Yes, we’ve had enough of driving around the busy capital. We’ve experienced more than our fair share of traffic jams, bad driving skills, heart-stopping maneuvers and roads that are the furthest thing from smooth and car-friendly. Lately, there’s been quite an alarmingly odd trend; there’s practically an accident on every other corner and you’ve probably noticed it too.

The thing is though, when looking at the reality of Cairo’s streets, this trend is proven to be anything but odd. First off, let’s talk about the lack of proper traffic lights. Their insufficient number aside, the actually installed traffic lights seem somehow mostly not to be working. The percentage, however, of working traffic lights appear to somehow be invisible to the naked eye of most Egyptian drivers- breaking a red light is basically the norm.

Another thing our streets seem to be missing are zebra linings for pedestrians to safely cross the streets. The lack of a common proper way, manner and place to cross the street means that pedestrians tend to randomly and haphazardly cross the streets, which can ultimately lead to an array of tragic accidents. 

Now, moving on to our incapability to properly use signals- aka ‘esharat’. It’s quite a simple thing to do that literally takes one second and basic common sense, yet for some inexplicable reason, we’d  rather just not put in the effort to properly and responsibly convey to whoever is driving behind us the route or lane we are planning on taking next. If one more person decides to abruptly switch lanes without giving off a signal first, we will most likely just quit driving here for good- it’s just not worth it.

Speeding on the Ring Road (Da2ery), Mehwar, 6th of October Bridge (on the rare occasions when it’s not jammed, the NA or any other highway seems to be something we all do, yet an undeniable cause for hundreds and thousands of accidents and deaths. Can we please remember that we are, in fact, driving in real life with real people driving around us whom we can potentially harm with our rashness? This is no Hollywood movie and you’re neither Vin Diesel nor Tom Cruise and your car is not the batmobile so driving like a crazy person is probably not a good idea.

On an ending note, though this may have sounded like a classic rant, it’s truly a subject of important substance. Our lack of organization and proper driving conduct is not only contributing to our growing traffic issues, but it’s also leading to the loss of countless lives on the roads. Please pay close attention to how you’re driving and do not disregard traffic rules/the well-being of those around you. If we all did that, maybe one day we’ll stop warning new drivers about “khata2 al gheir” (the faults of others), as our parents once warned us.