Driving in Saudi Arabia

Video Transcript

“Driving conditions or driving habits vary throughout Saudi Arabia. In, and I don't know why, in southern Saudi Arabia, down in Khamis Mushait, there is a tradition of, tradition’s the wrong word, a common occurrence, and I don't know why they do it, whether it’s out of laziness, whether it’s out of, ‘Oh, I need to do this,’ but you’ll pull up to an intersection, [a] multi-lane intersection, there will be a left turn lane, they’ll have a left turn light. All directions going forward could turn green at the same time. In other words the left turn lane can turn left, everybody else can go straight. It’s not uncommon to see someone in the far right-hand lane, when the light turns green decide, ‘I want to make a left hand turn, too,’ and he will turn in front of three or four lanes of traffic to make a left turn, as opposed to getting in the left turn lane in a 100 meters back. We called it the ‘Saudi sweep.’ And we saw it all the time, and the thing that was quite amazing is the people who are being cut off didn’t think anything of it. It’s like, ‘Eh, that’s just the way it is here.’”

In this video, a Saudi Arabia expert discusses the road infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.