Having grown up in the Middle East, spent time in the UK and otherwise travelled quite extensively, one can appreciate and be in a position to justifiably comment on the fact that there is a definite ‘art’ to South African (and African) driving.
My skills were honed early on in life after firstly passing my test in the UK and then taking my new-found abilities to the roads of the Qatar (Death Race, eat your heart out!). Unless you have eyes in the back of your head, decent horn control and tempo and a firm grip on your road rage demon (not to mention advanced dodgem driving skills), foreign drivers in the middle east will more likely than not end up in some sort of accident; inevitably it will be your fault (unless of course you have taken to wearing Arab-like attire and can pass yourself off as a local). Fortunately I had a chance to master most of these prerequisites (except dressing like an Arab part) and thankfully escaped any fender benders.
When I moved to South Africa, I decided the my first vehicle was to be a Navara. This was partly because I was used to driving 4×4 vehicles from my time spent in the Middle East (and my better half needs a car capable of pulling a 4-berth horsebox), and partly due to the fact that the majority of people in the UK drive around in small cars to save on petrol and emissions tax, i.e it is more affordable to own a bigger car in South Africa. This is definitely a decision I haven’t regretted as people treat you differently on the road when your are behind the wheel of a truck. Continue reading
