Accident
Well after twenty years of driving, I have just had my first accident in my life which happens to be in Qatar.
A Qatari lady decided to stop her car adjacent to the central reservation, essentially in the middle of the road. Her friend, a passenger in the back sear decided to step out of the car not towards the central reservation but into the middle of the road. Unfortuanately for me she swung the door open into passing traffic and I happended to be passing at the time. I caught her door down the side of my car.
Fortuantly she admitted liability and I am not at fault. However, she did not have to hang around for the police or go to the police station to explain what happended. This was left to the lady drivers husband. As the passenger and having caused the accident, she calmly crossed the road and got into her s-class mercedes.
The insurance system here is rather backwards. No replacement car, 20% materials cost, no pick up no nothing. In some senses you are better off holding your policy with a decent insurer and taking responsibilty for any mishaps. At least you may get to go to a decent body shop. So what if you have to pay the deductible?
welcome to Doha-
this country WANTS to be modern, up and coming, forward thinking. but doesn't quite get it!!
2005 Honda City....
I had a nice Jeep but I was like...
I don't need to impress anyone...
I just need to survive...
Money is safer in the bank than on the road in doha...
Am I wrong???
\You can't teach experience
Vegas said:
I had a nice Jeep but I was like...
I don't need to impress anyone...
That is so true, that no one is impress. Except your own imagination. It must be your own mind daydreaming.
and my first accident was in Qatar too...I needed to take the service road, but the guy just didn't want to let me change the lane and to let me out.. i think i hit him on purpose...:)..
When I came to Qatar I was shocked by the amount of damaged cars on the roads: scratches, broken lights, damaged doors…
..bug, poolplan, what is that? ..pick up… decent body shop… what r u talking about? It’s not UK, mate!
Once back in Canada, some girl hit my car from behind.. it was not major damage.. but couple of days later the rep of my insurance company came to MY OFFICE, brought the insurance papers for my signature, gave me the Insurance’s car, drove my car away to the garage. One week later she returned my car the same way. No trips to the Insurance company (as the matter of fact I even still don’t know where the location of my ins. Company in Toronto, all I need is just the phone number of my agent …), no trips to industrial area three times...for quotation, then to drop the car, then to pick the car! HEADACHE!!...
Vegas makes a good point & a shunt here is one thing I hope to avoid.
Had one in Dubai due to a guy not seeing me & executing a turn immediately in front of me, wrote off his car but my Audi was almost driveable, lucky for me the Police did speak English & ignored the Lebanese drivers attempt to communicate in Arabic only.
Just glad you were both ok & not injured.
Torque
Bangin the car that is. After 11 years of driving on every continent in the world. Thanks to a local cutting from the second lane into the first lane in the middle of jaidah flyover roundabout and slamming the brakes of his truck.I had nowhere to go but into his bumper - thanks to the rain that had just fallen and my car aquaplaning.Normally i do leave some distance between the car infront but in this instance i had no choice
Cops came.told them he cut me.No point.They didn't speak a word of english and so did the guy i ran into.Since i was a visitor to qatar didn't want to cause any problem just told them to write down the police report cause he barely had a scratch on his truck while my rental bonnet was all curved up.Report they didn't write cause i had a bahraini license and it has to be written at the police station.Anyways to cut a long story short it was the worst expeirence i've had dealing with cops and unncessary procedures anywhere in the world (main reason being that the guy who you bang into has to be there at the police station inorder to write a report - even if you take all the responsibility and take all the liability).THIS GUY showed up at the end of the next day so i did have a great time the whole day at the station.Giving his license plate number is of no use.
Anyways just one of the wonderful expeirences in Qatar.You gotta luv this place!!!!
Vegas...I guess thats the best advice of the year....
"Money is safer in the ban than on the road in doha..."
...gotta cut it out and hang it somewhere.
Trust Qatar to have the pleasure of christening you.
Could've been worse??!
"Quit hanging on to the handrails . . . Let go. Surrender. Go for the ride of your life. Do it every day." Melody Beattie