Changing Lanes

This post has been overdue for a week but well...did not have the time. For people who don't know, I've been working as an online content editor in a publishing firm for about 3 weeks. It's been keeping me busy & as evident from my blog, I haven't been able to post as much as before. Anyway getting back to what this post was all about...me & a few fellow bloggers had to meet this lady [Already forgot her name :] from CNN Arabia at the Central Perk Cafe for a video-ed group interview session [the video will be posted on their site]. Anyway after the session I dropped my friend to her house [meadows] & drove back home[Deira]. As usual took Sheikh Zayed road [after avoiding the toll even though I have the Salik tag] driving with cruise control with my leg on the brake.

With experience, I have learnt that while driving on the highways of Dubai, you need to keep a keen eye on the rear view mirror of your car. This is basically to keep an eye out for any maniacal driver who might be on his way. So as usual I kept checking my rear view mirror more often than it was required as per my driving instructor.

I had just passed the New Time Square centre [that name still makes me wonder] when I noticed a car with bright Xenon lights. I looked more carefully & realised he was in a hurry. I put my leg on the brake bringing the car under my control & slowed down a little [from 120-100]. He passed me a few seconds later; it was an Audi A6 [2007 model I guess] followed by an old [early 90's] BMW 3 series, a Camaro [late 90's] & a Lexus LS400 [mid 90's]. They were racing, with the Audi a clear leader. Anyway as they zoomed past me I made sure not to change my lane, just in case one of them decided to change into one of the lanes near me.

When they had all passed, in the few seconds that followed I put the cruise control back on with my leg back on the brake. Back to feeling a little more safer [it's never completely safe on Dubai roads] I tried to see where the 4 cars had ended up: the Audi had vanished, so had the BMW. The Camaro & Lexus were still trying hard to catch up. The Lexus being the most heavy car of the lot would surely not have had a chance to outmanoeuvre the others in the little traffic that was there on the road. So he seemed to have floored the car in hopes to catch up but then had to brake immediately. Some dimwit did the mistake of shifting into the very lane the Lexus was trying to shift into...big mistake though it did not end into a accident as the Lexus guy was a good enough driver to be able to brake in time.

Anyway, soon all 4 cars had vanished while I kept driving on. It took me another 15 mins to get home. Anyway it made me think, if it had been me about 15 months back, I would have surely tried to race along with them but that was the crazy driver in me who died somewhere along the way. I know some of my friends would have still raced now, even though they got their licenses at the same time as me. Weird how I have mellowed down while they continue to burn....so that's that.