Traffic,...ah... traffic - I
What they say about Iran to be insecure for tourists is absolutely true, but NOT for the reason they claim. You see, the image they picture is totally false. Better to say, it is something else……sorry, confused? ……….Let me explain more:
Well, if you come to visit our country, you won't meet any Al Qaida members (the country having them, has a Q at the end. We live in IraN not Iraq!), no bomb blasts, no robberies, no unknown creatures hurting you (the number is not much more than other 'normal' countries), no beasts trying to eat you up,……. that's traffic which may kill you; either directly in a vehicle accident or because of a heart attack witnessing the crazy maneuvers our drivers do.
I live in this crazy city but still whenever I step out in the streets, I feel I'm a stranger, coming by a UFO from another planet. The thought in my head:" My God, yesterday they were not like this!" By 'they' I mean the drivers. With wide opened eyes I look at them and I just wonder how they can survive such stresses to zigzag between other vehicles and pass by the pedestrians with a distant of 2 centimeters.
Once I was thinking who drives carefully here and I concluded:
1- Young ones? They are terrible. To me, they are the Death himself with an appearance of a human just trying to hunt somebody to take her/his soul. To many of them, driving is a crazy fun. Those who belong to middle class or wealthier strata and having a good brand car, roam in the streets aimlessly, to 'hunt' a girl, or just to have fun. Having fun means pushing the accelerator as much as possible and going to left and right simultaneously, zigzagging between the lanes and other cars, imitating computer games and experiencing a mad excitement. They feel great when their heartbeats increase to 2000. This group of drivers used to consist of boys but in recent years the girls have joined them.
Just before seeing them, you will 'hear' them coming. How? That's a hip hop song or Britney Spears screaming or boom boom of a techno music deafening the ears around and working as an alarm:" Watch out; one of them is closing…"
2- Old people? They are terrible either but for an opposite reason. They are extremely cautious. When you are speeding up in the left lane, you will see one of them barring your way, sticking with two hands (they don't have more hands. I'm sure if they had, they would have added them too) to the steering wheel, focusing JUST on the road ahead, moving like a snail, forgetting the whole world around driving as if the entire expressway belongs to them or that's not an expressway but a country road.
3- Most of female drivers? Are like the group No 2. I always have wondered why? I think most of them lack self confidence. For seeking the reason, a profound sociologic, economic, cultural, sexual study is needed. For whatever reason, their style of driving is so much alike each other; I can recognize them from a long distance.
4- Taxi drivers? Are the most fearsome ones. I call them Speedy. In Iran, there are different systems of taxis. You can have a taxi for yourself or do as most people do- sharing a taxi. As gasoline is cheap here taxis are used a lot (don't feel jealousy when I say it's 0.1 USD per liter. Yes, we have oil, that’s the reason Bushies plan to invade us). Many of these taxis have a certain and fixed route. Well, you get on a taxi and the driver (apart from the age) begins to drive just like the drivers in group No 1. Regulations are there just to be broken and ignored. They zigzag, cheat police, move left and right without using the signals, brake and push the accelerator without any warning, stop just in the middle of the street, speed up from the right side of other vehicles. Just dare to object and then get yourself ready to hear a long lecture of how 'Life is tough and he has two sons studying in a private university when the prices are speeding up' always ending to ' ... and the damned regime just promises and never does anything in favor of the poor……" trying to explain why they need to reach the destination as soon as possible to pick another group of people and make more money. I usually warn myself:" Shut up and read your newspaper!"
- to be continued
What they say about Iran to be insecure for tourists is absolutely true, but NOT for the reason they claim. You see, the image they picture is totally false. Better to say, it is something else……sorry, confused? ……….Let me explain more:
Well, if you come to visit our country, you won't meet any Al Qaida members (the country having them, has a Q at the end. We live in IraN not Iraq!), no bomb blasts, no robberies, no unknown creatures hurting you (the number is not much more than other 'normal' countries), no beasts trying to eat you up,……. that's traffic which may kill you; either directly in a vehicle accident or because of a heart attack witnessing the crazy maneuvers our drivers do.
I live in this crazy city but still whenever I step out in the streets, I feel I'm a stranger, coming by a UFO from another planet. The thought in my head:" My God, yesterday they were not like this!" By 'they' I mean the drivers. With wide opened eyes I look at them and I just wonder how they can survive such stresses to zigzag between other vehicles and pass by the pedestrians with a distant of 2 centimeters.
Once I was thinking who drives carefully here and I concluded:
1- Young ones? They are terrible. To me, they are the Death himself with an appearance of a human just trying to hunt somebody to take her/his soul. To many of them, driving is a crazy fun. Those who belong to middle class or wealthier strata and having a good brand car, roam in the streets aimlessly, to 'hunt' a girl, or just to have fun. Having fun means pushing the accelerator as much as possible and going to left and right simultaneously, zigzagging between the lanes and other cars, imitating computer games and experiencing a mad excitement. They feel great when their heartbeats increase to 2000. This group of drivers used to consist of boys but in recent years the girls have joined them.
Just before seeing them, you will 'hear' them coming. How? That's a hip hop song or Britney Spears screaming or boom boom of a techno music deafening the ears around and working as an alarm:" Watch out; one of them is closing…"
2- Old people? They are terrible either but for an opposite reason. They are extremely cautious. When you are speeding up in the left lane, you will see one of them barring your way, sticking with two hands (they don't have more hands. I'm sure if they had, they would have added them too) to the steering wheel, focusing JUST on the road ahead, moving like a snail, forgetting the whole world around driving as if the entire expressway belongs to them or that's not an expressway but a country road.
3- Most of female drivers? Are like the group No 2. I always have wondered why? I think most of them lack self confidence. For seeking the reason, a profound sociologic, economic, cultural, sexual study is needed. For whatever reason, their style of driving is so much alike each other; I can recognize them from a long distance.
4- Taxi drivers? Are the most fearsome ones. I call them Speedy. In Iran, there are different systems of taxis. You can have a taxi for yourself or do as most people do- sharing a taxi. As gasoline is cheap here taxis are used a lot (don't feel jealousy when I say it's 0.1 USD per liter. Yes, we have oil, that’s the reason Bushies plan to invade us). Many of these taxis have a certain and fixed route. Well, you get on a taxi and the driver (apart from the age) begins to drive just like the drivers in group No 1. Regulations are there just to be broken and ignored. They zigzag, cheat police, move left and right without using the signals, brake and push the accelerator without any warning, stop just in the middle of the street, speed up from the right side of other vehicles. Just dare to object and then get yourself ready to hear a long lecture of how 'Life is tough and he has two sons studying in a private university when the prices are speeding up' always ending to ' ... and the damned regime just promises and never does anything in favor of the poor……" trying to explain why they need to reach the destination as soon as possible to pick another group of people and make more money. I usually warn myself:" Shut up and read your newspaper!"
- to be continued
posted by Laila @ 1:21 PM
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