparts… based on this knowledge you could now assess 15 times the rate as opposed to the 6.  (The Kuwait government themselves said in 2012 that the country had broken some sort of worlds record regarding fatalities on roadways per capita… although in defense reading the description provided I never did understand the formula used and or how it related to any documented record)

Another observation… how do I expect a person who was not ‘raised' in a driving ‘mandated' culture and has spent little to no time in environments comparable to western expectations to even know what safe driving practices look like.   The majority of the drivers in this country (expats) came here not knowing how to drive and learned driving by examples and processes with Kuwait itself.  A lot of the driving styles here came from places like India, Egypt, and the Philippines (and many other places I'm sure) … and at the risk of offending ‘again', I have driven in all three places and can tell you by first hand experience that they represent 'some' of the worst driving environments in the world… and when you take the habits learned from these places and then introduce the ‘speed' that is considered acceptable by those who are simply video gamers calling themselves good drivers because they haven't died ‘yet'… you get one of the most tragically dangerous road environments in the world – "Kuwait". 

And lets talk about one other local trait that exists that allows all this to take place… “lack of accountability”  …the locals deny a problem exists… lets not go down the path of excessive speed, lack of seatbelts, no car seats, texting, talking on cells, general disrespect (cutting in q's), stopping in the middle of the road, parking in through lanes (double parking in through lanes), running lights,  pedestrians that ‘just' want to walk into traffic, kids throwing things at traffic, no ‘real' enforcement of traffic laws, men chasing women in the cars playing cat and mouse games while all these other things are happening around them.  No, no… it all comes down to one thing here… if something happens and someone get killed, it's really no ones fault and no ones responsible for it (unless you're an expat)… it was simply … yeah, yeah … I'm going to say it … “Inshallah”  (this is not meant as a religious slur, I simply see this phrase as a too often used cop-out from people being held accountable for their own stupidity)

Have a fabulous week! 

LOL I think thats what the Syrian Airforce officers did (blocking) also recently and he got shot by Bashar's cousin...........so better be carefull