7 skills you learn as a driver in Arab cities

Driving in Arab cities is not for the faint-hearted.

It’s a task that requires a great deal of energy, maneuvering, cunning and calculating. But if you are an experienced driver who racked up enough mileage on the roads of Cairo, Beirut, Dubai or Riyadh ... then you must have acquired some of these key skills:

You become so aware of other drivers around you and you start predicting their next moves. This skill allows you to block them and stop them from cutting you off.

You develop a very stern poker face that sends this message to fellow drivers: “I can see that you are signaling to go left but I’m going to keep ignoring you and not letting you through.”

Drivers in Arab cities have mastered the art of calculating exactly how many millimeters separate them from hitting other cars’ bumpers and therefore, avoiding accidents.

Who needs binkers when you can stick your hand out of the window to explain where you want to go (let me go right) or what you want to say (no, this is MY parking spot) or what you want to do (I’m going to make you regret putting your hand on that horn!!)

We’ve all spotted them on the roads: the drivers who push the seat backwards as far as it goes then place a shoeless foot on the dashboard while driving 180 km per hour ... Because if you're gonna blaze a trail, you've also gotta lay back and watch.

No car journey is complete today without a Snapchat dog filter and a detailed account of your day thoroughly documented on all social media platforms.

It's true that the Arab world is no stranger to danger, but nothing quite makes death flash before our eyes quite like the Arab highway. Terror groups be damned!