I'm Evel Knievel on the roads here. No, I'm not soaring over stretches of parked cars with my 2009 Yaris. But I am tempting fate every time I get behind the wheel. Likening driving in Oman to Hobbe's state of nature, I see everyone out on the road, in his or her own car, not caring about the community of drivers. You do not mess with the Hummer in the left hand lane who is pushing 140 kph. You shift over to the right so that his pace can continue unabated. Traffic circles are the ultimate state of nature. Yes, there may be loosely defined rules, but merging and exiting happen at will and not based on rational, communal thinking. Two lanes become one? No, we do not use the "every other" technique in the Sultanate. We prefer the "whoever drives faster and almost side-swipes your car makes it to the condensed lane first," method. Overtaking on dual carriageways. Speeding in camel and goat infested waters. No seat belts. Children on laps. Broken headlights. Lane creation at will. But I'm not keeping track or anything. So while I have alluded to my highway woes in a previous post, a discussion on decision making in Oman, a recent streak of particularly aggressive driving, and an in-your-face safety campaign, force me to take this up again.
Omanis have always been aware of road dangers in their country. This does not mean that citizens were always allowed to talk about it. When Salim and Salimah, a 100% Omani-run LLC that has received MEPI funding kicked off its driver awareness campaign in 2002 the atmosphere for reforming road standards was not present. Some questioned the founders as to why and how they would talk publicly about the 28 per 100,000 people (the numbers may have been greater at that time) that die on the road in the Sultanate.
The disinclination to recognize, expose, criticize and discuss topics of concern in Oman is distressing. Omani author of the "Generation of the Father and Generation of the Son" philosophy below, willingly recognized that a problem in this state is not a problem, until the Sultan says so. And any move to acknowledge a perceived societal deficiency is not viewed as constructive criticism - aimed to improve the state - but as a move to attack the honor of the "collective tribe" of Oman. HIV/AIDS statistics and deaths, and political discussion do not enjoy the backing of the Sultan as of yet. Women's issues, water and food security and now road safety have been taken up by HM and receive strong support. Naturally, other groups are jumping on the driver's ed bandwagon. PDO established a Traffic Safety Institute in 2006 and now the Royal Oman Police are taking it up a notch by planting themselves in City Center [the most popular mall in Muscat]. With elaborate yet informative displays, eye-catching-if-morbid-artwork (see skull embedded in car parts), and crash test dummies on stretchers, it is not easy to avoid the exhibition. Yet Omanis, and the expats that quickly adopt this style of driving, are loath to sign the driving social contract: I drive safely. You drive responsibly. We all live. And, oddly enough, it doesn't take us that much longer to get to our final destination.
HIV prevention and how it gets caught etc has been in the Omani public domain for x years - perhaps 15 - leaflets used to be handed out at the airport - and in hospitals (Sinaw which has probably 95% Omani patients -I would guesstimate - was the first one I noticed them in, some 15 years ago I think ) large posters were up in the waiting rooms.
ReplyDeleteGiven that probably for 20 years all expats have had to go for an AIDS test (being sheperded in many cases by their Omani PRO) and all (I believe) food handlers (Omani & Expat) need blood checks .
Car crash statistics have been available and again stuck up on walls in police accident unit's waiting rooms ( listing by nationality bracket the people involved - Omani being top of the list by a loooong way) - 694 people killed (up to the date I sat in the room in 1987 after my car was hit by a car )probably about 35 per 100,000
Ynotoman: I don't really see how posting statistics inside waiting rooms could have an impact on reckless driving, because by the time you get to the waiting room, it's already too late to prevent the crash. The authorities should be more proactive in their campaigns to improve road safety. Posters aren't enough; we need to actively teach safer driving techniques in driving schools.
ReplyDeleteThough HIV/AIDS has received a more publicity here in recent years, there is gross misunderstanding about sexuality issues in general. A yoga teacher I know was almost not allowed to hold classes at a university here because there were questions as to whether yoga would "compromise the girls' integrity."
ReplyDeleteCheck out English Sabla Forum: http://www.englishsabla.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38048
"How come Omani's are catching aids from sex/drugs when we are given to believe that this is only a western affliction?"
"Methinks the establishment of a toll free hotline indicates the problem is far larger than the 'official' figure of 1350."
Perhaps this new site will push for more proactive sex education in Oman:
http://omanaids.org/new/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=41
My main point however, is that you are not allowed to describe something as a problem until HM does so, and you cannot describe the extent of the problem until HM says it is "that bad." The forums show what people are really talking about, compared to what is able to be printed, etc.
Point well made.
ReplyDeleteCheers
I usually find your blog a bit too cerebral for my simple tastes (my fault, not yours!). However, this is an interesting post, and you raise some good points.
ReplyDeletedarn cerebral, i'll have to work on that. don't worry, i will keep trying to raise intriguing points. other people cannot always say the things i say on the blog, so i'm speaking for many people who are wondering these same things!
ReplyDeleteNice post Nomad
ReplyDelete