When you are driving on a road or any street, and you need to move to the other direction,    398px-u-turn_iconsvg
simply you’ll take the next U-turn, right?

Lately, – especially – when I’m driving to my work, I started to feel that this U-turn is such a stupid thing, and in any road, street or direction it’s pretty dangerous. Allow me to explain my point.

So, the road is divided into lanes so that the extreme left lane is the fastest, and to the right the speed of the vehicles should be slower (assuming we are following the traffic rules), when you are driving on the left lane, it’s either you are going fast (that’s why you’re on the left) or you are going to take the next U-turn (which means you are going to slow down!!) think about it, the left lane is for both, for driving fast, and for slowing down to take the U-turn !!!
Does it make any sense???

If I’m on a high way, lets say 90 km/hr speed, and suddenly the front car is slowing down (strongly) to take the U-turn, so you’ll need to move to the right then back to the left after passing the U-turn, and if -Allah forbidden- you couldn’t do it fast enough you’ll collapse ! and if it’s you who wants to take the U-turn, then may be someone will hit you from behind, unless you are alarming (using waiting flasher or something) and the person driving behind you is careful enough to take care of that.

Ok, what if it’s not on a high way and simply in a very crowded street, you are on the left -trying to avoid the stopping microbuses, buses or taxi stations- and the left lane is almost not moving, why, because there’s a U-turn and most of the vehicles are taking it and stopping on the other direction, so you are stuck though you don’t want to take it !! trying to move to the right lane isn’t that easy on such streets -no one will let you do it :D   -

Complicated, huh?!
That’s if you are taking the road with the U-turn, let’s talk about you taking this U-turn.

You started to slow down on your way, and you are about to take the U-turn to move to the other direction of the road.
hmm, if you are on a high way, then you’ll STOP on the U-turn to watch the coming cars (with high speed) till you can tell it’s kinda safe to go, THE ANNOYING QUESTION is : after I took the U-turn, should I drive in the left lane (the high speed one) while my speed is still ascending (relatively slow to the cars on the road) which is so dangerous as any other car will be driving on the same lane with a much higher speed than yours. Or, after the U-turn you should cross over the street to reach the right lane and drive slow till you reach the desired speed again , which in my opinion doesn’t make sense to cross the road that way !!

In the condition of a crowded street, you’ll be fighting and trying so hard to catch a tiny little space and -to7shor- yourself and go on with your way.
It’s STUPID, in no conditions, you’ll find it safe or even logic to make a U-turn, unless of course there’re traffic lights -which doesn’t exist-

It’s worse on a speed running way, I drive on such a road when I’m going to work, and it’s really scarey :S

In Alex there’s a nice way to handle this, they are using some orange thing in the ground (don’t know what’s it called), that separates the most left lane for the U-turn to avoid such a conflict and the same after taking the U-turn you’ll be in a separate lane from the road till you reach a reasonable speed to go on again.
The traffic lights are such an amazing solution for this but unfortunately not available here !!

Everyday I’m driving and have to take a U-turn, I feel so confused of what’s the best and safest way to do it??!

If you have any ideas, advices, or thoughts to overcome such a maze please let me know :)
Drive safe, rabena youstorha m3ana



4 CommentsMake A Comment
  • DanDona Said:  

    LOL ya sinar , ye5reeb 3a2lek u r hilarious, kol eli ha2dar a2olholek smile u r in Egypt :D ya3ny bekol basaataa , safest way eah , there’s no safest way driving in egypt , actually coz i take that u-turn each day doing 2 work , 3ashn aroo7 3ala kobry tal5a keda , we bab2a 3ayza a5od el u-turn , and i’m on the right :D ya3ny peace w tamam , ala2i ba2a eli 3ala yemeny raye7 shemaaal be3eed 3an el u-turn la2enno mosh 3ayez wa5do , the question is , law enta mosh 3ayez ta5od el u-turn eah eli gaybaak 3ala el yemen :D :D wel laziz eno ye2om meshawa7lek keda , 3ashn enty on his way :D so driving in Egypt is a great mess , w 3al ra2yeek rabbena yestorha ma3ana :D

  • Sinar Shebl Said:  

    ohh my God !!
    U r Dina :D
    i forgot to say that the worst situation if u r on the extreme right and u simply want to take the U-turn which is on the extreme left :S
    or worse and worse, to take the U-turn, and u r on the left lane and u want to turn right within 50 meters for example (that’s my way to work) it SUCKS !!

    but with u, eshta :D

  • Akram Elkhawaga Said:  

    The simplest word that describe the driving method in Egypt specially in Cairo is driving with your arm ( elsewa2a beldera3 ) which means that you have to take a course about how to steal the empty spaces in front of the other cars and how to make no one do this to you too. Feel comfortable with this because Egypt is the only country in the world that have Traffic Freedom.
    Don’t forget the main rule of driving in Egypt that when you probably find a traffic lights you have to follow it by using the traffic lights indications (red light means go, yellow means gooooo, but green means gooooooo faster) :D . If you follow this rules you will never reach your target.
    And as I told you before ( c’est la vie ) :P

  • Ahmed Soliman Said:  

    I don’t think there is a ‘right’ way to handle U-Turns, they just suck! roundabouts are much better

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