Culture Clash Causes Accidents - psychobabble
I love it when consultants / psychologists try to state the obvious using psychobabble ...
Interesting read .....
_____________________________________________
"Most accidents in a multi-cultural environment like the UAE are a result of a clash of driving cultures of people who come from different countries," said Marco Blankenburgh , Managing Director of Knowledgeworkx, a global consultancy that educates people on inter-cultural intelligence (ICI).
"The reality is driving is not just a technical skill but also an emotional, psychological and cultural experience which we tend to ignore, causing problems on the roads," said the former trained ambulance driver,
According to Blankenburgh, there are three ‘colours' of world view evident on the roads. Those from countries like North America, Europe and Singapore wear their guilt-innocence glasses corresponding to what is wrong or right under the law, while those from the Middle East, parts of Africa, Asia and South America look through honour-shame glasses.
Fear-power play
There is a third set from tribal pockets of Africa, Asia and South America where a sense of fear-power also comes into play.
When two drivers of such diverse cultures come together, a double monologue is started where nobody really understands one another, he says.
Those with a guilt-innocence mind-set assume that everyone knows and follows the rules. They would, for example, never change the lane at the last minute or expect others to do it either. They would leave the prescribed two-car space between vehicles so there is enough room to wedge into the highway.
But such an approach may not always work in countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa as cultural values revolve round a sense of shame and honour, where relationships matter and the rules of engagement are more flexible. "Wanting to get your way with another driver here may require that you take permission, play the underdog by making eye contact, using your hands or nodding your head," says Blankenburgh.
"Nothing here is written down. Everything depends on the situation, who you are dealing with and what would be the most honourable thing to say or do at a particular point of time," he says. Similarly, those reared in a power-fear environment learn to assess who is the more powerful in a given situation and how to deal with that power.
On the one hand, says Blankenburgh, is the driving sense that each person brings from his own country. On the other are the local rules which are often misinterpreted. What we need is an acceptable form of behaviour, a ‘third culture', to reduce accidents, he adds.
Asked whether drivers with Western licences, who automatically get a driving licence in the UAE, should also have to take driving classes, he said, "Protocol standards taught through driving tests do help. But our attitudes are psychological, emotional and cultural. There has to be a more common agreement on what is acceptable on the roads."
"Drivers should create new cultural spaces for a win-win solution by anticipating, correctly interpreting and adjusting to the cultural habits of others."
Yes WK its all about Mental Strength! lol
Once when we were driving on that one stretch of road where the test takes place, the instructor told me, you see that white colour house over there on the left, remember the fact that there is a speed bump in front of that house.
I asked him won't it be easier if I just looked on the road?
He was like, NOOO.. This helps you to be prepared mentally from a distance :P
See that is exactly what I was trying to say. The British gave the Sub-continent a lot of things as well as good driving manners, yet so many Indians are accused for bad driving.
The fault is simple, you (indians) stick to what the British Masters taught you rather than following the petty way they teach you here you will be good drivers!
Lol.. Actually the problem in driving lessons here is that they don't teach you anything about driving on the roads.
All my instructor did for all the classes was make me drive up and down the one road where they conduct driving tests. The very important lessons taught were.
- Greet the police in Arabic
- Don't talk too much
- Memorise the sequence in which you have to adjust the mirrors and buckle up the seatbelt
- Say thank you after the test.
If someone is learning to drive in Qatar then I am afraid he will never actually learn to drive
Chocoholic
You don't need to get one, just live in a Tent with Mr Jamal for a week you will start looking through the eyes of honour-shame! Coz then no is gonna seem better than you!
WK I strongly belive that an Indian licence should be transfered automatically to a Qatari one.
Its the test that makes you a bad driver, because they try to teach you the cultural difference, which due to language barriers gets lost in translation.
MBK that is just cultural difference ;)
We do have to take classes and tests though to adjust to driving on the other side.
Where can I get a pair of honour-shame glasses?
WK you just gave away the reason why so many from the sub-continent drive so badly also!
fubar spot.. One thing I have not been able to understand in all these years here, Why the fook do drivers stop like 10 meters away from the stop line at junctions? yes the same drivers will be up your Ar$e when your driving!
The Brits should definitely be made to take classes, if only to adjust to driving on the other side of the road.
"Asked whether drivers with Western licences, who automatically get a driving licence in the UAE, should also have to take driving classes".. IMO yes, they should as they are the ones who cry even at the smallest incident...:)
I remember this statement
abiding by traffic laws is seen as “unmanly or cowardly” and a characteristic of an unskilled driver
http://www.qatarliving.com/node/1587240
It must be the culture, in some cultures I don't have to break traffic laws to prove my manhood.
“Nothing here is written down.”
I’m going to beg to differ, just a little bit. Speed limits are written down, and routinely ignored by people driving Land Cruisers.
The lights at the roundabout might be red, but we’ve all seen a Land Cruiser just drive straight through because he was in a hurry to feed his camel.
Stop signs clearly say stop, in a language even a Land Cruiser driver can read. It’s just two freaken letters… but do they stop?
What an absolute load of rubbish to suggest that it’s not a question of right and wrong on the roads, and what an insult to Emiratis to suggest that the notion of right and wrong is too advanced or complex or deep for their poor little ‘honor/shame’ brains to comprehend.
I am 'abstracting', HBoss, not 'generalizing'. Hope you got the 'main idea'.
Do not Generalize LP...
I thought so, too, Fathimah. Nobody respects the Qur'an. Not even the Qataris!
How about the Quranic ayah "and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allah likes not the Mufsidun (those who commit great crime and sins, oppressors,tyrants, mischief makers, corrupters)." and all those hadiths warning people against causing danger and mayhem. Think "do unto others..." That said I doubt any of those maniacs out there behind the wheel give a damn what holy books have to say!
Ha ha ... I just pictured Ralph Coates flying down the wing for Tottenham..... He did teh same with his hair..
The psychological pressure will be too much for some, Fathimah.
lol britey !
Thanks for the info.
Ya agree we have to adjust, the same way how i adjust the side hairs and bring them over my head and cover my Bald head....:(
They could all just follow the rules and laws..simple!
I think we need some fatwahs on traffic behavior. I wonder why it isn't mentioned anywhere in the "holy" books?
Your short-sttention-span-person..
Its basically saying that no one is entirely right or wrong when driving in different countries / cultures. We have to adjust.
It's like it is in the jungle: the stronger has all rights. Nothing new.
YA, very interesting if it was in short ! :(