Road Rage & Malicious Fines
Road Rage
From: Clovis Hebert ([email protected])
Sent:
Sun 9/09/07 10:40 AM
To:
[email protected]; [email protected]
Dear Sirs,
I have been in your country for 6 months and find parts of it very beautiful, especially the Corniche and City Center area. Today I was the victim of road rage. On my trip home from work today at Qatar Gas, Al Khor shore base. I was traveling along the highway which was rather congested. I suddenly noticed a big vehicle dangerously close to the back of my vehicle. The driver then started flashing their lights at me. I thought maybe they noticed a problem with my car but I was also fearful that there may have been foul play at hand. There was so much traffic that I could not pull my vehicle over so I maintained my speed which honestly was over the limit.
At a point when there was room for me to move over to the right the car jumped into the right hand lane and began overtaking me on the right, so I maintained my position in the left lane. Once past me the car swerved into the left lane dangerously close to my vehicle again. At this time the driver threw a water bottle out the window narrowly missing my vehicle. I noticed children in the car that were not properly seated and securely buckled so I decided to slow down and let the driver move away which she did at an extremely high rate of speed.
Unfortunately I ended up stopping behind the same driver and vehicle at traffic signal near Qatar University. She exited the vehicle and came back to my vehicle where I opened the window a few inches to hear what she was shouting. Although I did not understand most of what she said it seemed she was angry about something and was asking about lights. I said nothing and she started to return to her vehicle, with plate number 6319. She also said something about tomorrow you will have 3000 fine on vehicle. She mimicked using a keyboard as if maybe she worked for the Qatar Government and could cause this to happen.
I am completely shocked by this woman’s behavior especially since it was she that endangered herself, her children, me and other drivers on the road by her erratic driving and high rate of speed.
Is it possible that she works for the Government and is it possible that just on an act of anger she can convince or cause someone to execute a fine against any person she deems? In my country this would be considered “Abuse of Authority” and this person would go to prison for a crime. Can someone here in the Qatar Government or the friend of someone do something like this?
I do not like to be bullied by arrogant, rude people regardless of their nationality or sex. I find this situation totally appalling; a woman of possibly important status would act this way to anyone in front of her children and also endanger other peoples lives due to their arrogance and impatience.
Please advise as I need to explain this situation to my employer before it escalates, as I will not pay any fine resulting from this incident.
pulled down the police station for supposdly swearing at some guy! Madness he was flashing us and right up our cars behind and i for one refuse to move out of peoples way if they flash me - never have, never will!! We were at that point going past a speed camera too! Madness! We didnt swear and the police let it go as they believed as and it was a qatari which reported it - so in our case the police were fair and right! Just couldnt believe we got pulled down the police station for it!
[img_assist|nid=13270|title=Love Life|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=180|height=113]
love life!
I had a similar one with a man in 'thobe' and children in a big car... bearing down on me, as I overtook another van. (Thobe wearers aren't always Qatari by the way!)
We (the van and I) were parallel at overtaking point, and this guy came down speeding and flashing lights, swerving between me an the van, trying to get past us. I kept at my correct speed limit 120, and took the correct time to overtake. The guy was in my bumper by now almost.
I had not cut into him, and in fact he was a long way back as I began to overtake, (about 1/2 klm) when I first saw his lights flashing me, buthe must have been doing 200 kms. I reported the incident by phone, and on the MOI website. Never heard anything else, but it covers your back in case of 'revenge' acts, which do happen here.
Angelwings
If the grass is greener on the other side, its sure the water bill is higher !
at around 9 am.
Alexa, I am happy to say, I was surprised by the Police, I could see the hand gestures of the guy in the Merc, the police officer was a ranking guy with three stripes. and he would have none of the Merc guys excuses, you know the sign made with the fingers together to represent shuwai shuwai or wait. After giving the Licence the Merc guy just shot off, suppose he does not care, most probably he will send his driver or Mandoup to collect the licence later.
i was in rainbow roundabout around 9.15pm ... and saw some police around the roundabout ... I was thinking probably the important people getting ready to pass by and the police going to stop the traffic.
On my way to Ritz Carlton, at the Rainbow roundabout there was a traffic jam, I could not move forward or sideways ( imagine that ) and this Big-shot with his new Merc 4x4 kept tooting me to move, he finally climbed the footpath and went ahead. At the roundabout the Police stopped him and took his licence (ha, imagine that), took me completely by surprise.
What the fine was for does not matter. What does matter is that I did not report the incident and this left it wide open for the 'road rage idiot' to report the incident with their own spin on it. The fact that I did not go to the police seemed to enforce the other guys story.
It did not really matter what he had done, just what he said becasue he got there first.
I will not go into the experience that I had but it does not matter whether you are right or wrong, what does matter is your nationality. I would suggest that you report this incident to the police. Even if they do nothing about it if she reports you to the police at least you got there first.
As a westener I did nothing about the road rage indident I had and it ultimately cost me QR3000. The police thought I was guilty because I did not report it. Report everything!