Excerpts from article appear below.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/traff ... h-1.803532
Safe to assume that this is his view of the Western mindset:
Those with a guilt-innocence mind-set assume that everyone knows and follows the rules. They would, for example, never change the lane at the last minute or expect others to do it either. They would leave the prescribed two-car space between vehicles so there is enough room to wedge into the highway.
Here I think he is suggesting that Westerners need to make some adjustments:
But such an approach may not always work in countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa as cultural values revolve round a sense of shame and honour, where relationships matter and the rules of engagement are more flexible. "Wanting to get your way with another driver here may require that you take permission, play the underdog by making eye contact, using your hands or nodding your head," says Blankenburgh.
Here he identifies where we, and every other expat, apparently go wrong:
On the one hand, says Blankenburgh, is the driving sense that each person brings from his own country. On the other are the local rules which are often misinterpreted. What we need is an acceptable form of behaviour, a ‘third culture', to reduce accidents, he adds.
Having given his views on what would be considered Western thinking, he suggests:
Asked whether drivers with Western licences, who automatically get a driving licence in the UAE, should also have to take driving classes, he said, "Protocol standards taught through driving tests do help. But our attitudes are psychological, emotional and cultural. There has to be a more common agreement on what is acceptable on the roads."
I certainly don't want to alter my driving skills/mind set to the local rules that are "misinterpreted" and learn the "protocol standards". *Vision: bodies all over SZR!!!*
